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Remember in elementary school when a pack of crayons with a built in sharpener was the coolest thing you could own? Your art aresnal probably had pipe cleaners, sequins, and colored pencils for days. It seems like once we moved out of the eating glue phase (I never ate glue, I swear) we moved away from our unique tools, and even art itself.
As we evolve as artists, so do our tools. We trade in cheap supplies for professional equipment, we upgrade our software, and we hardly ever look back. Sadly we miss out on some very cool things this way. When was the last time you drew with sidewalk chalk or bought glitter? Now hear me out, I know you were about ready to tune out after you saw “glitter” but I believe it’s important to revisit even the oldest of methods to see if we can revamp them or if they should really stay in the art graveyard for good.
Why, you ask? Because we are so much smarter now than we were before we upgraded! We are more evolved as artists and we have the know-how to use our supplies more effectively and in brand new ways. So your mission, if you’re up to the blast from the past, is to go back to the basics and make something with your favorite different art supplies. Here’s a few ideas to get you started!
I know what you’re thinking. There’s no possible way you’re ever going to use googly eyes in your art. If you happen to be experimenting with textures or movement though, I urge you to give it a try! Noah Scalin from Skull A Day created the image above proving good things can come from these little obnoxious things. There’s a surprising amount of sizes available for googly eyes out there, and you can get your own starter pack of a whooping 700 here.
Crayons, in my opinion, are a severely underrated sketching material. They’re cheap, cleaner than charcoals and even pastels, and they allow you to quickly block out color when sketching ideas for paintings. No matter what crayon’s worth are to you, you have to admit that they’re cheaper than oil pastels. They may not allow for the same blending capabilities, but they are still useful for exercising your creative muscles. Check out this artist’s rendition of an elephant in fabric crayons (she uses a different material to make a new elephant every day!).
Glitter: you either love it or you hate it. I use glitter regularly in my crafting, so I’m used to finding it in every possible place in my work studio. If that’s a risk you’re willing to take, then check out the artist Eugenia Loli’s work for some glittery inspiration.
Artist Alexandra Brunel takes Playdoh to the next level with her British Vogue worthy Playdoh creations. Her perfect combination of pop art, pastels, and shiny things, shows there’s no limit to how posh you can make the most basic materials. Definitely check out the rest of Alexandra’s work for Vogue on her Behance. And if after that you’re feeling inspired, Amazon conveniently offers Playdoh on Prime here.
If this sparked some creativity in you, stop by and tell me about it! I would love to feature your work in my next blog post. Good luck, and may the glitter stay where you put it.