Studio Update: Helpful Art Studio Products
I recently spent some time tweaking my art room to create a more practical oil painting space. I still have some work to do, but I love it so far. I posted the above pic on Instagram promising to list the products I’ve found useful so far, so here’s a studio update with the details and links. This is not in any way sponsored; I’m not affiliated with these sellers in any way – I just hope it might be helpful.
Pictured above beside the easel, this table was a sneaky find! I’m so proud of myself for thinking outside the box on this one. It’s PERFECT! It’s the Ikea SNIGLAR Baby Change Table, and it was only A$99. You can buy little plastic tubs which hang off the side, but I opted for the HALLBAR bin for my paper towels and such as I paint (A$5), a few cheap storage containers, and the PADRAG vase (A$2.50) to hold my paintbrushes. I’m think I’ll also screw the BEKVAM spice rack (A$5) to the front to hold the paint tubes I’m using during a painting so I don’t have to keep fishing in the main tub for palette top-ups. I’ve also got a bamboo plate holder from Kmart (A$5) holding some canvases and paper pads on the second shelf.
The table was easy to put together, sturdy enough, and you could easily customise it with screw-in hooks, a coat of varnish or paint, castor wheels, or whatever makes your life easier. The top shelf height is tall enough to be useful while standing at an easel, and the bottom shelf is low enough to allow good clearance to store taller bottles and books there. The wooden rim also forms a slight edge so it’s harder to accidentally push things off the side. Altogether it was a fairly inexpensive little rack for my oil setup. It’s light enough to move around when I need to, and easy to customise. You might even find baby changing tables available fairly frequently through local second hand sales groups or shops, which could work out even cheaper.
Pictured above is also my iPad on a metal holder which was also from Ikea. It was quite cheap and does the job well enough for the price, and I do like that it swivels around, but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s quite wobbly to use, which annoys me, so I’ll be getting something more stable at some point.
Admittedly I was in a bit of a hurry for this, so I purchased it with minimal research, but I’m really happy with it. I painted my first large-ish oil painting (11 x 14 inch, pictured in drying rack above), and suddenly realised I had very little space to sit a painting to dry (that was relatively cat-safe!). Oils take a long time to dry! I was so excited to start painting I didn’t even think of that! I found a small gap in a bookshelf to slide this painting into, but I loved painting with oils, so I couldn’t wait to start the next one. It quickly became an urgent necessity.
Unfortunately, it seemed drying racks were more expensive than I’d anticipated for such a simple concept, and there were fewer options than I’d hoped for. To save money I started planning to build my own and started researching potential cheap or recycled materials, even debating with my partner about the best way to build one (for the record, he would have been right, but it will never have to be proven now!). I then came across this wood and metal one on eBay for only A$135.99, with free postage. Considering the effort that would save me, I could hardly scoff at that.
I ordered it on April 4th and it arrived on April 8th; I was amazed with that! It was quick and easy to put together with my partner helping out. He put all the screws in while I held the pieces together, and it probably only took us around 10 minutes. There were some joins in the wood at points where it weakened the side a bit, so the sides had to be supported while everything was screwed into place (much less awkward with two people), but once together it felt sturdy enough for its purpose and light enough to move easily.
The product included 15 racks, some extra rubber stoppers for the sides of the racks, and a small screwdriver for assembly. I can’t yet comment on longevity as I haven’t had it too long, but I love it so far and would easily buy a second if needed. I wish I could churn out that many paintings! For now at least, this will be enough for my needs.
The wire racks slide out, but they do move around a bit and the rubber stoppers catch sometimes, so they don’t always freely slide as a typical, smooth drawer would, but with a slight wiggle the racks slide out fine. I haven’t pictured it here, but I placed a sheet of paper on the rack above this painting, just to help protect it further from dust, but if I had more paintings in there that wouldn’t be necessary.
Next Plans
I’m currently working in a room with carpet, so I’ve got some mats on the floor and a plastic drop sheet when I paint. I’ve ordered a large floor rug though, which should be a lot simpler than using the plastic drop sheet. I rarely drop any paint as I work quite slowly and carefully, but I still wouldn’t risk anything getting near the carpet. The plastic drop sheet works but it feels more dangerous than a rug as it seems to grab my feet and shoes and I know I’m going to trip on it at some point and send the whole easel and paint palette flying, so that was always a temporary fix.
My little home studio setup works well for me, but I’m constantly looking for ways to make it more organised and efficient. It’s favourite place in the house to be and I spend quite a lot of time in here. I’d like to work on setting up my camera equipment to start filming some of my painting process for YouTube, but that’s been on my list for a while so I won’t make any promises this time, but that’s one of the future goals.
I hope this post was helpful in some way, if only to inspire you to find ways to make your own creative space work a bit harder for your needs. It’s so motivating to love the space you’re in! You can find some fun and cheap ways to tweak things if you think outside the box and/or shop second-hand. Now I feel like it’s only ME stopping me from getting in there and filling that drying rack with more paintings, so it’s time to get back to the easel!
Thanks for visiting my little creative corner of the world.