Pretty Sketchy: Accessible Artist Tools (That Aren't AI)
Hey yall let's see what's up today! So... I may have forgotten to post this last week when I intended to, but that doesn't mean that I am any less excited to talk about this, it's actually one of my favorite debates as a disabled artist that also happens to be... a little bit broke from time to time.
The recent conversation I've seen circulating online is that AI is making art accessible for artists that don't have money for supplies or maybe they have some type of disability that could affect their ability to create. I think that is absolutely a load of garbage, you can create on a budget and you can create great pieces as well if you know how.
As for AI making art accessible to people with disability... that's also not true. I personally have a visual impairment, as well as a disability that affects my joints especially my wrists and the joints in my fingers. I also know of a quadriplegic man that paints with his mouth using a specially fitted paintbrush. Artists with disabilities are quite literally the definition of "If there's a will there's a way" and if you've been wondering how you can create I wanted to make this little guide for you! I will include links to as many products as I can, as well as give some free options as well.
Cost Friendly Ways to Create
When I was first starting to get serious about pursuing the arts I didn't have a lot of money. I worked weekends as a receptionist at a hair salon and only made tips so I wasn't exactly rolling in the big bucks. I will say I was very gracious to have been a part of the Art Club at my school so I had a lot of good supplies that were on hand and accessible to me. My high school librarian was also very helpful when it came to things like loaning me paper or a printer when the need arose. However, I know not everyone has that access especially if you've already graduated so I'm going to make a list of free items as well as just cheap items that you can use.
Free Items
Paper: I work in an office, so scrap paper and sticky notes are a dime a dozen. However, you may find scrap paper in more places than you think. Spam mail, pamphlets, paint swatches, paper tags off of clothing, card board, paper fast food/grocery bags (just make sure that they're clean and don't have grease or food on them), napkins and even receipts can be used as your canvas.
Pencils, Pens, or Charcoal: I live in America, so we have something called the Powerball lottery, and they have little pencils that you can take for free. They are in almost every grocery store and gas station across the country. I also know of a few home improvement stores that have pencils free to take for customers. You can also get free pens at the bank or any loan place that relies heavily on marketing they almost always have pens available and you usually don't even have to ask for them. As for charcoal, if you have a lighter just find a stick and burn the end of it. I do suggest using a brown stick that has a bit of age on it as green sticks will burn completely very fast.
Paint: If you prefer to paint, you can make paint from flowers, grass, dirt, and even fruit/vegetables if you have them. You can either boil the pigment out and mix it with a paint medium if you have that on hand, or you can do it the old fashioned way. I've actually made paint before, and it was very easy. All you have to do is take your flowers, grass, charcoal, etc. and grind it up a little bit in a bowl. From there you need some form of binder, animal fat or oil is best but if you don't have lard on hand you can also use just plain water to make your paint.
Paint Brushes: I've also made paint brushes by hand, and these are also fairly simple. If you don't already have paint brushes you can use a variety of things like napkins, sponges, toothpicks, cotton swabs, business cards, and even hair. When I was in Art History class we did this as an activity, we used sticks with our hair taped to them as paint brushes to imitate cave painting methods and it was actually not that bad. However, if you don't want to make a paint brush out of your own hair, you can also just finger paint.
Stickers: If you want to make stickers but can't afford sticker paper the UPS website has you covered, you can get free sticker/shipping labels by creating an account. I did this a lot when I first started until I got an actual supplier for stickers.
Krita: If you have an HP laptop, or a Chromebook with the Linux system on it you can access Krita. This software is completely FREE and it's one of my favorites. It looks professional, it has a wide variety of brushes, and you can make everything from comics to animation on it. Now a drawing tablet is advised, but it isn't required for this program, if you're good drawing with a mouse that is always an option.
Ibis Paint X: This program has both a free and paid version, I have only used the free version and while it is definitely not my first choice, if you're looking to explore digital art without dropping money on a computer, drawing tablet, or anything of that nature I suggest it. It's available for both Apple and Android devices and it's not a bad starter program.
Pantone Connect: This also has a free and paid version it is perfect for finding colors that are within a Pantone color pallet, and that makes it really easy if you're trying to get enamel pins or something of the sort printed as they use Pantone for that.
Cheap Items
Now we're getting into some stuff that you might need a little money for, but I'm going to teach you how to really stretch these supplies. I firmly believe in doing things on a budget if I can or if I have to so I think these will help you guys out a bit:
Crayola Colored Pencils/Crayon: Crayola has a large set that you can purchase of their crayons, markers, and their colored pencils. Now you may be wondering how you can get good quality out of these supplies and that is a really simple answer. Crayola crayons and their colored pencils have a wax coating, this wax coating is what causes them to appear lighter unless you apply a lot of pressure to what you're using. So, in order to fix this, you can take nail polish remover and a cotton swab and use that to not only break down that wax coating but its also going to help you blend that pigment. This will create a lighter color so you may have to alternate to build pigment, but it was probably my favorite hack that I learned in art school.
King Art Supplies: King Art is a pretty decent knock off of a lot of major supply brands. I've used their fine liners, pencils, and most recently their alcohol markers. Now the alcohol markers set that I purchased was quite large and came in its own carrying case, it was about $50 so it was pretty expensive, however it has been worth the cost.
Moo Erasers: These are a Korean eraser that has a pretty interesting formula, its solid, however like a kneaded eraser it sticks to itself meaning when you erase with it you're not going to have a lot of shavings. I also think they're fantastic quality for their price.
Pentel Pencils/Erasers: I love Pentel products because the barrels on their pencils are really comfortable for me to hold long term without any sort of aid and they come in your standard 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 0.9mm HB graphite. Now the great thing about HB graphite, if you didn't already know, is that they can be used as both a light and a bold pencil. If you aren't familiar with art terms H stands for hard and B stands for bold, it is an indicator for how soft your graphite is and that will also dictate how dark the pencil marking is (H is lighter and B is darker). A good HB pencil has a neutral graphite, it's not too soft, it's not too hard and you can still achieve the same effects as a full artist pencil set with just one pencil.
Sharpie Ultra Fine Point: I find these to be really good for line art, I use them quite often personally for my line art especially if I'm working on a glossy paper like card stock, as they are less likely to smudge.
Gel Ink Pens: These don't have to be anything crazy, I used to get cheap gel pens from the dollar store when I was just starting out and though you have more chances for them to smudge they are a good, cheap, alternative. My biggest tip will be to erase your sketch first, as polymer erasers tend to pick up the ink and cause smearing.
White Out/White Acrylic Paint: I used to like to do white highlights after I finished a piece, however I wasn't going to pay $4 for some fancy white pens. So I just used liquid white out or some white acrylic paint with a toothpick to do my highlights and it gave the effects that I wanted.
Index Cards: If you can't afford a sketchbook, I would suggest getting some blank index cards. They're more sturdy than a notebook, and you can get about 100 of them or more for $1 a pack. They are smaller, but they'll still get the job done.
Procreate: If you have an apple device, I would suggest investing in procreate, it is a one time purchase of $10 and you can even get free brushes or create your own in the program. I think it's a great tool for any artist to have whether you're on a budget or not!
Poster Board: If you go to the craft store you can generally find packs of poster board and card stock pretty cheap, I go the extra mile and just stock up when I catch the supplies that I like to use on sale. If you have a hobby lobby, keep an eye on their weekly ads and see what you can get for sale.
Clearance Racks/Thrift Stores: A lot of my art supplies that I've been using recently have all been upcycled from the thrift store or things that I've found on clearance racks. I find the kids section is a really good place to find like school and art supplies. I also make jewelry so I find board games that are missing pieces or little bags of random toys and I make jewelry with those! You can also find out of season decor signs to repaint, I've used plenty of those as canvases in the past.
Temu: As much as I hate to recommend it, I have gotten art supplies off of temu before to avoid paying Amazon prices. Now, I have had a lot of luck with temu products, even the cheap ones, and they've really allowed me to invest a lot more into my art without a huge price tag.
Drawing Tablet: If you have a computer and can use Krita, I would suggest investing in just a cheap drawing tablet. Mine was $40 after taxes and shipping and it has done really well compared to other more expensive tablets like a Wacom tablet.
How to Mass Produce on a Budget
Once you get your method down, you may find yourself wanting to mass produce your designs and that can seem really scary! However, there are plenty of cheap ways that you can mass produce your designs on a budget. I'm going to split this list into things that I think are best to invest in personally and do yourself, versus what I would outsource and where I would outsource it from.
Things to Invest In
If you're starting your own business, you are going to feel like you are in a whirlwind of various things, and it can be easy to want to outsource all of your workload, but that's going to raise costs significantly, so here's what I would personally invest in to ensure that you are keeping your out of pocket costs low:
A Printer: A good printer will be your best friend when starting a business. Not only for labels and order forms, but also for art prints that are 8in x 10in or below. I have just a cheap printer, and I got some decent quality photo paper to print my designs on
Print Bags: You can find these really cheaply at any craft store, and they look really professional.
Jewelry Packaging: I buy my jewelry packaging in bulk off of Alibaba, and it allows me to create a professional look without sinking a ton of money into products.
A Button Press: If you want to make buttons or badges, purchasing a button/badge press is a great place to start, and most of them are kits that come with the backing, seals, and everything else that you need.
Binders/Binder Sheets: Portfolio binders can be costly, however if you want to maintain a professional look on a budget creating a binder with copies of your work can really sell you as a serious artist. I find that this is also helpful when creating a "menu" for selling prints.
Thank You Cards: I like to include thank you cards, I think they're super professional, and you can find packs of little blank, decorated cards at almost any craft store. If you don't want pre-decorated cards you could also make your own using a website like Canva and your nifty printer.
Things to Outsource
Outsourcing can be costly, however with the right supplier you'll know you're in good hands from start to finish. I personally use Vograce for all of my outsourcing needs as I find they have the best cost.
Enamel Pins: Enamel pins can be really hard to make by hand without the right supplies, so I think its one of those things that is easier and more cost efficient to outsource.
Stickers: This may come as a shock, but stickers are generally cheaper to outsource, at least in my opinion.
Acrylic Items: Acrylic keychains, standees, and pins can be costly to make at home, so I would advise outsourcing them to a supplier to save yourself some time, money, and customer complaints.
Shirts/Apparel: Making custom apparel can be costly, this is another thing that I would personally advise outsourcing. Now, if you have the screen printing equipment I would definitely encourage you to make them at home, but if it's just you and your cricut? Maybe reach out to a vendor.
Supplies for Disabled Artists
I cannot speak for every person with a disability, as I just have to live with mine, but if you have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome or arthritis or just bad joints in your hands and wrists I can help you out here! Here are some things that I do to make drawing and crafting easier for me with my disabilities:
Back Support: This is a must for me, especially if I'm sitting down for awhile, I need to ensure that I am completely supported otherwise my back will be in pieces for days. I personally use a really sturdy throw pillow for comfort reasons, but I used to use one of these swanky little posture support things too.
Wrist Support: I have wrist rests on everything, in front of my keyboard, on my mouse pad, they're everywhere, but I also use a compression brace around my wrists when I do things like crochet or sew to ensure that I don't cause myself any unnecessary discomfort.
Self Adhesive Tape: I put this around my pencils and crochet hooks so they're more comfortable for me to hold. I was using pencil grips but they didn't fit all of my pencils, markers, and other supplies and this allows me to not only tailor to the size of what I'm using, but it also allows me to adjust how much cushion I have to better tailor to my needs.
Closing
That's all that I have for you guys right now, I'll be back with some more content soon. If you want to see more from me feel free to click the link below where you can find my other socials. Y'all take care, and thanks for stopping by!
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