Working as a freelance artist every little helps and so I have managed to not waste a single scrap of my A3+ sized archival Epson printing paper.

At £35 a pack of 20 sheets you can see why.

I use this paper exclusively to print my archival animal watercolours.

For the last 5 years since I’ve been a self-employed artist selling on Etsy.com I’ve used this paper. It is the best for my purposes. With over 4,000 prints sold I have not had a single unhappy customer regards print quality.

The surface is divine and looks like real watercolour paper – but it is archival to 70 years giving lasting and vibrant colour. Sometimes I think the prints look better than the original!

So how do I chop up my paper and what uses does it get put to?

Here goes…

First

I cut two lots of 8×10 inch pieces – these are for my regular and most popular print sizes.

Second

I use the one remnant from the edge of the first cut to fold into gift tag sized pieces  – I hole punch the top – slip some Irish book-binding thread through it – stamp the back with my shop logo and after finally sticking on a small mini Eastwitching animal they are ready to go.

Third

I cut the very slim strips that remain from the second main cut up into little 2 inch chunks. These are then used as “strapping” to hold my recycled cardboard (cut up from waste cardboard from supermarkets) that my dad cuts up. This makes my packaging earth-friendly and very rigid.

Fourth and finally – the longest off-cut from the original cut is used to print off batches of 4 mini Eastwitching prints that adorn my handmade greeting cards or gift tags.

It is amazing what you can get out of one sheet – without one piece going into the bin.

Do you have any fab economy drive tips in your creative process?

If so please share in the comments below – Alison