My little art space.
Last Fall I picked up a paint brush for the first time in 10 years. I have been vegan for seven. This means I haven’t touched a bottle of paint since I went vegan. I thought I had veganized my whole life by now. I was wrong.
Immediately I knew my brushes were made with animal hair, but I wasn’t sure about my stash of paints. Luckily there is quite a bit of information on the web about vegan art supplies. But when in doubt, go directly to the company and ask. Be specific and persistent until you feel they have addressed all of your concerns. For now, I will use up all my paints and wear out my brushes before I replace them.
Work in Progress.
Helpful Websites for Vegan Artists
- Vegan Activist
- Katherine Kean
- Lesley Atlansky
- The Vegan’s List of Art Supplies
- Animal Based Ingredients in my Art Supplies?
- Vegan Art
I have some fun vegan-related art projects planned for this year and I look forward to sharing them with you. In the meantime, you can check out my hand painted children’s step stools on my other website.
That is one very neat art space! Wow!
Thanks, Charis. I love it.
I have a question about animal hair brushes and I’m wondering if you might know… I’ve been told by multiple store/companies that their animal hair brushes are “cruelty-free.” Clearly they wouldn’t be vegan, but do you know if it’s possible and/or common practice for animal hair brushes to be made without harming the animals? Thanks in advance for your time :)
Hi Catherine, After a little bit of research, I found this: “Natural hair brushes use hair harvested from farm-raised or trapped animals, particularly sable (marten), squirrel and mongoose. Less expensive natural brushes are made of horsehair, pig bristles, or hair from ox snouts and ears.” The hair from paint brushes (and also cosmetic brushes) should be considered part of the fur industry.
Thank you so much for taking the time to research and answer, Christine!
Happy to!
Love the step stools, Christine! You are very talented. Thanks for sharing your website, and for educating us about vegan paints and art supplies.
Thank you!
Thanks Christine. You reminded me of an old project… perhaps I will get back to it.
Being vegan is the best thing in the world. And being an artist is so very important as well.