<p>I have noticed that for many of the schools dd has looked at there is a separate line item for art supplies, ranging from about $2,000 to $3,000! We have a store here that gives a 30% discount to students, so anything we can figure out to purchase here, we will do that. Hope it all works out paperchaserpop!</p>
<p>The amount for art supplies alone listed sounds like alot. My D spends $500-600 a month and that includes food and living expenses (hair cuts, coffee shop visits, the occasional Netflix etc). MCAD has an onsite store as well that is as cheap or cheaper than anything you could get online. I feel bad for the kids at SAIC, I know there is a Dick Blick not far from there, and I think they are on the pricey side.</p>
<p>My advice is thus:
Unless the school furnishes a list beforehand which is doubtful since supplies depend on classes taken, educate your child in ordering from Pearl Paint and other online sources unless the school store beats the prices. </p>
<p>They’ll need to get the basics for the classes but if they are taking certain classes, like painting for example, see what they need, i.e. oils, acrylics, watercolors. Have them pick up what they need for immediate work and go to Ebay and on-line to other sites and order the extra at better prices. </p>
<p>We purchased tons of watercolors for about 1/3 the price of the cheapest school store (same deal on acrylics) by going on-line and to Ebay. Even with me shipping it to the school we saved a ton of money.</p>
<p>Dick Blix is a fortune and most kids aren’t too savy yet on how to buy in bulk etc. My thought even was that the wise entrepreneurial student would buy in bulk and then sell to friends for a small profit to pay for the time and shipping, etc. Maybe that’s not allowed, I don’t know. </p>
<p>But the problem is that the kids are in the midst of trying to churn out masterpiece assignments so quickly they resort to buying at expensive places. This is a good place for a parent to step in and save the money if the kid will allow it. Even order drawing paper in bulk saves a lot of money. Pencils at Dick Blix can break your semester budget. Art students will and should be able to tear through supplies without worry and this will be a huge part of their budget, far exceeding books especially if they are taking certain sorts of classes.</p>
<p>PCP Welcome!
You are in for a treat with an student-artist in the family. Congratulations! The lists from last year were really helpful and I was scared how much S was going to spend on materials. My main contribution was a fully stocked tool box (+work gloves and safety glasses) and first aid kit…the first is essential for all artists and the second was, unfortunately, very useful for my son who found multiple ways to visit the emergency room (luckily none art related) but also for lots of minor burns and assorted boo-boos from 3-D studios. </p>
<p>Wisely, perhaps cruelly, we told him that supplies/books were his problem as we were picking up the tab for CMU so this has lead him to become the absolute best scrounger on the planet. He found that there are cheap places to get lots of materials on the web; buy only what you really, really have to have at that moment; at the end of HS offer to help the art teachers clean and order supplies and she/he will give you lots and lots of extra stuff; dumpster diving is an art form and absolutely necessary for 3-d classes; Also S has become quite active on ebay and amazon to find deals on text books. Last year, he stayed a few days after finals and managed to amass a HUGE amount of materials left in the studios from students (who graduated or were too lazy or too rich to care about materials). That box is stored off campus with a bunch of art students and they all contribute and take as needed. Being frugal and scavenging for art s upplies is really a skill that all art students should master.</p>
<p>“Last year, he stayed a few days after finals and managed to amass a HUGE amount of materials left in the studios from students (who graduated or were too lazy or too rich to care about materials).”</p>
<p>I love this kid! What a great idea.</p>
<p>Famkid is right…it is worth hanging around to scrounge. Last year even my H came home with some great stuff after picking up my S. Portfolio cases, flexible cutting mats, lamps and more.</p>
<p>So <em>this</em> is where all the good discussion happens… :D</p>
<p>It is a good idea to push some responsibility to our D/S!
FAMM: Good idea to give your S the responsibility so that he can be muture more and sooner. I got to think about this and apply to my D.</p>
<p>Thanks to all on the great suggestions! I’ll make sure D knows about the “hanging around to scrounge”! Come to think about it, kids SHOULD to that for greener tomorrow…</p>
<p>Scrounging will be your friend. MCAD has what’s known as the free shelf, where kids drop off stuff they don’t need and pickup stuff they can use. D found all kinds of great stuff for her 3D class. I was there at the end of school, and I literally had to forbid her from going because we weren’t getting any cleaning done. Everytime she brought one item there, she’d come back with 2. The best find was a American Tourister rolling duffle. She also got expensive paints and pencils, and I got a cool cowboy purse. A regular gold mine.</p>
<p>Hi Everyone! I’m back in a limited way…for some reason my wrist is swollen and it’s hard to type. Anyway, I have been enjoying the holiday season with my kids and it is going by far too quickly. Hope everyone here is having fun as well with all the kiddos home from college! Have a wonderful time ringing in the New Year…best wishes to all!</p>
<p>Carpal tunnel…? Yikes, I hope not. Happy New Year to you as well!! 2012!!! Our son came home for the holidays here (now back in LA) and that was the best Christmas present of all.</p>
<p>Happy New Year to EVERYONE on this forum. You all are great! Much success in 2012!</p>
<p>Hi Dig, Same to you! Yes, having the kids home does make for a wonderful holiday season! </p>
<p>Not carpal tunnel, thank goodness! No nerve involvement, just very swollen on the “wrist bump” (ulnar) side and a couple inches in either direction along that side. I have it splinted and have seen a specialist, just waiting for advice on how to proceed. Thanks for asking!</p>
<p>Happy New Year! It was a quiet one. H was traveling and a similarly alone friend came over and we watched Jane Eyre with William Hurt and others. Drove kids to respective parties or metro stops to avoid driving issues. The kids were determined to have a “fun” new years since last year we dragged them out to the mountains and spent the evening at a farm and all were asleep soon after midnight. Deemed very dull…they didn’t do much better on their own this year. Lame parties…was pretty much what they found. I find the effort and forced fun of New Year’s a bit wearing.</p>
<p>Now full of multiple resolutions–clean that attic, finish my paper for publication, HA! I am here on CC procrastinating.</p>
<p>It was great to have kids come with us to visit my parents in the midwest. Lots of brisk walks and good food. Little drama despite my misgivings. My son was the designated “divert stress from Grandma” as he is the favored grandchild and can do no wrong. He was great and intervened a number of times when we could see steam coming out of her ears. D was the family photographer and kept her little cousin amused. The elderly neighbors introduced my children to a boozy brunch. the whole clan went over to this brother-sister couple in their nineties who had prepared a sumptuous southern brunch (they are from Alabama originally) and I never knew that bourbon could be in so many dishes! and for breakfast! Whiskey sours (son now has recipe ready to celebrate his 21st), bourbon peaches and some kind of bourbon sour cream cake. Oh…and the ham was bathed in bouron and brown sugar. Only the eggs and biscuits were free of alchohol. Thank goodness we just walked across the street. Kids realized that now they knew why the sweet potatoes form xmas dinner had had that distinctive flavor–more bourbon. </p>
<p>By the way…did anyone see Arthur Christmas–yup…english crackers were featured. Kids were amused to see that all our family traditions…the crackers, xmas pudding, cynicism, family tensions, and off color jokes are a british cultural thing and they are not alone (there is an entire nation with the same weird habits)…we all agreed the odd family on the screen was not much odder than ours. Bears…you need to see it!</p>
<p>I just skimmed several pages of this thread. Really warm, open, and supportive.
I have a creative but ADD son who hopes to go to MICA, also applying to SAIC and museum school . . .he is now slowly working on an essay . . . so it will be a while before we know whether we’ll even get to face the challenge of his, and my, adjusting to him being in college. But this thread is good to know about and i plan to keep an eye on it. thanks.</p>
<p>I just skimmed several pages of this thread. Really warm, open, and supportive.
I have a creative but ADD son who hopes to go to MICA, also applying to SAIC and museum school . . .he is now slowly working on an essay . . . so it will be a while before we know whether we’ll even get to face the challenge of his, and my, adjusting to him being in college. But this thread is good to know about and i plan to keep an eye on it. thanks.</p>
<p>I guess you don’t know which school it is–in most cases they’ll get a general list before school starts, but the specifics for each class are likely to be handed out on the first day by each teacher. It will be a lot to lay out at first.</p>
<p>Hi leslier, and welcome to this great board! I really enjoy being part of this group. Good luck to your son as he awaits his admissions decisions. Keep us posted!</p>
<p>D is gearing up for her second semester. Luckily most of her classes this year are full year, so no big surprises with supplies. We got her a French easel for Christmas and she was thrilled; it’s something she will need for plein air painting in the coming weeks. She has one new class this semester and the instructor e-mailed a syllabus and supply list to the students. Whew! We can shop before she heads back to school and hopefully save some $$!</p>
<p>The cost of supplies are one thing I am worried about! Not that I think textbooks would be any better!</p>
<p>Yes, supplies can be expensive (just like textbooks) but at D’s school most of the professors seem cognizant of the cost, and kids can be pretty resourceful, too! Before freshman year, D received a supply list in the mail and also the offer of a “freshman kit”, which included everything, even a portfolio. D had many of the supplies so we shipped them in advance and they were waiting for her upon arrival, but the kit is a great option for kids who travel by air and can’t carry much and/or don’t want to ship ahead. Also, many of the supplies, once purchased, can be used for a long time and when consumed they can be replaced as needed, which spreads out the expense. D’s college bookstore has everyday discounts of 40% or so on a bunch of basic supplies, so that helps when she can’t get off campus. There are also alternatives in town and of course, mail order. Her textbook expenses have been very low, and some classes are full year so the one book is used for both semesters. Start stocking up on some little things if they’re on sale (pencils, conte crayons, micropens, etc.) Nothing too big or heavy that would have to be shipped from home, b/c your savings would disappear!</p>