Hello there fellow internet users! I was thinking today about what I wanted to post for my first "official" post as I was making christmas presents for my family and friends, and I couldn't help but think, "man, I am so glad I have..." And it hit me! So here are my thoughts in picture and written form of what the most commonly used and most helpful artsy tools are. In my opinion, that is. I think these are great things to have when you first start getting into the world of DIY, because more often than not, at least 2-6 of them will be used in almost every project you embark on!
1. Mod podge
When I first got into all of this crafting stuff, I had no idea what this was or why I would need it or anything about it! What it is, for all of you uber beginners like I was (with no family member with a crafty bone in their body) is a glue and a top coat. It can leave your creations with a glossy or matte finish (mine is glossy, obviously) and it gives a nice smooth texture, kind of like if you put a clear coat on top of glitter for nail polish. Definitely comes in handy in just about every crafting project!
2. Hot glue gun
When regular glue fails you, hot glue guns will prevail. It's especally helpful when dealing with ribbon or other slippery materials that school glue or tacky glue just can't hold together, or the litte jewels without the sticky backing.
3. Assortment of brushes
I never knew just how important it actually is to have different brushes until I bought a pack of the brushes of different sizes and densities. Granted, it isn't completely necessary to have brushes of varying thicknesses and lengths, but it'll make all the difference when you try to paint little tiny eyes with a medium size brush instead of a small one, or realize it'll take you two hours less to paint an entire canvas with a large brush instead of an itty bitty one. Another thing, I've found the spongey foam brushes to be a whole lot nicer to apply the mod podge with, and the paint goes on the surface differently and gives a slightly different textured outcome.
4. Assortment of paint
Personally, I think it's nice to have some colors at all times, because you never really know when inspirtation is going to strike. Of course, depending on the project, you may have to make a trip to the store for oil-based instead of acrilic, or that slightly different shade of crimson, but it's handy to have a well-stocked paint supply.
5. Gel medium
This is the key ingredient in the lovely wood photo transfers that I adore to make, as well as the substance used to thicken paint. I've made a bunch of wood transfers (so easy and make such great presents because they look like they take more work to make than they do) and people eat them up, so having this at home makes for easy gifts.
6. Exact-o knife
For certain projects, there will come a time where scissors can't be as detailed as you would like them to be. The exacto-knife gets into those little crevices, smoothly carve out circles and cut a pesky little hold in the center of your paper like a breeze.
Of course, these are not the only things you will ever need in your artistic career as a craftman or craftswoman. However, I feel like since they are such commonly used or make life so much easier, having them at any given moment will help you in your creative journey. I think of them as the basics to making memories :)
