-
A
ball point pen that has run out of ink makes a good stylus
for trasferring patterns.
-
Use an old mousepad with the bottom
side up to put your project piece on when painting. It protects
the
base
of your project from the
surface you are painting on and helps when you need to
turn your project in various directions as you paint.
-
Your old mousepad can be given a fresh
look - basecoat the top and paint it as you would
any
other
surface.
When
completely dry, varnish with several layers of matt varnish
drying well between each layer and voila - a new mouse pad!
-
Keep those empty 1.5 litre plastic soft
drink or water bottles. Cut them about 5" (13 cm) from
the bottom and use them as water containers when you paint.
-
Those tiny breakfast jam bottles
are very handy for keeping unfinished paint mixtures
etc. Also to bring mediums you need in class or
when you travel
with your painting supplies.
-
When the sponge in your wet pallete
starts to break, i.e. rot, its usually time to replace it.
But don't
throw the sponge away. Cut it up into usable smaller pieces.
Wet a piece and keep it near you when painting. They're handy
to completely wipe off mistakes. Also great to use in place
of paper towels to wipe paint off a "dirty brush".
-
Don't throw flat, round, angle or filbert
brushes that will no longer do their job. They're great for
stippling if they have gone really bad. Otherwise they are
very handy for correcting mistakes. I would use these anytime
instead of cotton buds.
