How to Organize an Art Room

Artists make extra money teaching art lessons out of home art rooms.

Making a living as an artist is never easy but industrious individuals can make extra cash by turning one of their spare rooms into an art studio from which they can teach private art lessons. A carefully organized art room heightens student responsibility and prevents waste of supplies. Assign each student a number to hold them accountable for all supplies issued to them.

Things You'll Need

• Lockable supply closet
• 2 industrial shelving units
• Office mail unit with 1 cubbyhole per student (wide enough to fit student sketch pads)
• Artwork drying rack with 2 slots per student
• Large art-inspiration resource box (filled with photographs, nature magazines and old calendars)
• Permanent marker
• 4 sets of numbered stickers
• Hanging clipboard with sign-out sheets
• Bulk supply automotive paper towels
• Bulk supply watercolor paper
• Bulk supply canvas paper and panels
• Bulk supply drawing paper
• Bulk supply student grade acrylic paint in half-gallon jugs with lockable pump lids in various colors
• 1 art supply toolbox per student
• 1 spiral-bound sketch pad per student
• 1 drawing set per student (containing 6B, 4B, 2B, B, HB, and 2H pencils, 1 kneaded rubber eraser, 1 vinyl eraser, 1 pencil sharpener and 2 blending tortillons)
• 1 paintbrush set per student (2 brights--size 2 and 10; 2 rounds--size 4 and 8; 1 flat--size 6)
• 1 watercolor paint set per student, 8-pan
• 1 paint-mixing tray per student

Instructions

1. Set up both industrial shelving units, placing one in a lockable supply closet and the other in a student-accessible location in the art room.

2. Mark off sections on the shelving unit in the lockable supply closet with the permanent marker and label each section with the first set of numbered stickers.

3. Fill every student art toolbox with a paint mixing tray, an 8-pan watercolor paint set, a drawing set and a paintbrush set.

4. Label the toolboxes in numerical order using the permanent marker to write one number on each box. Write the same number inside the toolbox with the permanent marker in case the outer number rubs off over time.

5. Label every pencil, eraser, sharpener, tortillon, paintbrush, mixing tray and watercolor set with the corresponding number on the toolbox.

6. Set each student toolbox in the corresponding numbered section on the industrial shelving unit in the lockable supply closet.

7. Hang a clipboard with sign-out sheets next to the toolboxes for any student who wishes to take their toolboxes home to work on a project.

8. Store all bulk canvas, watercolor and drawing paper on the shelves in the lockable supply closet to prevent overuse.

9. Set up the bulk supply acrylic paint with lockable pump lids on a waist-high shelf on the industrial shelving unit for easy student access.

10. Label each cubbyhole in the office mail unit with the second set of numbered stickers, making one space for each student to turn in their artwork. Number each spiral-bound sketch journal with the corresponding student number and store them in the cubbyholes.

11. Label slots on the artwork drying racks with the remaining two sets of numbered stickers, creating two drying spots for each student.

12. Place the bulk supply of automotive paper towels and the box of art inspiration resources on low shelves of the industrial shelving unit in the classroom for easy access.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep students from using others' supplies by locking up the student toolboxes and requiring them to sign them out in order to take them home.

• Require all students to label the backs of their canvas, watercolor and drawing paper with their assigned student number before beginning work.

• Assign the students a spiral-bound drawing pad as a weekly journal assignment. This keeps their drawing skills sharpened once the class has moved on to painting and provides a portfolio time line of their improved drawing skills in one place.

• When buying acrylic paint in bulk half-gallon jugs, make sure to get the basic mixing colors chrome yellow, magenta, ultramarine blue and phthalo blue, as well as three times the amount of the neutral shades Mars black and titanium white for tinting.

• Supply students with automotive paper towels, as they have a more fabric-like texture that can be used directly on artwork without leaving fibers behind. One or two can last a student an entire lesson, which makes them a "green" option when compared to regular paper towels.

• Save the art room budget by having students bring oversize men's shirts to wear as painting smocks.

• Ask students to bring in old magazines, calendars, still life and landscape photographs to keep the art-inspiration resource box full.