Friday, January 16, 2015

My Thoughts on a Home Art Studio - January 16,2015


Art studios are very personal. They are as unique as the artists who work in them. All studios still need the same basic necessities. No matter what your personal tastes are.
The following is a list that contains the five “must-haves” geared toward a painter’s studio, but the majority of these suggestions will also work for any artist’s studio. For those  thinking about setting up a studio, here’s what you’ll need:

1. Work Surface

The work surface is the most essential part of your studio. Your work surface can be a traditional easel or it can drafting table or even a desk.
There are 2 main types of easels.
A-frame easels are good for smaller studios as they are able to fit snugly in the corner of a room, but they can limit the size and weight of canvas, board or watercolor paper you use.
H-frame easels are larger, heavier, and sturdier than most A-frames. They allow for bigger canvases and have forward-tilt and crank adjustments—which may be overkill for smaller studios, of course.

2. Storage space

Every artist needs space to store art supplies. Use a tackle box or even a set of plastic storage containers. Old bookcases or shelves make excellent storage, also.
You might also like to have a small table to hold your brushes and paints as you work.
Storage for finished paintings doesn’t need to be in your studio. Put them in another room of your house, or even on the walls.

3. Good lighting

Natural light is the best light to paint by, so pick a room with large windows on the north side of your studio that is the best choice. However if you don’t have large windows, or you want to paint at night, you still need the best lighting available.
Do NOT use incandescent lighting in your studio! Incandescent lights gives off a yellow glow that is not even close to natural color.
Color-corrected fluorescent lights – are much whiter and mimics natural light closely. Also, do not under any circumstance buy halogen bulbs. While great for photography they get every hot and can cause damage to your paint, your models, your props, and anything else in your studio.

4. Ventilation

Good ventilation is especially important for oil painters, it is also important if you are varnishing or spraying fixative, but even if you don’t deal with fumes every day, it’s great to have fresh air in your studio.
All you’ll need are a few windows with screens and a couple of cheap box fans to help circulate the air.

5. Running water

Clean up is always easiest when there’s running water in the studio or at least close by. It’s a great idea to keep paper towels, sponges, and other cleaning supplies close at hand.

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