5 Unexpected Items I Use In My Studio

THEY'RE NOT MADE FOR ART ... BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP ME

This week I thought I’d share some items that I use daily in my studio. You probably wouldn’t find these things at an art supply store, but they’ve become a staple in my art practice.

PS: There is also a studio update at the end of this post.

---

1. Silicone Pinch Bowls
   I don’t use a paint pallet—instead I prefer to mix my paint in these little bowls. Dry paint peels right off of the silicone surface so cleanup is easy—check out that chunk of paint on the far left to see what I mean.

2. 4oz Glass Jars With Lids
   I used to put down my brush, pick up the bottle of paint, squeeze out my desired amount, put the bottle of paint down, and then pick up my brush again. Now, to speed up my process, I store my paint in these glass jars that allow me to dip my brush directly into them when I need more paint—my brush never leaves my hand. They are also air tight so I’ve never had a problem with my paints drying out.

3. Half Baking Sheet
   I keep my jars of paint on a rolling cart next to my easel. To help keep these little containers from sliding around and falling off the cart (I’m clumsy like that), I set them on a half baking sheet. I can fit 12 on the sheet.

4. 3D Glasses
   I check value relationships repeatedly while I paint. Using a pair of 3D glasses I've cut in half, I use the red side to help me see color for its value. Using a red filter allows me to see everything in one color so I can easily compare how values relate to one another.

It’s the same concept as turning an image into black and white to see values more clearly, but instead of taking time to take a photo of my work and then converting the image into black and white, I simply hold the red filter up to my eye.

5. Mini Silicone Spatula
   These are so great for getting every last bit of paint out of the bottle. Just when I think the bottle is empty, I can’t believe how much more I am able to get out with these mini spatulas.

Do you have any unexpected items in your studio? If so, what is it and how do you use it? I’d love to hear—I’m always looking for new ideas.

---

All these items can be found on Amazon:
(These are NOT affiliated links)
- silicone pinch bowls
- 3D glasses
- mini silicone spatula
- 4oz glass jars with lids
- half baking sheet

---

STUDIO UPDATE: This week I’ve been figuring out how I’ll be packaging my artwork for shipping. I want to include a handmade thank you card in each order, so I decided to make prints from one of my sketches using my gocco machine.

It’s basically a mini silkscreen printer that exposes and prints in one unit. Look for a reel on my instagram in the next few days where I’ll show the printing process. It’s a pretty clever little machine and it’s so fun to use!

Keep an eye out here on my Substack—I’ll be announcing my website and collection launch soon. I’m so excited!