I’ll let you in on a little secret: I love thrift store shopping. It’s quite addicting. To me, it’s releases a primal joy, probably akin to hunting. Only there’s no dead animals, just rad deals!
Anytime I have a free moment, I make a quick stop at my nearby thrift stores and make the rounds to see if there are new deals. I’ve gotten GREAT deals by just being at the right place, right time. Frequency is the key.
So how does this relate to art?
Easy! I’ve manage to stock up on my studio essentials/art supplies for cheap! It’s a great way to supply yourself tools without breaking the bank. Want to know what I’ve found in the last 4-5 months?
Art tools
Light box- I actually had a large DIY one sitting around my studio, but this one was small and I could feasibly take it on the road (why? why not!).
Ink jars- while not the most essential item, it is nice to just grab one for cheap when I see them. The plus side to this one is that it is super small and leak proof. I put it in my purse all the time.
Paper cutter – this one is awesome! It has a 5 different functions, but my favorite is the corner cutter.
Electronics
Scanner – in theory, this purchase should not have worked as well as it did. I think every body should do their research and due diligence if you end up buying electronics at a thrift store. The scanner didn’t work at first, but once I got VueScan, it worked like a dream! So not bad for a 14 dollar risk.
Toner Printer – this one I still laugh about. I got this on 50% off day so it was 5-6 dollars instead. Again, this was another one where it didn’t initially work until I went into a rabbit hole of research and discovered an alternative driver to install and BOOM! works like a dream.
-iPad bluetooth keyboard- My lovely cat broke my first one and I needed to replace it. It’s not pretty, doesn’t fit well with the tablet, but it functions and that’s all I’m looking for as a cheap replacement.
Misc.
Props and fabrics for photographing: fake flowers, holiday themed props, etc.
-Selfie sticks (I never had one before and now I have two for some reason)-good for poses for Instagram photos, references, or use as a monopod for more stable photographs. I’ve also try to rig them to help record time lapse videos, but it wasn’t successful.
-VR googles (not sure what I will use it for, but I want to use it!)
-Composition journals – I like taking notes and around school time there are tons for around .25-.50 cents each.
Stuff that I don’t buy myself but recommend
-frames! -I don’t really need frames because I mount on cradled board, but this is how most of my artist friends acquire decent frames.
-still life props – do you lack a drawing class, but want to have odd objects to draw? Thrift store!
Megan Frauenhoffer 