A $300 supply list with a countless amount of items is what IU art students face this semester as they buy material for their Fine Arts classes. Many students find the list to be long and intimidating; for others just the thought of picking up a new hobby such as decorating their homes, painting, drawing or testing their creativity with an arts and crafts project can prove overwhelming. Art supply stores like Pygmalion's, Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabrics try to lighten the load, while helping students prepare for classes. \nFreshman Laura Decamp was one of many IU students at Pygmalion's Art Supply Inc., 108 N. Grant St., buying arts supplies for a Fundamentals of Art class. \n"I was a little bit intimidated because it was a lot of supplies," she said. "But I know when there are a lot of supplies you are going to learn more techniques." \nTom Zeta, Pygmalion's co-owner and manager, said students come in with supply lists without knowing how to use many of the items. \n"The beginning students don't know when they come in and they are feeling intimidated so we try to go through it with them." Zeta said. "We tell them what each item is and how to use it." \nZeta said he feels most students are unsure of what they need as far as supplies and where to find them. \n"That's why we hire artists. So if a customer comes in with questions we can have a person with a good working knowledge of the materials on staff," Zeta said.\nFreshman Juliana Dumas, who is majoring in studio art, said she was overwhelmed at first, but now it is easier. \n"First semester I was intimidated because it was a lot, and it was very expensive," Dumas said.\nAn art supply list can range from $150 to $300. The most expensive course is F102 Color-Design.
How art stores help \nEmily Laflin, a sales associate at Pygmalion's, said the fundamentals classes are the most popular, and most people need a lot of supplies. Students are provided with a list of supplies the first day of classes, and Laflin said the first Tuesday of the semester is the busiest day at the store.\n"We find out months in advance and we order in advance." Laflin said. "I would say the professors do a pretty good job of preparing." \nSupply lists hang from the corridors of Pygmalion's and boxes with F100, S230, S300, etc. line the walls. Students, with supply lists in hand, wait to be helped as sales associates hunt for boxes with the course number containing a pre-packaged supply bags.\n"Pygmalion's makes it easy for students to find what they are looking for because they package all of the materials needed for a project and sell them to students at a discounted price," said junior Laura Wollos.\nSupply lists usually include Exacto knives, bees wax, tracing paper, sketching paper, drill bits, pencils, colored pencils, sand paper, silk screen colored paper and much more. \n"We have to help over 100 students during rush week" Laflin said. "I would tell anybody coming to an art store for the first time, don't be afraid to ask. We have plenty of people on staff that are happy to help." \nLike other art supply stores, Pygmalion's tries to make things easier on students by organizing the products.\n"Things are organized by material. For example, oil paints, acrylic paint and watercolor has its own section," said Jane Otten, co-owner and manager of Pygmalion's.\nStudents can also make their ordering process easier by accessing any of the supply stores' Web sites. Each Web site is organized by product or project and makes the selection process more convenient. \n"I can always see what Pygmalion's has to offer without ever walking into the store," Wollos said. "This really makes my supply shopping trips a lot easier."
Picking a hobby \nLaflin said the expense is what tends to scare people off, but there are ways of getting around it. Hobbies aren't as expensive, Laflin said. \n"If you're going to start off on a project or hobby and you don't know if you will like it, I definitely say you should test (it) out with cheap products," Laflin said.\nBut students often find inspiration after spending time in the store, co-owner Zeta said. \n"I love seeing people come in and they don't know what they want to do, but then they might go look at something and the sparks start flying or we start talking with them about their interest and the sparks start flying," he said. "I love seeing the sparks and I love it when people come back in to show us what the have made." \nDecamp said she was inspired to do something else especially when she saw the paint brushes and the way they were displayed. \nThough some people don't have a specific interest, Zeta said there are trends in art and crafts. \n"Bookmaking is very popular right now. There is no end to the type of book you can make," Zeta said. "We had one customer whose husband wrote a novel and we printed his novel out and taught her how to bind it." \nPygmalion's offers everything from headbands for book-binding, needles, to colorful paper in hues of purple, orange and red and stamp making products. People use binded books for sketch books, photo albums and journals. Trends come and go in the art world, but according to Laflin and Zeta the two easiest art forms to pick up are painting and drawing. \n"I would say painting is the most popular of all the things to do," Laflin said. "Sketching and painting are easiest because they have really cheap kits." \nFor those students who wish to create an arts and crafts project as a hobby, Michael's Arts and Crafts, 120 N. Gates Dr., is the nation's largest retailer of arts and crafts. Students can create projects from 12 different categories from beading to wreaths to wedding planning. \n"Our store is organized by project so if people are looking for things like knitting or beading, there is an entire section devoted to that project," said Laura Riley, Bloomington Michael's manager.\nIf students are interested in developing their crafting skills, Michael's offers a variety of classes on creating different projects, she said.\n"There is a new trend for students with knitting and crocheting," Riley said. "They often come in looking for 'fun-fur' yarn to make scarves or sweaters."\nJo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts store, 3483 W. Third St., offers students a chance to create their own clothing, quilts or curtains. The store is devoted to primarily fabrics, patterns and knitting equipment. Students can find a large selection of fabrics and have these fabrics accurately cut and sized for their specific project. \n"When I was in the Costume Construction Technology Program we were told to go to Jo-Ann's for our projects," Laflin said. \nThose interested in fashion or sewing can also direct themselves to Michael's for fabric and or Pygmalion's for neutral colored silks carves. \n"Silk scarves are for anything, a lot of people dye them, do batik (an Indonesian fabric design using wax) and other stuff," Laflin said. \nZeta said the best advice he could give anyone wanting to make an art supply purchase is to not be afraid. Pygmalion's, Jo-Ann's and Michael's cater to IU art students as well as other art students. So even if you don't know what you are doing there is always someone to help. \n"I don't want people to be afraid to come here, because they don't think they're an artist," Zeta said. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Jaimie Cohen at jrcohen@indiana.edu and Assistant Arts Editor Patrice Worthy at pworthy@indiana.edu.
Discover your inner artist\nFor those interested in becoming more creative or taking a few art classes Tom Zeta, co-owner and manager of Pygmalion's Art Supplies, 108 N. Grant St., had some advice: \n1.If you like doodling while you're on the phone, then buy a nice sketch pad and some pencils.
2.It is really important to have an open mind and be a little free.
3.Talk to others with similar interests.
4.Don't be afraid to make mistakes, because mistakes will happen.
5.Sign up for art classes at the John Waldron Art Center, the Creative Learning Center, Ivy Tech or a Fundamentals classes at IU.
6.Get a supply box with a latch and different compartments. If you are taking fundamentals of drawing and carrying around a big sketch book, a portfolio is indispensable.
7.Take F102. It teaches you about space, \ncolor, composition and design, but it is a huge amount of work. It's one of those classes people complain about when they are taking it, but later they realize how much they learned.
8.Anyone interested in any art form should start by purchasing a number of pencils, erasers, a sketchbook you like and a pencil sharpener.\n-- Compiled by Patrice Worthy
