If you end up going the DIY route and decide to build your own surfaces, the hardware store will usually have all the supplies you need for a fraction of the cost. Just make sure you have enough gesso and sandpaper to refinish the surface. So long as you don't mind painting over another artist's work, The Salvation Army can end up saving you hundreds of dollars on canvases. You'd also be surprised by the variety of canvas sizes you can find at your local thrift store, usually for under $5 (apparently the market for another person's drink and draw masterpiece is close to nil). But the cheapest (and most satisfying option) is to build your own canvas using hardware-store-bought wood and drop canvas (the kind housepainters use to protect the floor). Art supply stores also buy individual stretcher bars, which you can mix and match to make whatever dimension canvas you want-you just need to put the canvas on yourself. Every graduate knows that the best way to make a good painting is to first make 100 bad paintings. Buying a pre-stretched, gessoed canvas is expensive-and the less canvases you have to experiment on, the more pressure you'll put on yourself to 'ace' each one. or any art supply store for that matter. And only one tip involves dumpster diving!

In this helpful guide, we'll share some money-saving studio hacks that will get you through the school year without maxing out your credit card.

It's back to school season! And for those studying art, it means spending all that money you earned at your summer job on art supplies for the semester.

Artstudio imports