One of my major bugbears is lack of studio space - we live in a tiny flat, and the "studio" is one end of the living room - one alcove beside the fireplace is the computer station. As I know everyone is always fascinated by everyone else's space organisation, I thought I'd post what I've been up to this last week.
The desk is situated by a window, opposite the door coming into the living room, and has two metal drawers (Ikea) underneath and another one on the window side.I took everything off the walls, and repositioned the CD shelves (Argos). Here's another view. Wow, it looks so nice and spacious when empty! Wish it was like this all the time... The lower pair of shelves are separated by an inch or so, so I could get my storage tubs inside and still have room for my hand to get in to pull them out. Here's most of my stuff piled back on.
I have way too many art supplies, which are on the floor beside the sofa, behind the chair (you can see the arm - dark brown) and the door - now you see how little space I have! All the rest is under the sofa. I also have boxes under the TV unit!
Rather than have a complete gap, I stuck in some little glass "ice cubes" from a floristry shop (using No More Nails) which give the effect of little glass bricks - and some support, in case I overload the shelf above (which is the top of the upside-down CD shelf). This holds a lot of UM rubber stamps, all stored in CD cases. At the other end of the room (think "shoe box shape") is a fireplace with an alcove on either side - the left one has built-in shelves for books (thanks to my husband who got a load of MDF offcuts, which I painted) and on the right is my computer gear.
It's usually tidier than this, but all the stuff got piled in here trying to sort out the other end of the room. C'est la vie. The shelves are more MDF offcuts. Yes, there are 2 printers, one on top of the other (one is an all-in-one with cheap inkjet printing ink so that I can do transfers, and the other is Epson's pigment ink for archival quality stuff). Behind the computer chair, and next to the sofa arm (dark brown, with terracotta cushion just showing) is a little shelf, holding my scanner and file folders). This area is pretty organised, just doesn't look tidy.
So when I get round to it, I will sort it and post up another photo just to show you don't need scads of space (although it helps!). I DREAM of winning the lottery, then getting a sprawling house with tons of bedrooms, outbuildings, a conservatory...
Everyone has a love/hate relationship with Ikea: love it, because it's inexpensive, well made, solid, lasts for ages... and hate it, because you see it everywhere (the number of makeover/housing developer programmes I've seen it on...)
Well, due to being fairly permanently impoverished, we bought Ikea bedside tables and a wardrobe around 3 years ago, which I was pretty tired of. I decorated the bedroom last month, and we couldn't afford to replace them, so I thought What the hell, and went ahead and transformed them into objects of love and desire with paint.
The wardrobe has had 1 coat of paint - and I had just started to paint the plastic panels - which is why they now look chic and totally UNLIKE Ikea! (They are now doing the wardrobe in Beech & White finishes - their white looks really cheap and nasty). First the prep: minimal - a quick going-over with fine sandpaper to give it a tooth, after which I applied two coats of self-undercoating eggshell paint (Simple White by Crown) applied with a small varnish roller. The left-hand drawers are the original beech finish. On the right is the painted finish (again, just one coat so far).
The trick in painting furniture successfully is to use an eggshell finish rather than gloss, sand first, and apply with a gloss roller or varnish roller if at all possible.
I mixed the whites in my bedroom by using different shades of off white, which all meld beautifully. The room is miniscule, so I had to keep to light colours (and just one feature wall with a metallic-finish wallpaper) and the effect is light but WARM. Don't use brilliant white, it's got a blue undertone and looks brash and very cold.
The finishing touch - as you can see here - which I am convinced made the difference - was to change the handles.
These were from B&Q, the DIY store, and are antiqued brass with white china (and cost as much as the wardrobe itself!)
I added a couple of tassels on the wardrobe, being as they were on sale and an offer I couldn't refuse - and I think they do add a little Je ne sais quoi, and also break up the expanse of white.
On the practical side, I added clear heavy glass (6mm thick, cut to size) for the table tops,which just sits on little silicone tabs - no other fixings needed.
These days, it's unfortunate that artists, photographers and writers have to worry about copyright protection, on top of everything else (the blank page, the blank MIND, the blood, sweat & tears involved in the search for an original idea).
I was looking at &rew's blog (see Links) which amazes me every time I look at it - this is one prolific artist (I wish I had half his discipline) and noticed he had a copyright logo. Which you will now notice on my site - thanks &rew - I didn't even know this existed! Click on the logo, and it will take you to the site where you can register your works and get copyright protection. Quick, slick & simple - and free! Amazing, really amazing.
As anyone who has been reading my blog will know, I am still battling with trying to write a new website, and want to put up a lot more artwork, so it's nice to know I will have some protection for my ideas. I also intend to put up a lot of "How To" information, so again it's nice to know it will cut down on the plagiarism. Unfortunately, this happens. There is no way to copyright a method, eg: making a coptic book - but you CAN copyright your own instructions on how to do it.
You may have noticed my Slide photogalleries - be careful to edit every single slide show to "Private", otherwise you are giving implied permission for anyone to "share" by clicking on the Slide show, clicking on an individual image in that Slide show and then get the full html for the image, which enables anyone to post that image onto their own website or blog. Which is great if that someone gives you the credit for the image, but not very nice if they pass it off as their own.
So, to quote one of my favourite cop shows, Be careful out there!
No more Washday Blues! Just thought I'd update you all - I am a very happy bunny with the new washer & dryer.
NO, I didn't go to Argos, Curries, Comet etc as you would expect... I went to Next. Why? Because the particular make I chose (Hotpoint) had a half-load facility (I can no longer hand wash because my hands are too bad) and all the usual stuff, was very competitively priced, and Hotpoint offers as standard from Next a 5-YEAR PARTS AND 1 YEAR LABOUR & PARTS GUARANTEE AS STANDARD!!! (This is notoffered by Curries, Argos or Comet). I hope you realise how unusual this is - both Argos and Comet had the exact same model and only offered a 1-year parts & labour guarantee. To extend it, Comet quoted nearly £300 extra, and Argos was only a little cheaper. Plus they charge £35 installation fee (although delivery was cheap) whereas Next's charges for installation (cheaper than Argos) and delivery (more expensive) still worked out a LOT cheaper overall.
Do your research on products like this before you buy anything - don't be seduced by advertising!
Anyhow, the final thing was to register both products (washer & dryer) to activate the guarantees with the insurance people - who offered me extended insurance on both products for a very nominal charge of only £8 for just 12 months. Which means I am now fully insured for parts, labour, accidental damage - everything you can think of - until 2011. So I am a very satisfied customer. Additionally, they are both QUIET, and don't dance across the kitchen floor. At last, something went right! What a relief. So that's two less things to worry about now and our tiny flat no longer looks like a laundry, with stuff hung off hangers in the doorways and draped on every radiator.
I've put up some more Links categories - scroll down till you see something you like. I had a very happy afternoon blog-hopping, finding new artwork to drool over.
Has anyone seen Art-e-zine lately? http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/newstuff.html Gillian Allen has run this fabulous site over several years and it just keeps getting better! If you don't know this site (I already put it in my Resources links) then make yourself the hot beverage of your choice, a few biscuits or whatever for sustenance and prepare to cosy up to some of the most fabulous artwork on the net for the next hour or three. I just found this little link of Gillian's personal Final Solution for what to do with all those bits & pieces of paper we just can't throw away: http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/box.html Start now in time for Christmas is all I'll say. Perfect for putting little gifties in (earrings, brooches, miniature books).
Spread it out into a sheet and you have another version of Fabric Paper! If you pile it all too high and you are worried about bits coming adrift, what about adding yet another layer: NET (I'm thinking net as in ballet tutus). Or wide organza ribbon. Sew it down - use a machine (a simple zigzag stitch would be safest - the thread will be less likely to break and the needle to snag). Try a ballpoint needle - or a leather needle if the paper is very thick.
OR... forget the machine. Hand sew it! Use embroidery floss - at least 3 strands, or the full thickness, and try these stitches: cross stitch, herringbone stitch, running stitch, blanket stitch (same as buttonhole but more widely spaced) & chain stitch. Here's how to do them: http://vintagesewing.info/19th/1892-sn/sn-03.html Throw in a couple of French Knots (also in the link). You'll get great texture and a brilliant substrate for whatever else you might want to throw on top.
Gluing? I recommend PVA glue (white glue) and I really like ArtAttack http://www.laoffice.co.uk/search/show_product.aspx?Pid=623953 which is sold in most stationers in the UK. It's very fluid, has great slip, dries clear and is washable so you can get it out of clothes and brushes (I often forget and the brush has dried solid overnight - if this happens to you, leave the brush to soak in COLD water,then wash out under the tap, working a little dishwashing liquid into the bristles. It will dry good as new.) Berol dries rock solid on brushes (as does Mod Podge) and you have to throw them away... unless you keep them for making designs in paste papers.
I found this great little YouTube video on resizing pix for the web - really clear, and really simple.
Hope it helps you - I'm certainly going to try it. I can't believe the pain & torment I've been going through, resizing pictures - and it's taken me anything from 5 - 15 minutes per pic - even more, if I want thumbnails. I have pix in ALL sizes (the original in 300dpi, web in 72dpi, thumbnails sized 100 x 100 pixels, plus a few medium-sized ones as for the old website). What a mess.
This guy really knows what he is talking about, so I had to share.
I'm in a funny mood today - I think it's the weather: grey, dull, depressing. It rained all night long and well into the morning, and although it has stopped for now, I think it's just gathering strength to carry on raining for the duration. I'm in that sort of mood where you don't really feel like doing anything much - but you know you'll feel guilty if you don't at least make an effort.
So, braced with a VERY strong coffee, I decided that today's the day to try and get to grips with inserting picture galleries, to add a little interest to the blog. I chose Slide as it's all done for you, and I really really like the effect. (I spent a good half hour playing with all the special effects). So here you are, several little galleries of past works.
I am still trying to get to grips with the new website programme, and getting nowhere fast. It's a very easy click, drag & drop template-based one, but lately I seem to be very fuzzy headed with technical stuff. Is it age? (don't answer that one!) I read and re-read the same paragraph over and over, and nothing seems to make any sense.
I also want to organise all my pix and it seems such a monumental job: scattered over 30 backup CDs, with too many duplicated on every single one. My INTENTIONS are to get back to basics: find the original scans or photos, and work from them; delete all the old stuff; update onto the external hard drive - then maybe I will actually manage to find what I'm looking for.
Anyhow, today I am feeling that at least I've done something - I can use the same little Slide galleries to put onto the website as & when, if I want to, which is a real bonus (being so very IT-challenged).
The desk is situated by a window, opposite the door coming into the living room, and has two metal drawers (Ikea) underneath and another one on the window side. I took everything off the walls, and repositioned the CD shelves (Argos).
Here's another view. Wow, it looks so nice and spacious when empty! Wish it was like this all the time... The lower pair of shelves are separated by an inch or so, so I could get my storage tubs inside and still have room for my hand to get in to pull them out.
At the other end of the room (think "shoe box shape") is a fireplace with an alcove on either side - the left one has built-in shelves for books (thanks to my husband who got a load of MDF offcuts, which I painted) and on the right is my computer gear.
The shelves are more MDF offcuts. Yes, there are 2 printers, one on top of the other (one is an all-in-one with cheap inkjet printing ink so that I can do transfers, and the other is Epson's pigment ink for archival quality stuff). Behind the computer chair, and next to the sofa arm (dark brown, with terracotta cushion just showing) is a little shelf, holding my scanner and file folders). This area is pretty organised, just doesn't look tidy. 
