Your Work Area

In an effort to actually get some work done instead of losing my weekend to Community, (which is probably the best show you're not watching and yeah, that's Chevy Chase.) I'm going to talk about setting up your work area and other similar topics this week.

So folks, this is where the magic happens! My opa actually built this desk when my dad was a kid.

There's all sorts of things that create a good work area. A desk is a great place to start as it creates a static work area where you can leave things set up and store all your stuff.


These type of shelves are a great buy. Your local hardware store will have cheap shelf planks and brackets. Use a level, drywall screws for the wall, short wood screws into the planks and buy the extra support by getting a bracket (or more depending on length) for the center.

Also take note of where I actually paint - an old beige steel (for weight) external zip drive with rubber feet (anti slip) with two blocks of wood on top, then a blue paper towel (max absorbency) then a glass palette. (great for mixing on) I'm a tall guy and this raises my painting area so I don't have to lean down as far. (Your back knows what I'm talking about)

The desk has some drawers which are excellent for keeping clutter out of sight. I've collected a lot of stuff over the years and even the normal stuff takes up a lot of room.

The larger cupboard works to fill with larger objects - for example containers full of sand, rocks, flock and other terrain bits.

I've been thinking about putting 2 screws on each side and a small shelf to give me some extra room in there.

Junk happens. Sometimes you need places to store it, so find somewhere out of sight. It just keeps everything more tidy since you usually don't need it that often.

Other storage devices are great to organize your supplies and once again get things out of sight. A small stack of drawers is great for this; I throw my laptop on mine and play some music or shows.

Saving containers is a great way to keep everything organized too. Super glue often comes in plastic sealable containers the same size as what you'd spend $5 on at a hobby shop.

I know I've got a lot of stuff. How do I afford it? Sales and surprises. You'll bankrupt yourself if you buy it all at once. A little here and there is affordable, especially if you find it on sale or you're out somewhere and just happen to see a deal.

Metal strapping is your friend. I use this plunger when I need a bunch of water. With the new shelves I just put up, I had some real estate to create a holder. Bending some strapping into an Ultramarine's "U" and screwing it in.

To create holders for some of my other tools, it's really simple.

Sink a screw into the wood, attach a magnet to it and your tools to that.

Super simple organization.