One of the ways you can help yourself out when it comes to creating original work is to have a large selection of resources readily available. By resources I mean material both cloth and plastic, leather, gadgets of different shapes & sizes etc. These are things that the average person would normally throw away or consider useless. The resourceful craftsman will instead see something that has an interesting shape or texture. Something that may be useful in the future. What follows are some tips on how and where to gather these items.

Gadgets and Plastic

I have a shoebox that I keep just about every odd shaped piece of plastic or gadget that I can find. It doesn't matter the shape or condition it's in. I have everything from small wires, wood and clear plastic strips to plastic milk bottle caps and metal bits.

Cloth Material

Of course there is the obvious choice of the fabric store. They will usually have everything that you could ever want. However, if you're a guy, you'll have to go through some embarrassment while you search for the cloth you need while surrounded by old woman. They love to see a guy with tattoos and wacky hair searching for material for his "doll". Another method that I like to use is to keep a small cardboard box full of scrap material. Often times my wife will decide that she no longer wants to wear a particular shirt or pair of pants etc. Instead of throwing it out or selling it at a yard sale...put it in your box. One day you might have use for that particular color or texture.

Leather

Real leather can often times take the look of a particular work to the next level. Real leather is expensive....unless you know where to look for it. I find that yard sales, second hand stores and flea markets usually have a large selection of old leather goods to choose from for just a few bucks. Old smelly leather boots or shoes can be stripped down to just the leather components. It's a disgusting job but it will yield you some nice worn leather. Old second hand purses or gloves will also produce some nice soft leather. You just have to keep your eye out for this type of stuff.