6 Unique Art Supplies to Inspire Your Next Creation

For artists, trying new mediums can be interesting and exploratory. Challenge yourself by incorporating some of these unique art supplies into your artistic practices today!

Here’s our guide to our favorite unique art supplies and some ideas on what you can create with them.  

1. Water Color Crayons

So you’ve likely heard of watercolors, and crayons, but watercolor crayons? If you’re looking for a new and fun way to get creative using vivid colors, this may be a great option to incorporate into your artistic time. 

Many prefer this option to watercolor pencils, as they work much better and are easier to use. They are similar in texture to oil pastels because they apply very smoothly. This is a great option for a craft to do with children, the crayons are easy to use, and brushing water over the watercolor crayon creation is much less messy than oil or acrylic paints. 

2. Tyvek Sheets

We love finding affordable everyday objects and supplies to create unique art projects with, and Tyvek sheets are one of them. These are typically used as mailing or office supplies and are made of durable fabric. 

If you are interested in animation, these sheets can be really helpful in creating animation figures. It’s also a great option for creating fashion pieces, such as totes or wallets due to its fabric that doesn’t easily rip. Fashion designers use it to create interesting pieces, sometimes using recycles Tyvek sheets for eco-friendly creations.

This is a great item to use if you’re involved in fashion design or animation but can be used in a number of different ways. If you’re interested in purchasing Tyvek Sheets online, click here for more details. 

3. Saran Wrap 

This is a great item to use in your art, as you probably already have it at home, or can pick it up easily at little costs. This can be a really fun way to experiment with watercolor paint, as you can create geometric pieces using saran wrap. 

This DIY is super easy, you will first create a watercolor paint creation, the wetter the watercolor paint, the better the project will turn out. Once the paint is applied, you will cover it with saran wrap, flattening it, and then scrunching the wrap up.

Let the painting dry overnight, with the saran wrap still attached. Once the piece is dry, you will lift the wrap to see a geometric watercolor. If you want the piece to be a little more geometric, go over it, or outline it, creating shapes and lines with metallic pens or chalk markers. 

This is a great way to experiment with using everyday materials to change the outcome of your watercolor paintings. 

4. Styrofoam 

If your an artist that enjoys printmaking, or it’s something you’re interested in trying, using styrofoam is a great place to start. You can use styrofoam trays from grocery stores or styrofoam sheets and printing ink from an art supply shop for this project.

You will carve your design into the styrofoam using a sharp tool or you can use a pencil or colored pencils to carve. Put your ink into a pan, and roll a paint roller through the ink and onto your carved design. Then you can press the ink side of the styrofoam to paper or canvas to see your masterpiece. 

This is an easy and affordable way to get yourself or your kids interested in the printmaking process.

5. Leaves & Flowers 

Using natural elements can make for beautiful art pieces that you can find in your backyard free of price. One of our favorite ways to create art with leaves and flowers is by making suncatchers that can bring the outdoors into your home. Depending on the season, you can make a flower suncatcher for spring and summer, and an autumn leaf suncatcher for fall. 

First, you’ll need to find a decorative wooden frame, transparent contact paper, and ribbon or string. You will cut a piece of the contact paper to fit the inside of the frame, and attach the contact paper to the frame. If it’s not sticking well, try attaching using a stapler or double-sided tape.  

You will then arrange the leaves or flowers, sticking them to the contact paper however you please. When finished you will put the second sheet of contact paper to the design, sticky side down. Tie a ribbon or string to the top of the frame, or lean it up against your favorite window for a beautiful decorative home detail. 

6. Paper Plates 

There are so many crafts you can make with paper plates, especially for the kiddos. An easy and adorable craft you can complete with kids is paper plate ice cream cones. 

Along with paper plates, you’ll need brown card stock or construction paper, acrylic paint, markers, and pom balls, all of which you can get at your local craft store. Draw the ice cream scoop on the paper plate, with scallops at the bottom, and cut it out. Have your child paint the scoop, and let it dry. 

Then you will use the brown paper to cut out a triangle cone shape. Let your child draw on this, making a waffle print effect. Then let your child decorate their painted scoop, with red cotton poms to look like cherries or any sprinkles you have around the house. 

Unique Art Supplies You Can Try Today!

These unique art supplies are affordable and easy to access. You may not have thought that so many household or office supplies could create unique pieces for both you or your child, but as you can see, the possibilities are endless. 

For more helpful guides, keep browsing our site!