Post 257: The Cost of Art Supplies

The Cost of Art Supplies

As prices go up and up, how are you changing what you do, artistically? A question put to the PWAS membership recently and a few that responded are below.

How has the cost of art supplies affected what you do as an artist?

There could be various approaches to this question and the most obvious is to perhaps raise prices to reflect price increases in materials to create a painting. Others may change a certain brand which in a way is something to consider as the artist gets to explore new ways, methods, mediums or alternatives when they create what they do. How has the increasing prices of art supplies affected you, or has it?

 

Photo by JACQUELINE BRANDWAYN on Unsplash 

1. Donna Liguria

I really like using Kamar Varnish by Krylon for my paintings. Not long ago, by a few months as of the writing of this post, I could find the can at Walmart for a little over $5 a can. It could be found at Hobby Lobby or Michael's for a few dollars more, or I had also purchased it on Amazon in a 6-pack too quite reasonably. I saw it at Walmart a few weeks back and it had gone up to over $8 a can. As of today, October 26, 2022, on Amazon it is $25.74 (last week) for an 11oz can! (GULP!) And oddly enough, I just looked today (Nov 5, 2022) and it was $19.99... I'm just not paying that although I really like the product. 

 

I currently have other supplies that I can use for now, along with a few cans left from the 6pack of varnish I had purchased. If prices stay up, I may have to change and the finish would be a different look than I would have liked, but I'll see how it goes. As I am sure many artists will say, we are ever more looking out for supplies on sale. I'll also keep an eagle eye out for those marvelous Michael's 70% off canvas sales and I'm really hoping for a VISA Gift Card for Christmas!

2. Ann McCarty

I have curtailed as much spending as possible. Tubes of paint are not replaced until completely empty and I will shop around for the best price. Pretty much, I am working with what I have. 

Sales at shows have diminished, making it hard to justify the spending.

3. Otis Stanley

The cost of art supplies has not affected my output or what I do as a painter. I look out for art supply sales and purchase in stock.

4. Linda Nedilsky

Holy cow, yes!  Most things have gone up 25%. The dilemma is that everyone is hurting, so should an artist increase his prices, possibly decreasing sales, or increase by 25%.

For now, I am just keeping my prices the same. We will see how that pans out. 

5. Elena Cheney Jochum

The Cost of art supplies affected me early on, especially when I was in high school. I had to work since I was 15 just so I could afford supplies. It was one of the reasons I did not study Fine Art for my undergraduate degree. My family couldn't afford to help me with supplies back in 2008, especially larger canvases or oil paints. I was able to go to MICA in 2015 to receive a Post BACC in Fine Art, but I was able to afford my supplies by then. I ended up pursuing a career in graphic design and that helped pay for the tools I needed to use more traditional media. Basically I ended up pursuing a completely different major in psychology and then a career in graphic design instead of fine art, just because the cost of supplies and art education was too high for me.

 

 

Rising costs on your art supplies, how are YOU handling those costs?

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Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA and Artistry Spin Blog Admin, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, Donna's Etsy site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

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