Despite having my own studio, nothing quite beats the dining room table! It’s got the best view in the house, looking out through the big patio doors to the garden. It also gets the best light in the house.
I decided a few months ago to keep a small collection of art materials at the end of the table, so I could do some sketching or doodling – something creative and mindful – whenever the mood struck, and make it less of a “thing”.
Once something becomes a “thing” I’ll do almost anything else to avoid doing it.
I’ve now added to it, and it’s expanded into the two little drawers in the table as well! It’s meant that I’ve had nearly everything to hand for the sketchbook course I took earlier this month, and for my (not quite daily) sketchbook observational drawings.
I thought you may be interested in the set up, so here’s a quick guide to what I’ve got.
The bulk of the materials are held in pots and contained within this red basket. I’ve had this plastic basket for YEARS – ever since my primary school teaching days. It’s a really useful size, it’s robust, and it’s had several incarnations over the years.
It currently contains:
Kid’s colour pencils
Kid’s cheap watercolour pencils
Kid’s felt tips, including brush-tip ones.
Kid’s crayons
Chunky crayons
A variety of pencils – various degrees of softness, from HB to 6B.
A variety of pens – rollerball, biro, fine liner, gel pen
A little pot of PVA glue (in the yoghurt jar)
A glue stick
A little glass pot (it’s another French yoghurt jar) for water, and three small-ish brushes for watercolour.
A collection of various papers – ripped into small squares and rectangles, for doodling on or using as collage
A little zippy pouch for papers that are half-decorated, awaiting some more surface decoration
A tin to use when I want to go out and about – I can add a selection of pens and pencils to the tin.
There’s also a larger zippy pouch containing papers that are already decorated, that can now be used as collage.
My little observational drawing sketchbook is also in the back of the basket. Larger sketchbooks and notebooks generally flit around the house during the day, and are either found in a semi-permanent heap to the right of where I sit here, or on my studio desk.
Then one of the drawers contains pouches of Posca pens in various colours and nib weights, some Inktense pencils, and some Koh-i-nor dyes (not seen). These are called dyes, but look more like watercolours. I have some in a palette, and also a round set that stack together. They’re wonderful for a burst of intense colour. You can see them on the table in the first picture.
In the other drawer, I have a set of cheap kid’s watercolours, some cheap oil pastels, some acrylic markers (Posca imitations, not nearly as good) and some fine liner felt tip pens, a graphite stick, an eraser and a sharpener. I also keep a posh miniature Winsor & Newton watercolour set in here, with half-pans in a small selection of colours. You can see this on the table in the first picture.
The table has a PVC tablecloth on it most of the year (we only take it off for special dinners) but I also use a large sheet of white card as a protector. This is one of my favourite parts of my set up – it’s so useful for scribbling notes!
I usually have my iPad with me (propped up on its beanbag, see top picture) so I can check my emails, and do a bit of light admin if necessary. Most of the time, if I’m settling in for a sketchbook or painting/collage session, I have a podcast playing, which I listen to with my noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones – another key part of my set up! They’re wonderful for blocking out all other distractions, and getting me straight into the Zone.
What tips and tricks do you have to get you into your creative zone?
9 Thoughts to “Making making art easy”