Studio Days - Pencil Organization
Basically I have too many pencils
In my basement studio, I have a big old metal desk unit, and it has to be my favorite piece of “studio” furniture. I got it second hand and it weighs an absolute ton (at least 100lbs?,) it took five people and some round metal posts to help roll it into the basement where my studio is set up. But my favorite part about this desk is that it has some awesome pull-out drawers on each side, and the top (smallest) one I use as my drawer for pencils, erasable colored pencils, erasers, rulers, scissors, etc. And I have a lot of them.
I have a bunch of pencil-length plastic storage containers from Michaels. These things are a life-saver for organization! I like being able to have my wooden-art-creators ready to go and organized by type. For example, one little bin is for harder pencils (harder leads make lighter/sharper marks so I like to keep them separate), and another for softer pencils. I also throw in graphite blocks, sticks, refills, etc. as long as they fit the hardness/softness of that bin. I even have a bin dedicated to erasers and sharpeners, just to keep them in an easy-to-find place.
I’m not a huge fan of colored pencils, we’ve always had a love-hate relationship. I love the feel of using them, but always struggled with layering and getting over the pencil texture (even on smooth papers). However they are slowly becoming a regular in my sketchbook, so of course, they deserve to have their own storage space! I have my collection organized in two plastic pen organizers that I have had for several years now. They are perfect for colored pencils because I can section them off by color family! I love a good aesthetically pleasing and color-coordinated presentation of art supplies.
How do you organize your pens/pencils/etc.? I’d love to see/hear about it!
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