I have €30 in vouchers. Now, what to spend it on?

[ebi]

As the subject already stated, I got three times €10 in vouchers from uni for volunteering, that I can use in various shops (garden centers, Home Depot style stores, book stores (with non-existent art section, safe from some "How-to-draw books) and a few warehouses).

So, I figured I'd spend it all on art materials!


I'm a super beginner at drawing, so I kind of feel like the only things I really need are paper and a pencil and perhaps a ruler …which I already have. So I'm a little at a loss of what I could get, that would be useful for me.
I also dabble a bit in oil paints, but since they only sell overpriced student grade paints, I won't be getting any new colors.

Here are some things that I could think of, but if anyone has any ideas, or feels/knows that the things I listed are a waste of money, please let me know!

- hand model, poseable, made of wood (approximately €10) - Only one warehouse's crappy art section had some models, but I can only choose between this hand, and an educative anatomy model of a cow, a giraffe or a tooth. :/ I was really hoping to find a human skeleton or something.

- desk lights to study shading (approximately €5-€7 per piece)

- more A4 paper (approximately 3 euro per 400-500 sheets)

- a stick (to make a magnificent sighting stick)… I'm trying really hard here to find something I could spend these vouchers on. :p
Though, I already have a really long, see through ruler, so I figure I can use that as a sighting stick as well?

- More Turpentine/ Turpenoid (what is the odourless one called in English?) (about 4.50 euro for 125mL, though I already have 2 125mL bottles)


- Acrylic -based Gesso (approximately €18, though I already have one litre of the stuff)

- wood for canvas frames

So, yes, any ideas would be much appreciated!

[TinyBird]

You say you're a beginner at drawing and dabble in oil paints, but do you really need more turpentine or gesso that you already have, and do you actually do your own canvases? As in opposed to using that voucher for some basic canvases you can buy?
What about acrylic paints (like black and white for quick studies) or watercolours or ink? Or some brushes? Wooden blocks that you can paint and use in studies? Something neat like water soluble wooden pencils and water fillable brush that are convenient to keep with you while walking around?

Or reference books about animals, cars, history, whatever? Not all books have to be specifically art related to help with doing art.

[Kiera]

You are in the Netherlands? Do you have a bon for "Boekenvordeel" - go to their site and search for "dummies".
Those are pretty ace sketchbooks for cheap money, take them with you and use them for observational studies.
The paper is nice, it can handle ink and acrylics without too much bleeding but it's awesome with ballpen or pencil.
(I would kill to get my hands back on these, a sketchbook from boekenvordeel in A4 costs around 5 €, a sketchbook with the same quality costs 15 € in Hamburg)

[ebi]

TinyBird- This is why I thought it would be good idea to ask you guys

I pretty much already have all of the things that you mentioned (my sister is an art school graduate, so I got a lot of neat hand-me-downs), which is why it's so hard for me to decide what to get.

I have never prepared my own canvas before. So, maybe you're right and I should just get them from the store.
And, I was sort of under the impression that you would need lots of turpentine for oil painting… but I guess I was mistaken >_>

Actually, I never thought of reference books, so I guess I could check out the book stores and see what they have that is interesting.

Kiera - I love those dummies! I have three of them already (A4 ), and I'm trying to make it a habit to use those more often than just plain paper, though they don't scan as nicely. But, it doesn't look like they accept VVV vouchers. Otherwise I would've definitely blown all my vouchers there!

[QueenGwenevere]

I've always thought those hand models were pretty useless... I mean, you've already GOT two hands attached to you, and they make much better reference than a wooden model.

If you mostly draw, well, you can never have enough sketchbooks! Or you could experiment with a range of drawing implements - different kinds of pencils, conte, graphite sticks, maybe a crowquill pen and india ink, or brushes and ink, or technical pens, or markers (you could blow the whole wad on Copics really fast)... Even if you have a bunch of drawing materials, this is stuff you can always have more of because it gets used up quickly.

Or you could get some clay and mess around with sculpture or model-making (something I keep meaning to do...)

Or of course there's always art books.

[Qitsune]

Ditto for the hand models (or manikins, horse manikins etc.) , they don't look anything like real hands, that's not very useful.

[Chas]

Use the vouchers for Soup! (if you can), or Pie.
Seriously don't buy art supplies you don't need - just cus.

[Kea]

Pie.

I was totally going to say Pie

[ebi]

I've always thought those hand models were pretty useless... I mean, you've already GOT two hands attached to you, and they make much better reference than a wooden model.

... Even if you have a bunch of drawing materials, this is stuff you can always have more of because it gets used up quickly.

Or you could get some clay and mess around with sculpture or model-making (something I keep meaning to do...)

Or of course there's always art books.

Ditto for the hand models (or manikins, horse manikins etc.) , they don't look anything like real hands, that's not very useful.

Okay, so I will nix the hand model idea..because, well yeah you guys are right. I took a closer look at the model... you can't bend it the way you can a normal human hand, so it's not really good study material. I'll just use my own hand, even though it's a challenge to keep it in one position while I draw.

I guess, the only art materials I haven't considered are those Copic markers. Back when my sister had them, she would never let me touch them. She would kill me if I'd even look at them lol (we're talking about 10 years ago)... So in my mind they're like some holy/sacred tool that can only be used by professionals.
Though, there is always time for change... the only ones they have here are letraset, are those OK too?

I also found that one of the stores sells tabletop easels. I read that drawing from the arm, not to wrist, is generally better for you. Seeing that I have raging RSI, and seeing that I'm always trying to find ways to reduce it so I can draw more...I was wondering if tabletop easels are something I could look into? I guess it's more for painting, but still...

And, I might be able to get soup with the coupons XD
but then again, I can make better soup at home and I can definitely make better pie at home ( I used to work at the best bakery in my town, and ughhhh * shudders* *suppresses horrible flashbacks* I never ever want to eat store-bought cakes or pies ever again. EVER).

[Qitsune]

If it's a good easel and you don't already have a standing easel, got for it. Good lighting is also important, so a clip lamp with good color balanced bulbs are good. Black and white foam core to reflect or block light for studies. If you paint, maybe brushes, they seem to get worn much faster than gesso runs out.

[ebi]

What you just wrote seems like my perfect shopping list!
All those items... I can easily get with my voucher

I never even thought of foam! Not sure how to use that for light studies though... but I'[m sure I'll find out.

[Qitsune]

The white foam core you can use to bounce light, you place it your lamp, your model and then your foam core and you get a nice reflected light on your model. Since it's rigid, you can also clip colored paper on it to have a colored bounce light. It's also useful as a backdrop when you want to take a photograph against a plain background (in some houses it's not a problem, in others it's ahuge nightmare.)
The black foamcore is the opposite, you place it where you DON'T want bounce light, or to block sources of light that confuse the lighting on your model.

[ebi]

Aah, I see now!
Thanks, that's definitely going on my list then.