OK, then what next? What are the ADDITIONAL things you will need to make your studio even better? Here are some things you might not have thought of:
Mirror: This is an essential piece of equipment. No matter how much reference material you have, you will always find a mirror handy when you want to see just the right facial expression, hand motion, or whatever. It helps if it has a stand, and can be moved around so you can see yourself from any angle. Mine has a regular mirror on one side, and a magnifying mirror on the other.
Taboret: This is a table (usually on rollers) with some drawers and a flat surface on top, where you can put paints or other materials. They can have drawers and shelf areas underneath. Very useful – I have two!
Magnifying glass: Why go blind squinting at tiny things? Every artist should have one. There’s the classic hand-held or you can get a hands-free model on a swivel-neck. If you think you don’t need one, that’s probably because you’ve never used one!
French Curves and circle/ellipse templates: Every artist should have a good array of these. You can hunt for sales or closeouts and get a good collection for pretty cheap, if you keep your eyes peeled for bargains.
Light-box: For refining a sketch, nothing beats tracing your previous version as a starting point. And nothing makes tracing easier than a light-box. They come in an array of prices from very cheap to mind-bogglingly expensive. Mine’s closer to “cheap”. For several years I used one I made from scrap wood, a piece of plastic, and two small fluorescent lights I bought for sale at a home-improvement store. You don’t need to spend the most money to get good equipment.
File Cabinet: There are two important reasons to have one of these. First, to keep your business papers, correspondence, and other general office needs in. Second, it’s where you keep clippings of reference you find in magazines, books, postcards, etc. You should have a well-organized file for this sort of thing (don’t always rely on the Internet – it’s lower-resolution AND you never know when your connection will go down).
Perspective charts: I love these things. You get sets of large sheets of paper with pre-printed perspective grids. One-, two- or three-point perspective, various station points and angles are all available. You set one of these on your light box put your sketch paper over it – a great time-saver. Find them here.
Props and models: save any action toys, horse models, Halloween costumes, or whatever. You never know when they’ll come in handy. That little Godzilla toy, with the right lighting, might make a great model for your next sea-monster!
Books, books and more books! There are three basic kinds of books an artist might have: inspiration (great or favorite artists) reference, and technique/instruction. A serious artist should be a well-read artist – find used book stores in your area, look online for bargains, whatever it takes. Get those books!
