22" x 28" - Wax-based Media (Colored Pencil and Artist Crayon)
Created with the Icarus Drawing Board.

I finished this piece just in time to enter it into the 19th Annual CPSA Juried Exhibition. There's something about this group of pebbles, linked together by water, that reminded me how we are all connected, socially and otherwise.

This year the Colored Pencil Society Convention will be in Dallas, Texas. I will be demonstrating the Icarus board at the CPSA trade show Saturday, July 16, from 9:00 to 2:00.

I have a short demonstration coming up on Saturday, April 30th, in conjunction with the Los Angeles CPSA district chapter meeting. Click this link for directions.

I promised to some of you to put together the step-by-step directions for building a media organizer like mine. Please refer to my previous post for images and description of the unit. Following are detailed instructions on how to build it.

Materials:

• 6 sheets of  foam board 30" x 40" x 3/16" thick
• 1 piece of plexiglass (clear acrylic) 12" x 24" x 1/8" thick (0.125")
• glue gun, acrylic cutting knife
• white artist tape
• non-slip liner (optional)

Steps:

1. Cut the foam board
2. Build the main structure
3. Build the trays
4. Cut and glue the plexiglass
5. Cut non-slip liners to size (optional)

1. CUT THE FOAM BOARD

Use the four drawings below as guidelines. The white areas represent all the foam board pieces that you'll need for this project, while the gray areas are the left-overs. Remember that if you use smaller foam boards (20" x 30") you will have a lot more waste. Be very precise when you measure, draw, and cut your pieces.

Each drawing is a scaled representation of a 30" x 40" foam board. Drawing A needs to be repeated on three separate foam boards. Drawings B, C, and D are only used one time each (six boards total).

The media organizer is composed of two parts:

• the main structure, made of 15 shelves, two sides, and one back
• 14 removable trays, each one made of one bottom, one back, two sides, and a plexiglass front

Main structure dimensions:

• 15 shelves: 22 3/4" wide x 7 3/4" each
• 2 sides: 15 3/4" high x 7 3/4" each
• 1 back: 15 3/4" high x 23 1/8"

Trays dimensions:

• 14 bottoms: 22 1/4" x 7 1/2" each
• 14 backs: 22 1/4" x 11/16" each
• 28 sides: 7 1/2" x 1/2" each

2. BUILD THE MAIN STRUCTURE

This is the most challenging part of the project. I hope that by explaining how I did it, I can make it a little easier for you.

First you need to draw on both sides and on the back of the main structure the guidelines for the shelves.

Please note that the 15 shelves are a little less than one inch apart from each other. Sorry, I don't have the measurements for this step; you'll have to do the math.

When you have all your guidelines drawn, you can start gluing.

Gluing technique:

• place a strand of glue at the seam where the two surfaces meet

• do not place the glue directly on the foam of the board - the heat will melt the foam

• hold the foam board pieces in place until the glue cools down and feels solid

Begin by gluing together the two sides onto the back of the main structure. Then move on to the shelves.

Proceed by gluing one shelf at a time. Make sure the shelf is in the right position. Place your glue strands on the three seams. Wait for the glue to cool down and move on to the next shelf until you are finished. Remember to place the glue only on the top side of the shelves, not the bottom (see picture #1 and #2).

3. BUILD THE TRAYS

Glue the back of each tray to the bottom. Then glue the two sides over the bottom. See pictures #3 and #4.

4. CUT AND GLUE THE PLEXIGLASS

Do not remove the protective film from the plexiglass. You need 14 strips, each measuring 22 1/4" x 11/16". Draw your guidelines directly on the film.

If you have never cut plexiglass before, please practice a little before cutting the strips. I use the "score and snap method" with this type of knife.

When you glue a plexiglass strip to a tray, it will look as in picture #5 where the glue is completely visible. I hid the glue with white artist tape for aesthetic reasons (picture #6).

5. CUT NON-SLIP LINERS TO SIZE

This is an optional step but I highly recommend it. I purchased the non-slip liner from my local home improvement store. It keeps pencils and other media from rolling even if the tray is on a slant (see pictures #7 and #8). The measurements of each liner are: 21 3/4'' x 7 1/4''.

Last but not least, turn your main structure upside-down so that the glue strands of the shelves are on the top, not on the bottom of the slots. This way there's no interference with the sliding of the trays.

After filling your trays with colorful media, from pencils to crayons and pastels, you can place them inside their slots (picture #9 and #10). Now you can finally enjoy your creation.

Let me know if this was helpful. Feel free to ask any questions along the way.

Everybody has a different way to relax; mine is to build something with my hands. That's how this new media organizer came about. My previous one was old and frail and after five years of daily use I could definitely envision a much improved model. I spent a full day planning, cutting, gluing and I'm very pleased with the results.

My media organizer is a shelf unit with 14 movable trays where I store all my wax-based drawing media (colored pencils, artist crayons, and oil pastels). I place it on top of my taboret right by my desk .

One of its best feature is the plexiglass on the front of each tray. It lets you get a clear view of what's inside without having to pull the tray out.

The trays can be pulled out together for complete accessibility of media or individually. They are deep enough that they can hang from the unit without falling.

Sometimes I prefer to place several trays directly on the desk. I usually do this when I select the main colors of my drawing.

Tray dimensions:
bottom - 22 1/4" x 7 1/2"
back - 22 1/4" x 11/16"
sides - 7 1/2" x 1/2"
plexiglass front - 22 1/4" x 11/16"
non-slip liner - 21 3/4" x 7 1/4"

Structure dimensions:
15 shelves - 22 3/4" x 7 3/4"
sides - 15 3/4" (high) x 7 3/4"
back - 15 3/4" (high) x 23 1/8" (corrected - was 22 3/4")

Materials: foam board (3/16" thick), plexiglass (the thinnest you can find), non-slip liner, and a glue gun.

Having my media accessible and organized makes my workflow so much more fluid. I can concentrate on my art and don't have to waste time looking for things.

Feel free to ask questions if you need more clarifications.

Edit (2/27/2011): for step-by-step instructions visit this blog post.

14" x 22" - Wax-based Media
Created with the Icarus Drawing Board.

Below are some highlights from my first year of blogging.

You can click on any image to visit the related post.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Your feedback is always appreciated.

May the Spirit of Christmas be with you always!

The Icarus Art December 2010 Newsletter was just sent out. If you'd like to register for the newsletter, you can go to the homepage of Icarus Art and click the sign-up button on the top right corner.

Check out my latest playlist on YouTube. It's a series of exercises on Art Spectrum Colourfix Paper, one of my favorite surfaces. In the next several months all the videos from my workshop "Wax and Heat, a Match Made in Heaven" will be voiced over and uploaded on the Icarus Art channel. Artists who couldn't attend my workshop will have the opportunity to view the videos and practice the techniques.

If you have not already, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

"The Lightness of Being" received second place in the San Clemente Art Gallery Winter Judged Show, Other Media Category. Open daily Monday-Friday, 12:00-4:00, and Saturday-Sunday, 10:00-4:00, the gallery is located in charming downtown San Clemente at 100 North Calle Seville. If you are in the area please make time to visit. This art exhibit will be on display until January 6th.

Yesterday I drove to San Diego with my husband, Mario, to attend the opening reception of The Fourth International Exhibition of The Fine Line Artists at the Mission Trails Regional Park Art Gallery. The exhibition is located at One Father Junipero Serra Trail and will run until December 3rd. Hours are Sunday - Saturday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

The Fine Line Artists is a group of artists who provide support for the development of their art and the business of being an artist. The five women who took part in the exhibition are: Katherine Tyrrell, Vivien Blackburn, Nicole Caulfield, Gayle Mason, and Louise Sackett.

I was glad to see Louise whom I've known from her days with the San Diego Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society. She recently moved to New Mexico and came back to organize and hang the show. She certainly did a great job - the exhibit was well presented, the reception lively, and the location really suited the art.

The subject matter was very diverse and included wildlife, still life, landscape, and botanical. It was a pleasure viewing up close artworks that I had previously admired online, and getting acquainted with new ones.

Mario and I came to the reception with the intention of taking many good pictures. Unfortunately my camera's automatic focus stopped working and the glasses I had with me were not very helpful in setting the focus manually. I hope you can still get a glimpse of this wonderful exhibition. Make sure to visit the artists' websites/blogs to enjoy more and better images of their art.