Buying cheap VS expensive materials...

CHEAP VS EXPENSIVE MATERIALS

There are 2 opposing arguments to using 'cheap' materials to go create art...

1>  Buy the best possible quality materials that you can afford...which, usually, means the 'expensive' stuff.

2> Save money by buying the 'cheapest' possible materials, instead.

I mostly tended to go for option 2; though, I can see, sometimes, where this might be a bit of a false economy.

When you buy 'quality' materials...; then, really and truly, it does make a difference to your drawings...a     quality pen writes a lot more smooth/quality paper holds ink so much more, effectively...the same thing is true for 'quality' pencil/papers...'quality' paints/brushes/canvases.   

The reasons why I deliberately choose to buy 'cheap' materials are...

i> I was relatively poor; usually, 'unemployed'...I couldn't afford expensive stuff(if I could afford it; then, quite naturally, of course, I would buy nothing else but the best!) 

ii> I was not confident about my own skills as an artist. Therefore, to me, what was the point in buying say a £50.00 huge 'quality' canvas...; and, then, end up destroying it by doing crap work; when I can buy a cheap small canvas costing just £1.00...then, if I were to make mistakes(most likely)...I don't have to worry so much that I went and spent the earth! 

The only thing I would like to add here...is, on occasion, it's at least worthwhile going and trying 'the best'...just to know and experience what that's all about.

(Like saying, rather than wear: 'cotton/plastic'...try wearing: 'cashmere/leather/silk' for once; I'm sure you will, very quickly, discover that the living experience is, indeed, 'different'.) 

Better quality mediums/drawing and painting materials/papers/boards...also, tend to last a hell of a lot longer. Whereas, poor quality mediums papers tend to deteriorate lots 'faster'. (This is what I meant, when I initially said...sometimes, buying really 'cheap' stuff could prove to be a totally 'false' economy.)

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CHEAP MATERIALS I OFTEN TEND TO USE

The kinds of 'throw away' stuff I tend to draw on is...

> Ruled/lined papers

> Newspapers/Magazines/Cardboard 

> Typing/Copier paper

> Sketchbooks costing £1.00

> Frames brought from the local 'pound' shop/or else, 2nd hand

> Pencils/Biro pens/Gel pens/Highlighters/-etc. all brought from down at the local 'pound' store

> -etc.

There is also an argument which goes...we should make things out of 'reusable' stuff...; and, therefore, not throw things away, quite unnecessarily(as in Save the Earth from pollution).  

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CHEAP VS EXPENSIVE TRAINING

The above argument can also easily extend to buying 'cheap' training materials, as well.

You can go to YouTube...and, watch FREE teach yourself how to draw/paint videos; but, it doesn't beat buying 'quality' tutorials/online subscriptions; or, preferably, being taught in actual person by teachers who are experts...who can guide you in person; and, tell you where you are going either right/wrong...people who you can ask advice from on the spot. You can even put it on your C.V. that I was taught by well known people who were, undoubtedly, the best!

The exact opposite argument being...you wanted to go your own way/and, do entirely what is your own thing. So, it really wouldn't matter how much you spent on being taught by others...if you were going to completely ignore all of their advice, anyway...?!

The other argument is this...you take the 'short cut' by choosing to go your own way; only to find that, ultimately, the 'short cut' leads to a dead end! So, now, you are forced to back track through the 'short cut' way...to go and take the 'long way' around, anyway...in order to succeed getting to the final destination you, originally, wanted to reach.

So, 'teaching yourself' could lead to a most unfortunate situation where nobody wants to either see/buy your work; and, so, you end up getting nowhere...other than to become the proverbial so called, 'starving artist'.

But, if you were to spend money/time...learning how to do things, properly; then, it's almost guaranteed that people will wish to buy top 'quality' work...and, might even see this as being a future 'investment' for themselves.

The bottom line, however, is this...life does not come with any 100% for sure guarantees. You could buy a really expensive course...; then, somewhere along the line...find it's all too much for you to do; so, you 'drop out'...; thus, wasting all your time/effort/money.

Or, you could choose to go your own way...and, somebody sees/likes your stuff/and, wishes to buy it...; then, they become a regular buyer/collector; and, so you are able to survive living off those individual supporter's money.

So, the truth is, we never really know...; there are just choices in life...which could prove either right/or, wrong? Some of the best artists...are those who went and took risks...doing things differently from anybody else; that, indeed, was the key to their success...taking great pride in their own 'individuality'/and, therefore, sheer 'uniqueness'.