Total Art Soul - for artists

Now that theres painting and drawing happening at Grin HQ again, Rich has been very busy making me bits of kit because I'm too tight to pay art shop prices. This has gone so well and been such an improvement on the tat that I would have come home with we're thinking of selling a few bits.

So, a quick survey if anyone has five minutes - what small item do you use most in your studio/workshop, ie brush rack, canvas spacers, sandpaper thing for sharpening pencils...

What could you do with something inventing for, that is currently made out of masking tape and jamjars for example?

Thanks in advance to anyone that has a thought to share,
madly scheming,
Karen and Rich

Ha! This is a good one. I actually like the fact that I'm using all kinds of strange containers, I've grown quite fond of them. I have an icecream tub for sandpaper, a plant pot for my brushes, an old cutlery tray for my pencils, small wooden mushroom crates for my cutters and I use paper picnic plates for a palette. I don't want to part with any of it! It does the job and that's fine by me.

I suppose I most use … my small pencil sharpener. Other than that, I often use tweezers, for picking up delicate pressed leaves and flowers.

~ rose

Funny how we get attached to these things, I have an assortment of automatic pencils I use for just mapping things out, I use different colours for different types of work, almost like wearing lucky socks

I've been having a good giggle at some of the ridiculous stuff for sale aimed at artists- $160 for a mahogany paintbrush holder ?

Have lovely images of roses' very delicate work, you must have a steady hand!

It is funny. I keep my brushes in a couple old handcrafted pottery vases I purchased many years ago. My pens and pencils rest in canning jars and many of my supplies I keep organized in upcycled clementine crates that I've painted - they fit nicely in my closet shelves.

I think it's that thing of finding something that 'fits', since Rich made me my pencil and paint boxes i've been using them, but thats because he made them just for me, to suit the things I use. Thankfully I don't have to give up my jam jars, as I can use them for all the interesting things I invariably fetch home with me