On Cheap Paints...

I'll be honest, when Bethany picked "quality of materials" as the theme for the blog carnival, I was pretty hesitant. I mean, who wants to ever say that they don't use the highest quality? But the reality is that most of us probably don't - and for good reason. For this post, I thought I'd focus more on the 'why' reasons behind my choosing materials, as there are 2 major concerns I deal with.

First, I consider my buyer. I want my typical buyer to be "me" - or someone like me. I want my friends to be able to buy my work; I want their friends to be able to buy my work. Unfortunately though, most of us can't afford to be dropping large sums of money on fancy paintings. Even those who've graduated probably don't have art in the top echelon of 'things I need.' A big concern in pricing my work deals with the cost of paint- for me this is even more important because I tend to use paint quite freely. Simply put, I use a lot of paint. Stepping up the quality of paint means stepping up the price (substantially- and often too much).

Second (but probably more importantly), I consider my love of painting. I like to paint... I paint fast and a lot. In my recent effort to really boost listings in my shop, I've been sitting on a lot of paintings- but had I chosen more expensive paints, I very easily could not have afforded to do so. Buy choosing cheaper paints, I can afford to paint as many fun, chic girls as I want- even during a slow spell. And since doing what I love is my focus (not turning a huge profit), that's the way for me to go!

Now, as a disclaimer, I'll say that these are very general concerns and don't apply to all my work. It's a whole other ball game with oil and specialty paintings. I'll also add that while I advocate cost-effective materials pretty freely, I only use materials I'm familiar and happy with. You'll find the same 'cheap paints' still gracing my own walls several years old and still lovely!

Brushes however, are a whole other story... an expensive brush is worth every penny! ;)