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School is starting again and as if that was enough excitement to look forward to there comes the additional surprise of the fees for school supplies. Though it is not in my curriculum I enjoy drawing and divulging in the pleasure of creating little creatures and girls in my sketchbooks with the occasional addition of color. Living with two art students as well as having art as a personal interest, I understand that the majority of the non-existent art student budget goes to art supplies. It is exspensive. I remember when I would anxiously wait for Prismacolor markers to go on sale and then cry tears of joy when I could buy five of them and not dish out more than ten bucks. A lot of people do not understand just how much art supplies take from a student’s wallet. I remember when my sister was in art school and would complain about how her teacher required her to buy expensive paper for her printmaking class and would accept nothing else. My mother would look at her bank account and ask me why she spent so much money on partying and friends and I would say,” No mom. That money went to art supplies.”
It is a sad but funny truth at the same time. For all art students understand this routine. Even with having art as a personal hobby, and I am not even one to go for the highest quality brands, a strathmore sketchbook I bought was twenty dollars. Does not seem a lot? Imagine being an art student when you need a new sketchbook per semester. That money adds up and that is not even going into specific types of sketchbook paper and sizes.
People always joke how art students are poor. Well here is the reason why. It is the same reason why my sisters and I always tried to find ways to save on art supplies. We would share prismacolor pencils and markers. We would find a use for everything, even finished up sketch pads and tiny scraps of paper. The backs of old sketchpads could be used for backing when watercoloring other pieces. Tiny bits of cloth used in one project could be added to another for embellishment. If something broke or lost its backing: duct tape it until it is fixed again. The money put into these supplies cannot be put to waste.
Always find ways to save money and make the most of what you did use your money on. Every little bit helps. CampusClipper is also here to help with coupons for art supplies stores even when the school starting sales are over. One of my favorite stores to go to for art supplies is Utrecht Art Supplies, mostly for its location since it is so close 14th street, a place I love to hang out and shop. Below is a coupon that helps lessen the art supplies blow to your wallet. Good luck for the new school semester and I wish you the best in following your dreams.
Sophia, Rochester Institute of Technology
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