As a beginning or starving artist, you look at pro artists' studios and wish you had all that great stuff they do. It'll come. For now though, there's a lot of handy not-so-pretty things around the house that cost you next to nothing. Here's some of my helpful garbage. Foto-frame glass plate. Glass withstands any medium - no amount of tape, acrylics, glue, or whathaveyou can harm it - and it's easy to clean when wet. I use it as my work table surface. This sheet is from a 40×60cm frameless frame; those come with smoothed edges, so the risk of cutting oneself is low. Such thin glass breaks easily though, and should be handled with care. I often bump the corners, which can be fixed with small bits of tape. Freezer bag. As any painter I put generous amounts of paint on my palette, and don't want to waste it. So I stick the whole palette into a freezer bag and tape it shut. It can keep paints useable for several days (larger amounts for weeks even). So...
