Last week while teaching at the Artisan Materials Expo in Santa Fe I realized that these type of workshops and events are probably one of the best ways that a student can try and learn all different types of mediums. At these types of classes, the students usually don't have to bring any supplies at all, the manufacturers supply the teachers
with products in turn letting the student work with their materials.
This is so helpful for students that want to try a different medium but don't want to spend a load of money trying new things.
Another great thing is how many instructors teach at expos like this. You have such a variety of mediums and teachers that you will really have a hard time deciding
Then there is the expo itself where you have most every manufacturer of art
supplies selling their products at huge savings to the artists. If you don't have time to take a class you can also learn a lot about art supplies by visiting all the booths of all the different art manufacturers. If you have a question about a certain product the reps for each product are more than happy to tell you all about their products. A lot of the booths also have places where you can try their products, this is great if you just want to see what their product feels and handles
like.