Let’s face it, an artist’s necessities can add up fast when shopping at an art supply store. Making your own handmade tools and mediums is fun and easy, and most of the things you’ll need to make them can be found right in your own home. Children love arts and crafts projects, too — why not make some supplies together? It would be a great way to spend a rainy afternoon, and it won’t break the bank. From paint and paintbrushes to clay, glue and crayons – here goes…

Paintbrushes
To make your own paint brush, you will need an 8 to 12 inch dowel or stick (an old handle of some sort would work nicely, too), a fiber of your choosing, glue, and a long string or a few rubber-bands. Some fiber suggestions for the bristles include hair (animal or human), feathers, shreds of stiff fabric, plant materials (ferns or long pine needles), or bristles from an old broom. The length of the fiber should be at least 2 inches.

First, take your dowel or stick and apply a layer of glue around the end of it–the layer should cover the last 1/2 inch of the handle. If you are using a heavy fiber for your bristles you may want to place a wider layer of glue. Next, place the fiber all the way around the handle. Make sure you use enough fiber so that it measures at least 1 to 1 1/2 inch in width. Next, place another layer of glue on top of the fiber- only apply the glue to the part of the fiber that is adhered to the handle. After you’ve applied glue all the way around, take your string and wrap it several times around the layer of glue. This will help make your brush stronger and will keep the bristles in place on the handle. If you’d prefer, you can use rubber-bands in place of the string. Simply place the bands over the top layer of glue to hold the ends of the fiber tight against the handle.

Once the glue has dried, you can cut your bristles to the desired length. If you need to shape them, simply wet the brush and mold them with your hand until you are satisfied with the result. Allow it to dry before using.
Paints
Now that you’ve made a paintbrush, you’ll need some paint. To make a nice, fluid paint that will adhere to almost any surface, combine 3 teaspoons of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of white vinegar in a little jar. Add a few drops of food coloring to tint it. It’s that easy!
If you’d like to make a watercolor paint, mix together 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, 3 tablespoons of white vinegar,  and 1 1/2 teaspoons of corn syrup. After the mixture is well-blended, divide it up into small cups or jars and add a few drops of food coloring. Be sure to keep the paints tightly covered when you’re aren’t using them.
Glue
To make your own all-purpose craft glue, combine 3/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar in a shallow saucepan and bring it to a boil. In a bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of cornstarch and 3/4 cup of cold water. Remove the saucepan from heat, and carefully add the cornstarch and cold water mixture to it. You will need to stir this mixture quite a bit until it’s nice and smooth. Put it in a container and let it sit for 24 hours before using it.food coloring. Be sure to keep the paints tightly covered when you aren’t using them.

Clay
If you’d like to make an easy baking clay, mix together 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, 1 teaspoon of powdered alum, and 1 1/2 cups of water. If you’d like colored clay, you can add food coloring. Once you’ve made a project out of the clay that you’d like to keep, place it on an ungreased baking sheet and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes at 250 degrees. Then, turn the sheet around and bake for an additional 1 1/2. Then your project will be ready to paint!

For simple air-dry clay, combine 3 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup of white glue, 1 cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Once the mixture is well blended, it’s ready to use. Allow your finished projects to sit for 24 hours before handling or painting them.

Crayons
Crayons are easy to make and will provide hours of fun for children and adults alike. To make your own crayons, you will need equal parts of bar soap and beeswax (this can usually be found at a natural health store or a craft shop). You will also need food coloring. First grate a bar of soap using a cheese grater. Next, you need to cut the beeswax into small pieces. The pieces of beeswax should then be melted in the microwave using a microwave-safe bowl or on a stovetop with a double-boiler. As the soap and beeswax are melting, be sure to stir often. Do not bring the mixture to a boil. Boiling will results in air bubbles in your crayons. Once the soap and beeswax are sufficiently melted, remove from heat and add food coloring.

To make several colors you will need to divide the mixture into separate glass bowls or containers. After you’ve added the color, the crayons can be poured into molds to harden. You can use mini-muffin pans, ice cube trays, or shaped soap or baking molds. Be sure to grease the molds with vegetable shortening or non-stick spray before pouring the crayons into them. Allow them to harden completely before removing them from the molds.

Making your own arts and crafts supplies can make for some very unique finished projects! You will have the satisfaction of knowing your works of art were completely homemade and earth friendly–and you will save money in the process.

Our Guest Contributor, Bailey Harris writes about home insurance and related topics for www.homeinsurance.org.