Storage Solutions

Tip No.134: Organize Art Supplies

Disorganization in an art studio can consume your creative time and sap your energy. Corral your materials and let your studio time be notable for its creativity rather than its chaos.

Steps

1. Top your must-have list with a rolling cart, also known as a ‘taboret’. This rolling wonders, designed specifically for art and drafting, keeps a variety of supplies organized and accessible. Available in heavy-duty plastic or hardwood and in a wide range of sizes and prices, these smart carts are the next best things to live apprentices. Some rolling carts have foldout wings on the top to create more work space; others have pivoting drawers or integrated easels. Shop online at DickBlick.com and at brick-and-mortar art stores.
2. Set up one extra large multipurpose worktable in your studio. Cover it with replaceable, self-sealing plastic so you can cut on it. Regardless what medium you work in, you’ll eventually be cutting something. Alternately, buy a large self-sealing cutting mat that slips behind a door when not in use.
3. Find copious storage space in flat files—the stacks of long, slim drawers found in architects’ or engineers’ offices. They provide superb storage for canvases, paper, mat boards, sketch pads and printing materials. Available in metal or hardwood, the units can be stacked and configured to fit your specific needs.
4. Store different mediums in separate areas if possible. It will help eliminate the tendency to grab your fine needle-nosed jewelry pliers to pull staples out of an old canvas.
5. Keep surfaces and work areas clean. Creative spasms get messy, but make only one mess at a time. There’s nothing worse than oil pastel on your worktable getting all over a charcoal drawing, or spray-mount debris destroying a watercolor.
6. Install adjustable, good lighting over all work surfaces. Large, south-facing windows are a boon to any creative endeavor.
7. Hang nylon organizers with clear vinyl pockets. Some have small pockets only for paint tubes, while others add larger pockets for brushes, pens and sketch pads. Designed to hook over a doorframe, they can also hang on a wall hook near your easel. An added advantage: They’re easy to hide in a closet if the room has to serve other functions.
8. Stick to a shoestring budget and still create great storage for art supplies. Muffin tins, drawer dividers, silverware caddies, earthenware crocks and plastic storage tubs can all do valuable organizational duty in the studio. Create an art cart similar to the ones teachers use in classrooms. Place casters on a nightstand or a small bookcase to make a movable storage piece.

Tips

Store finished work in acid-free archival boxes before displaying.

Large stackable plastic trays from an office supply store are a cheap alternative to flat files. Keep your eyes peeled for going-out-of-business sales and pick up used flat files on the cheap.

Wooden sketch boxes can hold a large number of paint tubes, colored pencils or pastel chalks in orderly little compartments.

Warnings

Solvents, thinners, adhesives and paint removers are highly toxic: Don’t skimp on ventilation equipment and systems. Store your respirator nearby so you won’t have to hunt for it.

A pile of used rags soaked in paint or solvents can ignite and set your studio on fire. Invest in a fire-safe oily waste can. Resistant to most chemical compounds, the can opens with a foot lever and is ventilated to prevent spontaneous combustion.