Sustainable Practices for First-Hand Items

Items like brushes, canvases and paint are not always possible to source second hand. As the next-best alternative, Josie’s Paint and Sip supplied by factories with fair labour certifications who ship by sea to reduce carbon footprint. The items purchased are high quality to reduce waste.

All plastic wrapping is disposed of at a soft-plastic recycling centre, or used in art projects, like this, which Josie made from the plastic waste that the brushes arrived in.

Our Acrylic Paints Don’t Go Down the Drain

Disposing of acrylic paints properly is vital as the microplastics in the paint can have harmful effects on the environment.

Josie is currently researching and testing a range of paints to find an environmentally friendly alternative to acrylics but in the meantime, she has built a filtration system to separate the microplastics from any contaminated water to reduce any negative effects on the environment. You can find out how to make a filtration system for your own art projects here.

We Build Easels out of Waste Material

The easels were made by Josie and her partner. They took scrap wood on its way to landfill and turned it into something entirely new. Repurposing materials like this means diverting waste from landfill, eliminating the carbon-footprint of a store-bought easel, and verifiably ethical labour.

Aprons Made out of Deadstock Fabric

The aprons you wear during the session were handmade by Josie. As a fashion design student and life-long seamstress, not only are their construction high-quality, they are as sustainable as it gets. Josie is a fabric remnant enthusiast - she’s always finding creative ways to find new life for these scraps; examples here and here. They’re all made of deadstock and second-hand fabrics.