Entering an artist’s studio space, whether it’s a corner in a multipurpose loft like mine or a dedicated room, is not for those easily upset by mess and chaos. But there is always method to our madness even if it only makes sense to us. If you’ve been on studio tours you’re usually presented a polished version of the truth, these artists create a display space that only appears as a studio or make a madcap dash of cleaning up the day before. I’d likely need two days just to make mine presentable, but here’s a chaos-free look at what you’ll find.
Easels
Many are familiar with the tried and true artist easel, especially if you’ve ever watched a Bob Ross show or seen the latest trailer for the movie Paint. I actually do not own one of those giant wooden behemoths for two reasons. First, they are bulky and quite heavy, usually 25 pounds at minimum. The other reason is cost. You can expect these to cost at least $100, often much more.
This is what I use instead. It’s considered a travel easel and is light, adjustable, and tucks neatly into a corner when not in use. I picked it up on clearance at an art shop in Montreal while vacationing with my family back in 2001. It was roughly $20 at the time and most now can be found for around $50.
This is my other easel which I purchased more recently for $40. It’s designed for tabletop use, stores a few supplies in the drawer, and has a handle so it travels like a briefcase. It’s a bit heavy due to the solid wood construction, but I don’t travel with it much.
This is my only expensive piece of art equipment. It’s called a drafting table though it’s similar to an easel and I purchased mine on sale for $150 back in 2005. Most will run about twice that. It’s been invaluable though and is great for most art projects from calligraphy and illustration to collage and painting. It’s very prone to staining so it didn’t stay this pristine long. I have seen some versions with glass and metal tops which may be better with stains, but those may have other drawbacks including a higher price tag. I often keep a cutting mat on mine which I use to protect it from my exacto knives. I trimmed my TAE art card from 5.5x8 to the required 5x7 size on it.
Markers, Pencils, and Brushes… oh my!
While easels are the main art furniture in my studio, it’s the art supplies that are what people would notice first. With most artists, you’ll usually see just one or two mediums in their studio. For me though, it’s ALL there. Drawing pencils for my sketches, charcoal and chalk pastels for my messy expressive pieces, colored pencils which were my first medium and continue to be a favorite, micron pens for my ink drawings, various markers and paint pens, and both acrylic and oil paints.
I have a giant, white, 5x5 ikea kallax organizer beside my table that tries to keep my sketchbooks, canvases, and supplies neat in 25 cubbies, but I’m not sure it’s very successful. I do know where everything is in the chaotic clutter thanks to my photographic memory, but heaven help anyone else.
I often take my arting out to parks and wineries, especially over the summers. I keep most of my paints, palettes, and brushes in a purse organizer that fits nicely into my gray messenger bag that I’ve had since 2004. For $13, it’s been a great organizer for carting my supplies about and not ending up digging for everything in one big compartment. For brush rinsing, I use a glass jar that used to have marinara in it and I will sometimes carry two milk jugs along, one with water and one empty for dirty water so I’m not impacting nature or ruining someone’s sink.
I hope you enjoyed this look into my studio (minus the actual chaos). If you have any questions or comments about my studio feel free to let me know!
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Ooh, I really like that tabletop easel with the drawer :-) I'm setting up a corner of my basement as a mini studio, and that would be perfect!