Holiday 2021 Promo15% off all artwork, limited time offer!

Newsletter Subscription

Subscribe to my newsletter to receive 4 to 5 emails per year where I highlight important news, available originals, and seasonal specials.

Blog archives: July 2010

My Art Studio: Part 2

Organization for me is not a choice, it's a necessity. I was not blessed with one of those brains that can function in a chaotic atmosphere. My differences are not apparent because early in my life I learned on my own how to cope with them. I started using color coding in elementary school. Through the years I have developed many sophisticated ways to organize, categorize and classify the outside world. For example, in my mid forties I devised a color coding system that helped me learn how to read music and play the piano. My 'to-do' list, which I update daily, is arranged in five separate color schemes that correspond to different areas of interest. One of my favorite gift from my husband is a "label maker" - jewelry doesn't even come close.

Several years ago I devised a way to keep my colored pencils, crayons and oil pastels organized. Here are four images to illustrate my system. Perhaps some of you will get inspired to make one of your own.

Shelf Storage UnitSingle Shelf

 

Materials needed:  3/16" Gator Board for the shelf storage unit, regular foam board for the individual shelves,  removable, double-sided tape, regular tape, and a glue gun. Each movable shelf measures 6" x 20". Several strips of removable, double-sided tape are placed lengthwise on each shelf and secured on the 6" side with regular tape. This results in a low tack surface where the pencils, crayons, oil pastels can stay put and organized by colors.

More ShelvesInventory Storage Unit

 

The last image is that of my inventory storage unit where I can keep up to 18 colored pencils in each cell. This was built with regular foam board, a glue gun, and a lot of patience.

 

True Colors

Here is my artwork for this year's CPSA Silent Auction. It's colored pencil (Prismacolor Premier) on Stonehenge paper. As I was working on this piece, Cyndi Lauper's song "True Colors" came to mind. I  ended up playing it repeatedly, maybe a hundred times over. The words describe how I feel about this flower to perfection, hence I decided to borrow the title.

True Colors
11" x 14" - Wax-based Media (Colored Pencil)
Created with the Icarus Drawing Board