Ever wonder how to keep your art supplies in tip-top shape? The limit is the overflowing bin of markers, the perplexing tangle of paintbrushes, and that drawer of miscellaneous materials you vow you’ll get to one day. I’m about to provide a wealth of knowledge and strategies to help you organize your art supplies like a pro.
Get Rid of Unnecessary Items
Let’s start with a little spring cleaning. We’ve all seen how simple it is to collect random odds and ends over time – half-used paint tubes, broken pencils, and other items that have long outlived their usefulness. Take a deep breath and be brutally honest: how many of these goods do you use on a regular basis?
Donate, recycle, or dispose of anything that has dried up, become damaged, or is simply gathering dust. Remember that you’ll be more motivated and get more done if you have less stuff to deal with.
Group Items by Category
It’s time to start organizing your art supplies once you’ve gotten rid of the old ones. Gather all of your paints, corral those stray pencils and markers, and give your brushes their own space. Lettering tools (brush pens, paint, pens, pointed pens, pencils, etc.) make up most of the left side. Mostly art supplies (watercolors, acrylic paint, gouache, etc.) are on the right side.
Begin sorting using clear buckets, cartons, or even Mason jars. Label each container with its contents for immediate visual organizing.
Gather Same Colors Together
While we’re on the topic of grouping, let’s go one step further and organize your supplies by color. If you’re like me, you have a habit of hoarding art supplies in every color imaginable. While variety is the spice of life, it may also cause significant visual turmoil.
Sort your paints, pencils, markers, and other colorful supplies by color and size. Not only will this make it easier to find your supplies, but it will also give your workspace a feeling of artistic harmony.
Keep Your Paints Visible with a Stair-Step Shelving Unit
By staggering the stair step paint holder, you can view every tube or bottle at a look without having to sift through a jumbled mess. Plus, a lot of these boxes come with built-in dividers or compartments that make it even easier to keep your colors separate and organized. The paints are arranged by type, such as base, layers, and specialty. Within the type, they are organized by brand for an additional sub-category to enable selecting the correct paint easier.
Use the Right Organizational Tools
If we’re on the topic of organizational tools, you should buy a few key ones to keep your art products neat and easy to get to. Shelves, pegboards, and over-the-door organizers are among the most effective solutions. Clear plastic bins with dividers are ideal for storing tiny objects such as pencils, erasers, and other desk necessities.
Rolling carts or storage cabinets with drawers can hold larger supplies like canvases or sketchbooks, whilst wall-mounted racks or pegboards are ideal for keeping brushes and other equipment easily accessible.
Display Things That You Use a Lot/ Want to Use
Set aside prime real estate for the paints, pencils, brushes, and instruments you use most frequently. Display them prominently on shelves, in glass containers, or wherever easily accessible. Display the art supplies you use the most, or desire to use more, in a visually pleasing manner.
Having the markers on show, easily accessible, and knowing where I could find them made it much more tempting to use. That idea grew, and now I also have a bunch of my pens, water brushes, automatic pens, highlighters, and other writing tools out for everyone to see!
See-Through Storage
When it comes to organizing art supplies, visibility is key. From plastic buckets and jars to acrylic drawer organizers, being able to look inside and quickly find what you need will save you hours of frustration.
Plus, it will give your art supply organization a nice, unified look that will make it feel like a real work of art.
This open approach also lets you know when you’re running low on important items, making it easy to resupply before you’re caught in the thick of a creative crisis.
Think Vertical—Use All the Space You Have
When floor space is at a premium, go vertical! Invest in some tall, slim shelf systems or bookcases to store larger goods like canvases and sketchbooks upright. You can also build wall-mounted racks or pegboards to keep your brushes, rulers, and other equipment easily accessible. Experiment with different combinations to clear the clutter off your worktable and studio floor.
Have Some Junk Drawers
Leave some space for extra things or junk boxes. No matter how rigorously you organize your art supplies, there will always be a few items that don’t fit neatly into a category. That’s where the ordinary junk drawer comes in.
Set aside one or two drawers for the random things that don’t belong anywhere else. This includes the strange tool you can’t quite figure out, the mysterious set of tiny paints, and the buttons and beads that you’re not sure what they’re for. The junk drawer is useful because it contains the turmoil while keeping your primary storage areas clean.
How to Organize Art Supplies in a Small Space
Okay, so maybe you don’t have a huge art studio or a room just for crafts. Don’t worry! There are numerous strategies to keep your painting equipment organized, even in the smallest of areas.
The key is to be inventive with vertical storage, use every nook and cranny, and brutally delete whatever you don’t absolutely need. When floor space is at a premium, wall-mounted shelves, over-the-door racks, and even rolling carts might come in handy.
Invest in multi-purpose storage solutions that can do double (or triple) duty. A mobile cart with drawers and shelves, for example, may store all of your most often used goods while simultaneously serving as a portable workstation when needed.
Don’t be scared to be a little unorthodox. Repurpose old mason jars, tin cans, or even cutlery trays to store your smaller items. Create categories, such as paintbrushes, markers, oil paints, or pencils, and store each set of things in a covered container. The benefit of a small room is that a little organization goes a long way.
Final Thoughts
There you have it: all the tips and tricks you need to turn your mess of art supplies into a well-organized work of art. But what’s the real key to keeping your art supplies neat? Being realistic about your actual usage and requirements on a frequent basis. Don’t be scared to get rid of those dried-up paints and damaged pencils that are wasting important space.
With a well-organized and conveniently accessible art supplies setup, you’ll be able to jump right into your next creative project without wasting valuable time sifting through mountains of junk.
FAQs about Organizing Art Supplies
Create categories such as paintbrushes, markers, oil paints, or pencils, and place each group of items in one of the lidded bins. Using clear plastic bins makes everything visible and easy to spot and the labels add a practical touch as well as a nice, uniform look.
Make it easy on yourself and use a spreadsheet program like Excel or Google Sheets (which can include images or links to them), but it can be done on paper as well. Here’s an Art and Art Sales Inventory Template and a Studio Inventory Template to help get you started.
Use a combination of drawer dividers and small containers to organize essentials within reach. Store craft supplies in one layer (no stacking) to make it easier to see what you have and what needs replenishing.
Bags and Carrying Cases.
Art Portfolios.
Rolling and Utility Carts.
Storage Boxes and Containers.
Paint Brush Holders and Organizers.
Pastel Storage Boxes.
Art and Poster Tubes.
Pencil Cases and Pouches.
Sources:
- 35 Easy Ways to Organize Your Art Supplies
- How I Organize My Art Supplies
- How To Organize Art Supplies In A Small Space
- How to organize art supplies – 8 convenient storage solutions for craft desks and rooms
- How I Organize Art Supplies
- How To Organize Art Supplies for More Creativity—And Less Mess
- 27 Clever Craft Storage Ideas for All Your Creative Supplies
- Organizing Kids’ Art Supplies – Tour Our Craft Cabinet!
- How To Organize Art & Craft Supplies When You Live in a Small Space
- How to Organize Your Kid’s Art Supplies (and Actual Art)
- Organizing Art Supplies
- 5 Helpful Tips to Organise Your Art Supplies
- Organizing Art Supplies
- Sneaky Ways To Stash All Your Craft Supplies
- Kids’ Art Supply Storage & Organization
- Storage for Art Supplies
- How to organize and store kids’ art supplies
- Best Way to Organize Art Supplies: 7 Creative Ideas
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