One of the best parts about being a college student (especially one that has to buy a lot of art supplies) is being in a perpetual state of near bankruptcy. Luckily, I have a few tips that you can use to prevent from becoming completely broke while still getting the art supplies you need.
1) AC Moore Coupons
Please, whatever you do, never buy anything at AC Moore for full price. All you have to do is go to acmoore.com, and you can find coupons for up to 50% off any item.
2) Matte Mediums
For some reason, I have only recently started using matte medium, and thus far it has been nothing less than a magical experience. Basically, a matte medium is a paint extender. That means that instead of using a giant glob of (expensive) paint to cover a section of your canvas, you can instead use a dime-size glob of paint, and mix it with the medium. The result is almost the exact same color you started out with, just a bit lighter and more transparent. Still, the transparency is a really cool effect for paintings, and the amount of paint you save is enormous.
3) Re-Use Canvases
At this point in your art career, you’ll realize that every piece you make is not exactly a masterpiece, or even that good. That is why gesso is your friend. One huge way to save money is to gesso over your old unsuccessful paintings so you can re-use your canvases instead of buying a new canvas every time you make a painting.
There are a lot of other ways to save money, of course. What are some ways you stretch your art dollars?