Friday Favs, Fodder, & Follows

2/14/2014

Favs: Scissors and Cutting Tools

Cutting and slicing paper is a large part of what I do as a mixed media book artist, so I'm pretty particular about the tools I use and I'm really aware of cost, so here are some of my favs.

Tonic Kushgrip Scissors
--I like the squeeze action of these scissors. And well, they are pink!!

Stanley Box Cutter
--This has become my go-to cutting tool for most projects. I love that I paid one dollar for it.

Fiskars Finger-tip Craft Knife
--I love this little knife for intricate detailing and cutting out small bits.

Fiskars Spring Action Scissors
--These are easy on the hands and keep my fingers from cramping when I'm doing a lot of cutting in one sitting.

X-acto Cushioned Grip Knife
--The cushioned feature of this craft knife helps me from feeling fatigue when I need to cut for long periods of time.

Fodder: Art Supplies Under $1.00 (per unit)

As a mixed-media artist I use whatever I can find to create with. I'm always scouring through my everyday things to find tools that can make marks. I use foam craft brushes to apply paint and glue and sometimes water or alcohol to a project. I like the spongy effect and the way they hold the substance and give me more time to play. Plastic palette knives are fun for use on my Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate and for scraping (one of my favorite techniques). The stencil brushes are just delish for both stenciling and stippling work (even though that's not their intended use). Bamboo skewers are wonderful for writing with paints and India ink -- they make some great scribbled writing. Finally, I use q-tips to apply paint and to add dots to any and everything (I love my circles!!).

Foam craft brushes

Plastic palette knives by Darice

Stencil brushes by Loew-Cornell

Winco brand bamboo skewers

Q-tips brand cotton swabs

Follows: Artist Who Recycle

There are a lot of artists using recycled items in their art or recycling their own art to make more art. This list includes women who do both, but who primarily take trash and turn it into treasure. I love the work of these five (and many others), but wanted to share these five in particular because I also appreciate how they show up in the art world (either bold and in color or subtle and quietly present). Grab a cup of tea and take a minute to get to know them.