How to Be a Green Artist

Earth-friendly Ways to Recycle, Reuse and Reduce

Jan 31, 2009 Alina Bradford

Artists can save the planet by recycling, reusing and reducing the amount of waste they produce.

Artists can also use Earth-friendly products that promote healthy uses of the planet’s resources. Here are five ways for artists to go green while saving money in the process.

Create Your Own Paper

Creating art paper from old art paper is a smart way to recycle and create paper that is perfect for the artist’s needs. Here is a recipe for creating watercolor papers at home. Using this recipe, the artist can also make pastel paper by adding silica for tooth.

Reuse Dried Watercolor Tubes

There’s no need for an artist to let a dried watercolor tube end up in the garbage. It can be recycled into watercolor pans.

Lay the tube flat on the work surface.
Use a utility knife to cut a line down the center of the aluminum and across diagonally.
Pry the aluminum back with the tip of the utility knife.
Remove the dried watercolor paint in one piece.
Use the dried watercolor as a watercolor pan. Wet a brush and dab it onto the watercolor to get pigment on the brush. Find full instructions here.

Trade Artist Tools

Many artists have tools that they have grown out of or don’t need any longer. Why not trade the art supplies with other artists instead of letting them go to waste? There are many sites help their members trade goods over the internet for free or a nominal fee, such as:

Freecycle.org
BarterBart.com
Barter.net
Ourswaps.com

Build a Desk from Scrap

The thrifty, eco-friendly artist can create a functional desk for their office or studio for little money, or even for free. All it takes is a little ingenuity and some elbow grease. You can find directions for building desks out of recycled or reconstituted items by reading How Build an Almost Free Artist’s Desk.

Use Earth-friendly Products

Many art supply producers are coming up with brands that encompass responsible production practices by using regenerative energy sources, using post-consumer products and alternative fibers. This gives artists the option of choosing quality art supplies that are good for the environment.

Here are some products to look for:

Strathmore’s Windpower art paper collection- These papers are made by using wind power and 30% post-consumer fiber content.
Artemis Plant Colored pencils and pastels- Pencils and pastels colored by natural plant extracts instead of toxic colorants.
Hemp Heritage sketching, drawing, and journal books- The papers are made from hemp instead of trees.
Fila Olie oil pastels- Oil pastels made with natural ingredients.

Using these tips and information artists can join the fight to save the planet while saving money on art supplies in the process.

The copyright of the article How to Be a Green Artist in Painting/Drawing is owned by Alina Bradford. Permission to republish How to Be a Green Artist in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.