Tools of the Trade * Six Favorite Art Supplies of a Mixed Media Artist

In any kind of job, you can be creative.  Each job just uses different tools, some which help you create, some which make you more efficient; some you would expect while others can be unusual!

If you’re a barista, making the top of my cappuccino pretty is very creative and your art supplies include coffee, cream, and a coffee maker!  Finding ways for your children to be quiet at appropriate times can be very creative, with your art supplies including paper and markers, perhaps.  Putting food on a plate takes a lot of creativity if you are in the restaurant business. It may require special thought to placement and design! 

Sometimes we create new ways to be efficient.  Sometimes it’s how to pass the time in a waiting room.  Have you ever imagined redecorating the Department of Motor Vehicles?  Have you ever thought about fixing someone’s hair as they sit in front of you in a meeting?  Were you doodling on your notepad during that meeting??  You are creative!

What are your favorite creative supplies?  Where do you like to find them?  What are the tools of your trade?

A creative home builder might find her supplies at Home Depot.  A teacher might find his at the Dollar Tree (one of my favorite art supply stores!)

For mixed media artists, there are many tools of the trade that are not traditional.  Being an artist doesn’t necessarily mean you use a paint brush, a canvas, or even paper. You may not even realize YOU are an artist until you look at yourself through the creative lens of the greatest artist of all times. God.

Mixed media artists need adhesives, substrate, and a variety of sometimes unusual materials. There may or may not be a need for paint and brushes. Sometimes it’s spackle and flower pigments! Sometimes it’s crushed glass and twisted metal! As a mixed media artist I have an eclectic list of “a few of my favorite things”.  Some are expected and some are not to be found in any Hobby Lobby or Michaels anywhere. My studio is filled with so many, many things that are unexpected!

1. I think I’ve gone through more little sponge brushes than anyone in the world.  I love them for everything from stenciling to putting on adhesive!  Dollar Tree and Tuesday Morning are the best suppliers of sponge brushes. 
2. Recently I found out about Nova Color from one of the teaching artists.  Using Nova 204 has changed how  I paint … with petals (coming up).  It is a matte acrylic medium which we use for so many projects in the studio.  It creates a beautiful finish, acts as an adhesive, and does not stink or cause a mess.  I am a big fan. Nova 209 is one of the best adhesives I’ve ever used for my art.  It dries clear and quickly and provides structure for some of my pieces with heavier things like branches and full flower blossoms.
3. My most unusual art supply is likely my huge collection of dried, pressed, and preserved flowers.  Wherever I go my eyes are scanning for the next flower to pluck.  We go to Palm Springs several times throughout the year, and I am always surprised by some new blossom.  Thanks to the amazing creativity of Google Lens, I was able to identify these periwinkle blossoms and they are my latest favorite art supply!  At the condo we rented for the weekend I was enamored with these sweet little faces.  Not to mention my quintessential desert flowers, the amazing bougainvillea that grow prolifically in all shades of pink, purple and red.  Every trip entails my attempt to preserve as many blossoms as possible and get them safely home.  A notebook, a pile of paper towels, a trip to the store to get watercolor paper; always part of my vacation days!
4. Arteza wood canvas cradles are used generously in the studio as a substrate.  I love their sturdy structure and smooth wood grain.  If you like to create collages, then I would highly recommend these, directly from Arteza.
5. I use a lot of stencils in my studio.  One of my favorites for mylar stencils is Wallcutz.  Their products fill two large binders and a hanging system in my studio.  I love their clean edges, creativity, and customer service.  For the mesh stencils that imitate screen printing, I love the designs from A Makers’ Studio.  They are so fun and easy to use.  And reuse.
6. I love to put copper on pretty much everything.  Copper leaf, copper paint, copper copper!  Just try to find something I’ve made that didn’t have copper or gold or at least some shimmery, shiny component.

Bougainvillea and Periwinkle Blossoms

I would love to hear from you about your “art supplies”. How do you creatively make something happen in your life?

Disclaimer: I receive nothing in return for mentioning these companies, except for possibly A Maker’s Studio. I want to authentically tell you what I like because I like it, not because I got paid to endorse or sell. Buy on Amazon, buy wherever. Just keep being creative!