Feng Shui for the Worktable

My Painting desk is clean, tidy and ready for the Painting Challenge to start. It won't stay this pretty for long so I thought I'd take a picture to remember it by! 

All overseen by 'Rex'

Stocktaking...and tidying up.

Some days just don't go to plan but still end up being very productive. I had planned on doing some painting today, finishing a few loose ends before the preparation starts for the Analogue Painting Challenge in December. I started off well but one thing led to another and in the end I spent pretty much the whole day cleaning and tidying my hobby gear instead. And I made a few interesting discoveries along the way. 

Discovery 1 - I own a lot of MDF bases....but I still need more!  

As I worked my way through one box after another I realised I had packs of bases stashed all over the house. Last year during the Challenge I ran out of bases at a critical moment. Thankfully I was able to buy some more and they were delivered in time to save the day but I don't want that to happen again. So despite having a 10 ltr box FULL of bases I need more (duh!). Guess what I'll be buying when I go to SELWG in a weeks time? 

Discovery 2 - I own more non 6mm models than I thought but nowhere near as much as I ought to have. This is pretty much the entirety of my lead mountain, a pitiful shadow of its former self.

Back in the day (the mid 80's) I had boxes and boxes of unpainted metal figures. The situation got worse after a got married and moved into my own house, now my storage options were unlimited! I went a little mad and before I knew it there was a shocking amount of lead in the house (the wife was shocked, certainly). Much of this remained unpainted for years so about a decade ago I made a conscious effort to either paint them, sell them or give them away. I did such a good job that my current stash is an embarrassment and must be remedied forthwith. Guess what else will be on my SELWG shopping list!  

Discovery 3 - Tidying the painting desk is a cathartic experience! I must have inherited the tidy bug from my mother because the satisfaction I got from cleaning my desk was slightly scary! 

The really scary thing is this doesn't look all that different to the scene before I started cleaning up. I've found a lot of stuff that I forgot I had. My SELWG shopping list had included modelling putty and superglue but I found plenty I already owned. So I guess this exercise has saved some money...at least that's how I'm going to sell it when I tell the wife I spent that day tidying my desk instead of cleaning the house!

A New Painting Desk

I have bought myself a new painting table, larger than its predecessor. I don't have the luxury of a games room or man-cave and have always had to work in a corner of the family room. Nothing has changed there but I have been thinking about getting a bigger table for some time. I have had my old desk for 8 years and it has served me well, but space has always been an issue and while I have made-do it has never really been large enough. 

One of the advantages of working in a recycling centre is that I have a lot of 'pre loved' furniture passing through all the time. I wasn't looking for a new desk but this item arrived last week and I knew immediately that it would be a suitable replacement for my ageing and small desk I use at present. Like my old desk this is a writing bureau - so it can be close up when not is use - but it is wider and deeper with proper shelving below. More importantly the work area is 70% bigger and I have more desktop storage for reference material , my note books, tools and brushes. 

I have removed the glass doors that enclosed the front (they would have been broken in no time!) and adjusted the shelf to accommodate my army boxes and some tools. Other than that there has been little need for alterations. I'm hoping this new desk will give me some much needed work space and serve me for many years to come. 

Working in the Bureau

No, I haven't joined the CIA or whatever the British equivalent is. I've had a little reorganisation of my painting area and taken possession (some might say repossessed) a small Bureau I inherited a few years ago. Its been used as a 'place to put stuff' (code for a junk magnet) since I first got it. I've been trying to reorganise, consolidate and tidy up my stuff and using the Bureau is another step in that direction.

The beauty of this setup is that I can close the lid and everything is hidden from view. Up till now I've either had to leave my painting tray on the dining table all the time or put it away between sessions. I'm very conscious that my 'stuff' has been taking over the house for some years and I need to store my gear more efficiently.

The downside is the workspace is a little smaller than what I had before. However I can spread onto the adjacent table when I need more room and still pack away neatly at the end of a session. In essence its a recognition that I paint in a family area which is a shared space, not my personal workshop. It's not an ideal solution but its a step in the right direction. Now all I have to do is convince the wife to get rid of the Piano (which she never plays) and there will be space for a bigger desk.... One day.