Studio Peek!

I'm taking pictures of my studio to share in a presentation I'm giving tomorrow at our monthly SCBWI meeting, and I thought I'd post here. I don't think I've ever shown y'all where I work before. Keep in mind, I've cut a few areas out of the shots. *ahem*

I know I am super lucky to have an entire room to myself to work. I know some people work in the dining room, or a desk in their bedroom. I've always been fortunate to have a partner who completely gets what I am trying to do and supports me. This ten by twelve room is proof. I painted it one of my favorite colors: chartreuse! I am energized in this room, and it's probably my favorite room in the house. As soon as I walk through the door, I can feel a shift in mood and energy.

Drafting table 

The draft table is an IKEA buy (All of my studio furniture is!) I can adjust the height and angle of the table so it's easier to avoid sore necks or hunching shoulders. It's where I draw and paint everything. It's frequently the messiest area of the studio, and where I spend the most time. I currently have a lot of character studies taped/tacked up. I need to get a better system going. I also think I need another table. I can't spread out much as it is. To the left is a window that shows my street. This is an upstairs room facing north, and I love the light I get in here.

Library

As you can probably see, I've got a thing for elephants. I don't tell too many people, because suddenly you end up with all kinds of "gifts" just because there's a pachyderm on there, and I'm kind of picky. I also have a little collection of Dr. Seuss figurines. The only one I'm missing is Horton in his tree, and I'm always bummed to see him disappear off eBay as soon as I can track him down. *sigh*

I've my books organized by type. On the upper top left shelves are all of my "Art Of" books. The next shelf has all of my children's literature industry titles, as well as a ton of old Goldens and fragile titles. The bottom left shelf is a mix of comic books, graphic novels, early readers and picture books. Behind the doors are a ton of reference books, magazines, etc.

On the center shelves: Top: Pop-up books. Upper: Horn Book Magazines, SCBWI folders/resources, Illustrator resources. Middle: picture books. Bottom: a bunch of F&Gs. To the right, both shelves are full of picture books. I have a variety of titles, those by personal heroes, by legends in the industry, titles that were significant part of my childhood, and best of all those written or illustrated by friends. I can't wait to add more of their titles in the coming years!

You can see the very bottom shelves have puzzles, board books, a coloring tin, paper, etc. Those are the shelves my kids use when they come in. There used to be many more toys, etc. on them, but as the kids have grown, more things have made their way into their rooms-including the drawing tables they used to have in here when they would "work with Mommy."

Work table

This is the table where I write, do my research, and as you can see the computer to the left, do all of my online work and play. The inspiration boards haven't changed too much lately. I'll probably freshen them up in the new year. All of those books (see the elephant bookends?) are craft-related. I have titles on writing picture books, early readers, non-fiction, and two or three word-choice books I love. There are also books on illustration, business of illustration, etc. I am something of a reference junkie. I probably would have made a great librarian-ha!

Can you see the prints? There are Susie Ghahremani owl cards I've framed, an Elsa Mora Alice paper cut (I have a growing collection of Alice art, and bunch of prints waiting for frames) hanging above a Penelope Dullaghan print. I have received a lot of inspiration following the careers of artist like these three on their blogs. Their success gives me hope that I too can achieve my dreams. 

What about you? Where do you work? If you could have a dream studio, what would it look like? I have a Pinterest board full of creative spaces that I love. If you have a picture of your studio on your blog or website, feel free to share in comments. Seeing the spaces of other creatives is always fun!