Mixed Media Artist Studio Tour + Art Supply Organization

Hi everyone, my name is Joey and I'm a mixed media artist in California. Today I want to walk you around my studio and show you how I organize my art supplies. This is my current art studio. It's usually in a state of creative chaos but I do like to clean up in between projects to sort of reset the room so that things won't totally go out of control. The room itself is a bright open space with lots of tall large windows that flood the studio with lots of natural light. I especially enjoy the transom windows above which to me feel like dynamic picture frames that bring in the refreshing colors of nature from outside. In the center of the studio are my two main work tables which I bought from Ikea. They're actually meant to be kitchen islands but the counter height works well for me because I usually work standing up. And then the shelves under the tables conveniently provide extra storage. On one of the tables is an overhead platform to mount my camera and lights for when I need to make videos. To soften the look I hung a pair of spider plants on the rig. And then because the tripod legs stick out from the table I placed another plant here to lessen the likelihood of someone tripping over. Close to the work tables I have a small sitting area where I like to take quick breaks. On each side of the snake plant is a mustard chair from Ikea with a patchwork pillow that I made myself. On this side of the studio behind the work tables and by the windows is a row of Alex drawers also from Ikea. I don't keep anything permanent on top of the drawer units except for this charging station in the corner. The first two drawer units contain mostly paper. I collect all sorts of paper to use in my work and I like to keep them organized so I don't get overwhelmed. To organize the drawers I don't buy drawer organizers. Instead I make my own boxes to use as inserts. This allows me to maximize each drawer space and create any layout I want within each drawer. So in this drawer I have two large boxes where I store some of my found papers mostly book and magazine images. And then the smaller boxes are where I keep some of my leftover scraps of paper. Now all these boxes can easily be taken out of the drawer. So whenever I want to I can easily pull out a box and take it to my work table. This next drawer is similar in layout to the first drawer except in the front instead of boxes I have this condiment trays that I found in Daiso. They're perfect for holding the smallest of scraps which I also tend to save. And these trays are also easy to take out of the drawer if I want to bring them to my work table. Aside from the totally out of place Copic markers this next two drawers contain more bits and pieces of various collected paper. Some drawers like this one have an open free-for-all layout which I use to store active projects or anything that needs putting away for the time being. The bottom drawers are where I keep some of my larger sized art papers. Here I have my stock of Arches 185 GSM watercolor paper both hot pressed and cold pressed. And then here I have the heavier 300 GSM watercolor paper again both hot pressed and cold pressed. And in this drawer I have a few different kinds of printmaking paper as well as a couple of cutting mats. Moving on to the next unit in this first drawer I have an assortment of chalk pastels, graphite sticks, charcoal sticks and erasers that I use exclusively with charcoals. I used more of this condiment trays from Daiso which fit well in this drawer and are perfect for segregating all this media. And again whenever I want to I can easily take a tray out of the drawer and bring it to my work table to use. Now the top two rows sit on handmade boxes that I use to store some of my extra art supplies. Since they are under all these trays I made sure they are not boxes I have to access all the time. Only when I need a fresh eraser for example. This next drawer is where I keep some of my supply of paints in tubes. I have heavy body acrylics, watercolors and gouache. At the back of the drawer behind the boxes of paints is where I keep my watercolor palette cases. This next drawer contains my supply of oil paints and oil sticks. And then the next drawer is where I keep my pigments. Now I'm often asked what pigments I use to make my encaustic paints and these are what I use so far. I have earth pigments, sinopia and williamsburg and I just buy them all online. And in this next drawer I have more pigments, some tin cans to store watercolor pens in, a couple of paint palettes and at the back I have a box of empty watercolor pens and some empty paint tubes. The last drawer in this unit contains miscellaneous items like a hammer, a couple of sanding blocks, a weighing scale, an art sponge, knitting needles and extra paint brushes. Now let's move on to the last unit. This first drawer is where I keep most of my pens. My favorite ball pens to use for writing are the muji pens and the paper me gel pens. Then here I have my mechanical pencils. I use 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 pens. I also have my eraser pens. Then here I have some drawing pens, some sakura gel pens, highlighters and some markers. Then here at the back is where I keep my extra supply of favorite pens, markers and whiteouts. In this drawer I have some conte crayons and large chalk pastels as well as a variety of art tools like my tilting knife, a catalyst wedge, color shapers, x-acto knives, carving knives, palette knives and flat brushes. Now this drawer also has some secret compartments. For example, under this box of x-acto knives is where I keep some of my supply of bleeds for my utility knives. And then here under this box is where I keep my pocket scale which is good for measuring small items like pigment powders for when I make paint. This next drawer is where I keep my modest collection of stamps and ink pads. And then the next two drawers are for encaustic related projects and tools. In this drawer for example I have a few thermometers, some encaustic pens, molds and a painting turntable to name a few. And finally in this last drawer I have my collection of punches which honestly I don't really use. In this corner I have this floor lamp with shelves that I use to display my large format books and store my cans of shellac and house paints that I use in my projects. The top shelf has two USB ports and a power outlet which come in handy. And then in the evenings the lamp provides a nice soft light. Between the lamp and the drawers I have supplies which I just keep on the floor like this stack of bins that mostly contain encaustic paints and medium. I also have gallon containers of acrylic medium and gesso which I use a lot of and also one of my torches and fire extinguisher which is important to have in the studio especially when doing encaustic work. And then on the right side of the lamp is my easel which I use when I need to work vertically. Next to the easel are two leather bookshelves which I've had for almost 20 years now making them the oldest furniture I have in the studio. They're also one of the few furniture that is not from Ikea. And then next to the shelves is my computer desk. The printer there is an HP Color Laser printer and then I just have a standard custom built Windows PC. Here are some close-ups of the shelves. In case you're curious why I have a blender in the studio I use it to make paper pulp for handmade paper. On this shelf I have an assortment of pencils and brushes among other things. The cute ceramic pandas in the front are chopstick holders that I use as paintbrush rests. I use custom risers on my shelves which are just upside down boxes that I made to provide a play of height for the items on my shelves. I have my aprons hanging on this side of the shelves and then of course I have more paper. One of the drawers on my computer desk is where I keep my collection of fountain pens. I have a few Kaweco Sport pens, some Lammies and a TWSBI. Also in this drawer is where I keep some of my fountain pen inks. My current favorites to use are the Noodlers inks and the Pilot Iroshizuku inks. And then under each box of fountain pens is where I store an ink syringe, extra nibs and cartridge inks. On another side of the studio I have this wall of shelves where I keep mostly paints and inks. To the right of it is the entrance to the office room where I have another computer, a little bit more workspace and more drawers and storage for art supplies. Unfortunately we won't be able to explore that room today because someone is using it at the moment. But here are some close-ups of the shelves on the wall. And that's it for today's studio tour. I hope you enjoyed it and I will see you in the next video.