Art Supply Storage

One of the most common questions I get asked is how do I store my art supplies.

Easy!

Drawers for pencils, pens, markers, paint pens, knives, pastels. I put foam core separators into some of the drawers so they can be split into 2-3 sections when I’m storing smaller items. These drawers are removable from their holder making it so easy to carry a drawer to a desk. They are bamboo wood drawers from Kmart, found in the stationery section.

The second absolute essential item for me is my paint hooks. Over the years I’ve had the same type in various formats. Whilst I love the pegboard solution, I found that the holes were never in the right alignment and there needed to be a gap behind the wood. Now I’m in my forever studio I can structure something more permanent. So using the space behind my door I setup thick MDF panels and secured them to the wall. Then I covered them in rows of hooks or nails. Add a bulldog clip to the tube of paint = they hang up perfectly! I keep colours in rows and for extra organisation you could match the clips to the colour category.

You can fit 1-2 paint tubes on a nail, 2-3 paint tubes on a pegboard. It makes it so easy to sight which colours you may already have instead of rummaging through a box. When I moved and unpacked my studio after 1-2 years of storage I discovered I have 5-6 of the same colours, over and over. At an average of $10 a tube = a pretty expensive realisation!

I also have large planner drawers from Ikea that hold paper up to A2 in size and shelves sorted into item type. The only thing I currently lack is more shelves/cupboard space.