Studio Art Supplies

These studio art supplies will help you maintain a well-organized studio, which enables a more efficient (and more enjoyable) art-making experience. There are thousands of products for your studio, but you won't need most of them. If you're a beginner, just start off with the basic necessities for making art and as you develop your own working methods, you'll discover which art supplies you actually need.

Because easels and art projectors are important to my art I've given them their own pages. Other studio art supplies, like palettes, can be found on the relavant media pages in the guide to buying art supplies.

• Lighting
• Storage
• Paintbrush Soap
• Miscellaneous

 

Lighting

Proper lighting is a vital element in making art, so a good daylight lamp is one of the most important studio art supplies you can invest in. It's almost impossible to render colors accurately when working in dark or overly bright conditions, as well as when working under fluorescent or incandescent lighting. Ideally you should paint under natural light (reflected from the sky) that is even and free of direct sunlight. If you can't escape harsh light, you can try covering the windows with some kind of thin drape or shade.

Oftentimes you can't paint under natural light. I'm a night owl and enjoy painting in the evenings and sometimes into the wee hours. In these cases I have to rely on artificial light and not all lamps and globes are equal. The wrong light bulb, like regular incandescent or fluorescent bulbs, can cast dark shadows and distort the look of your colors. You might find that the colors of a painting done under incandescent or fluorescent lighting look vastly different than you intended, once you see it in natural daylight!

The best artificial lighting for art comes from daylight simulation bulbs. I own several daylight lamps and use them whenever I paint at night. Their blue tinting stimulates natural light and allows for accurate color matching. You can buy them in a range of lamps or buy individual bulbs that can replace other bulbs.

I have one daylight floor lamp that can illuminate a wall when I am working large, and a compact tabletop daylight lamp for when I am working on a smaller scale on a table. The best daylight lamp for you depends on where you create art and how large or small you work.

 

Storage

Storage is integral to a good art studio because it helps you keep your studio art supplies organized (which helps you make art without interruption) and it allows you to protect and preserve your finished artworks.

I always keep my workspace clean and uncluttered. I have over a thousand art products (if you count every individual paint tube, pencil etc.) and I make sure they're always properly organized or my studio would descend into chaos! You can buy a beautifully made workspace organizer or use homemade materials and old containers. I keep most of my art supplies organized on several tall bookshelves.

Finished artworks need to be protected from light, heat and humidity. Unframed pictures should be stored in a portfolio, chest or rack so that they have their own space. It's not a good idea to stack artworks on top of one another because it may damage the surface pigment.

Below is a small selection of storage of options but there are literally hundreds of products available. I'd recommend you click through and browse the range to find the products that best suit your needs and budget.

 

Paintbrush Soap

Paintbrushes can be expensive, so it's worth your while to clean them thoroughly after you've finished painting. Your cleaning habits determine if your paintbrushes last for years or mere days. For your best brushes you can buy soap designed specifically for paintbrushes - or for budget or low quality brushes, you can use regular hand soap.

For more information check out my How to Clean Paintbrushes page.

 

Miscellaneous Studio Art Supplies

There are too many handy studio art supplies for me to describe them all individually, so I've organized a selection of products below - mostly related to cleanliness - that you might find helpful.

Learn about other art supplies, like easels and art projectors, via the guide to buying art supplies page.