As a student artist, do I need to think about sustainability? Will it make any difference? Can I afford it?

I’d like to think that the answer to all three questions is “yes”. Everyone needs to think about it no matter what their chosen career, otherwise we’ll have no planet and no resources to live on. Collectively, we can make a difference. And there are ways to do it at little or no cost.

Take plastics and other manmade chemicals: acrylic paints; packaging; printing plates; or pens. Buying paints in tubs rather than tubes means I can put back anything I haven’t used rather than washing it down the sink. I can choose card or metal containers over plastic. I can use recycled aluminium printing plates rather than Perspex ones. I can make my own biodegradable veggie-gelli monoprinting plates using Dr.Oetker Vege-Gel. And I can buy refillable pens rather than one-use throwaway ones.

For sketchbooks, I can buy ones made locally or with recycled paper and card. I can use old sketches and paintings as the basis for new ones. I can collage with my own older work too.

If I want to use sustainable media, I could make my own inks using locally foraged materials. On coastal walks, I could collect red-coloured, oxide-rich rocks for pigment marking. I could collect fallen branches to transform into mark making pens.

I could source new materials from charity shops or upcycling stores such as the Borders Scrapstore in Musselburgh. Most importantly I can use what I already have, exploring all the materials I already own in various mixed media combinations.

If you’d like to try to make your own veggi-gelli monoprinting plate, here’s the recipe:

3 x Dr Dr.Oetker Vege-Gel 6.5g sachets

300ml cold water

Add the cold water to a pan. Sprinkle all the Vege-Gel over the water and stir well until the powder is almost dissolved. Heat the mix until it has reached boiling point i.e. is bubbling. Pour into an approx A5 size rectangular container that has a lid. Allow to cool. Turn out and use as a monoprinting plate. When finished put back in container with lid and store in fridge. Can be reused until its surface starts to deteriorate. Then either re-boil and set again; or put in compost bin!

Happy printing!