How To Keep Sketching in a Cost of Living Crisis
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- In the midst of a cost of living crisis, many of us will be struggling financially and wondering how we're even going to heat our homes or put food on the table. But where does that leave our hobbies and interests, such an important part of maintaining our mental health? How do we manage to keep sketching and making art if we can't afford the necessary supplies? In this video I share 5 ideas I have come up with to keep sketching while saving money, and I'd love to hear your ideas too. I am also seeking your support for the channel to help keep it going, so please stick around to the end of the video for details of that.
BUY ME A COFFEE
If you enjoy my videos and would like to support me, please consider buying me a coffee! Buy Me a Coffee is a simple, meaningful way for fans to support the artists they love. Think of it like a tip for good service. Your support will allow me to keep this channel going and help more people embrace the joys of sketchy art! Thank you.
www.buymeacoff...
URBAN SKETCHY WEBSITE
Visit the Urban Sketchy website for my sketches, commissions and other sketchy goodness - www.urbansketch...
REFERENCE PHOTO
Download from Unsplash (copyright free, no account required) - unsplash.com/p...
MUSIC
As a Gift / Francis Wells / courtesy of Epidemic Sound
Sign up for 30 day free trial here - share.epidemic...
SKETCHING GOODIES
Here are the products I used in this video and where I bought them. Products marked ** are affiliate links which earn me a few pennies when you make a purchase - it’s an easy way you can support Urban Sketchy, while costing you nothing extra, and would be genuinely appreciated. Maybe afterwards we can be best friends or pen pals or whatever. Thank you!
All sites are based in the UK and ship worldwide. New customers with Jackson’s get 10% off your first order.
SKETCH PAD
Frisk Bristol Board 250gsm A4 Paper Pad, White
Cult Pens - www.cultpens.c...
FOUNTAIN PEN
LAMY Safari, Fine Nib, Yellow
Cult Pens - www.cultpens.c...
FOUNTAIN PEN CONVERTER (FOR USING BOTTLED INK)
Lamy Z28 Piston Ink Converter
Cult Pens - www.cultpens.c...
FOUNTAIN PEN NIBS
LAMY Z50 Replacement Nibs, Various Sizes
Cult Pens - www.cultpens.c...
Note: With LAMY pens you can easily swap the nibs to your preferred size.
BRUSH MARKER PENS
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens (soft brush), 8 Shades of Grey (I used the cold greys)
** Jackson’s - www.jacksonsar...
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pen Set (firmer tip), 12 Intensive Colours in Workstation (I used the black)
** Jackson’s - www.jacksonsar...
or...
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens (firmer tip), individual colours
** Jackson’s - www.jacksonsar...
I don’t want to lose you Donald so I am going to do my best to help you out when I can. I agree with all your money saving tips. It will take me years to get through all the water colour paint I have. The biggest thing with most people is probably paper. Some people might consider buying large sheets of water colour paper and making their own sketch book. I would love to have an original from you so I am going to look around for a suitable subject. If every subscriber bought you one or two coffees this year that would probably help a lot.
Thanks so much Sue, I’m incredibly grateful for your support. I replied to you (and others) on Buy Me a Coffee as well but it’s not clear if you get a notification. So thanks!
Watercolour must be one of the best value art mediums, my watercolour tray has been used plenty and none of the colours are even close to running out. Making your own sketchbook would be fun and cheap to try, another good tip.
Wow! That cute car! One more awesome sketch your trademark. I love the look of it. And as ever, so inspirational!
I also have a tip for cutting costs on supplies: STOP hoarding :D :D :D
I just received this morning a fun saying that goes like this: "We've come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies."
Of course your points are all valid. At least from where I am standing. The coming period will be a useful exercise in creativity.
As for the support, I am very much in favor of support, and for paying for what you get. Nothing is free in this world. I agree to paying for a course or a book. The only problem I have, especially with course books, is that the author / artist, usually gets perhaps 10% of the price we pay. The rest goes along the fat chain of publishers and managers and so on... And the one who does the hard and creative work, gets so little. If the coursebook costs 10 USD, the author gets 1 USD. THAT is unfair. From my point of view. So, it is a good idea to look for personal enterprises as ways to support the people we learn from. I am not sure how this Buy me a coffee works (behind the scene), as the people maintaining the platform do have to get their share. Just as CZcams gets their share from the ads in their program. I only hope that it is fair to you, Donald, the user.
Good luck and hopefully we'll see more from your amazing sketches.
Thank you! Yes, the bubble cars are back, haven’t done one in a while.
Definitely need to stop hoarding! I like he quote, a lesson for every artist I think.
I guess that’s the trade-off with being a published author, you get a small percentage but hopefully a lot of sales.
As for Buy Me a Coffee, they’re actually very fair, apart from a card transaction fee, the creator keeps 95%. I thought they’d take a bigger cut.
Cheers, Donald.
I don’t see many adverts when I watch your videos. I’m really loving this sketch, in all its wobbly wibbly glory. I’ll take a look at buying you a coffee, and I totally hadn’t thought about art supplies at all, and it makes worrying thinking. This money thing is just wrong. I Hope you get many coffees!
That’s good you’re not getting plagued with ads, I think it does vary for each person. Glad you liked the sketch. I wish I hadn’t drawn the grid on the road, looks more like a giant fishing net 😅 The perils of drawing with ink.
It’ll be worrying times for the art retailers as well, at least in the UK. Doubt I’ll be buying any art stuff for a long while, and I won’t be alone in that. Mad times!
Thank you so so much for the support, contributions like this really will make a huge difference. Cheers, Donald.
@@UrbanSketchy I can see what you mean by the fishing net, but the other areas give it context. Yes, art suppliers here are already feeling the pinch.
I suppose it’s one of the good things about drawing in this way, if something looks a bit wrong it still doesn’t seem out of place.
We are indeed going through some weird times. I think everyone hoped that with the passing of the Covid restrictions, life would almost return to what we know as normal. Sadly, the new normal is sounding very depressing. I have recently bought some new art supplies and also passed on some I will never use to my granddaughter who is going to art collage and wants to become an illustrator.
I think most people who ‘dabble’ in art, as apposed to established artists who should know better, have tons of art materials that the bought on a whim which should hopefully last some time. One possibly beneficial outcome of these hard Financial Times is that it will make us think more than twice before buying the latest fad in art.
As you have already mentioned, a simple pencil (not an expensive brand) and some printer paper will allow people to continue making art, it may actually help improve sketching skills and demonstrate that you don’t need to spend vast amounts to create art.
I hope you do manage to keep the channel going even if you shorten the videos and post them less regularly as I am sure you get some personal benefit by creating them as much as we get from watching them🙏
One joy after another! Yes it really does focus the mind on using up what you have. I won’t be spending anything on art materials for the foreseeable future but fortunately I have plenty supplies to last a while. You’re right, even printer paper would work for basic drawings and maybe comes with less pressure since you’re not running the risk of ruining expensive paper.
That’s so great your granddaughter wants to be an illustrator, I wish her every success! What a great career that would be.
I certainly hope to continue, a lot of uncertainties at the moment but we’ll see what unfolds. What a time to be alive!