Organizing A Small Space

You can get by with minimal spaces

Be on the lookout for small spaces, like under stairs, that you can convert to art spaces. You need a desk and space for supplies, that's it.

If your home only allows for a small art studio, go vertical with storage! Floating or corner shelves are perfect for storing sketchbooks while pegboards with wire baskets are great for storing paints or writing utensils. You can also use a few colorful cups and zip ties on a pegboard to make a cute, budget-friendly place to store markers, paintbrushes, and other art supplies.

Use Rolling Carts for Supplies
A rolling cart holding art supplies can be moved around
Fill unbreakable jars and containers with brushes, construction paper, or glue sticks on a rolling storage cart. This storage idea not only keeps all of your materials organized, but it also allows to you easily move supplies around the room and have a mini art studio that can be transported around the house.

Here is what I keep in the up~cycled tin cans on top shelf:
~Regular scissors and set of fun edger scissors with spinning caddy
~Prang groove triangular coloring pencils
~Sharpie highlighters
~Glitter gel pens
~Black and blue pens
~Assorted markers
~Rock crayons and regular crayons
~Dot markers
~Tempera paint sticks
~Watercolor brush pens

Middle art shelf:

Rulers
Erasers, pencil sharpeners
Stamps and envelopes (eg, handmade greeting cards for writing practice and pen pals)
Multi-purpose glue, craft tacky glue, glue stick, glitter glue, single-sided and double-sided tape , painter’s tape, white out
Hole punchers and stapler
Puffy paint
Oil pastels

Bottom Shelf:

~Jars of paint
~Several kinds of paper
~Stencils and stickers
~Craft books
~Rubber stamps and ink

The very essence of open ended art is expressing your creativity and unique spirit. OOLY’s art and DIY supplies are your best friends when creating original works of art that reflect your personality and style.

How to get this look

Keep supplies organized even if its just wall space

Make your set-up functional. Think about how you use your supplies. For example, place all paper items together. Paints should be stored near paintbrushes and canvases, etc.

Keep art supplies organized and accessible by storing them in clear or colorful plastic totes on shelves, in corners, or under tables. Use labels on the containers to manage and locate all paints, extra drop cloths, canvases, or other items with ease.

Keep chaos at bay by storing smaller items and miscellaneous materials in dedicated storage containers.   A handled tote, caddy or tray are perfect for moving items from one place to another with ease.

Repurpose a Vinyl Gutter for Ribbon Storage

Have seemingly infinite rolls of ribbons? One of the more genius ribbon storage ideas is to place them in vinyl gutters. They’re cheap, they’re easy to mount, and the concave design is ideal for ribbons.Take Advantage of Vertical Storage

We also have a paper bin hanging on the wall filled with all kinds of paper: construction paper, magazines, scratch paper, note cards, and colored paper.

Display and storage of art work My kids always wanted to refer back to other similar projects, especially Hope. So her artwork was stored in files. I used colored files, like green for wildlife. She often asked to look at photos. I kept them in baggies in the same files. I also took pictures of her and her favorite projects.. It was great to have that back up when we used homemade paint that deteriorated. Ugh.

After the age of 3, Hope chose her entire project, so her craft supplies were organized as surfaces, tools and materials and supplies. We used open and transparent totes and containers. We kept that set up for years.

Build a travel tote with your favorite supplies We were always going to therapies and appointments and my kids were rather energetic . So we would keep an art kit and CD Walkman with earplugs to keep them calm and occupied.
NOTE: Crayons melt in the heat of a car, markers travel much better.

Craft Room Furniture on Amazon

Use proper sized and versatile furniture

Any child will love their desk if they can crawl up on the chair all by there self, A properly sized desk will make them feel really independent.

I love how versatile the easel is. The whiteboard side is great for dry erase and magnetic letters, but it also has a clip, which is perfect for hanging paper or giant coloring pages. The back is a chalkboard. And probably the best part of the easel is... the painting! We paint about once a day, on average. It's so easy the way we have everything set up, and she loves it so much.

My most important tip is have an exit plan in place - my priority is to typically to paint near a water source, like the kitchen sink or an outside hose. The tendency is for them to just run off the second that they loose interest. Have your artist help clean up from the activity before running off to the next activity. So the plan to have a quick clean up already staged and waiting ….You are instilling habits that your artist will carry for the rest of their lives. (I also keep a wet towel or washcloth near me for “emergencies”.)

If you don't have running water nearby, you will need a DIY wash basin area.

And consider a paper storage cabinet. Kids will use gobs of paper if it is all out within their reach.

My most important tip is have an exit plan that includes clean up before you start any new project. - One strategy is typically to paint near a water source, like the kitchen sink or an outside hose. The tendency is for them to just run off the second that they loose interest. Have your artist help clean up from the activity before running off to the next activity. Therefore we have to start every project wondering when the ship starts to sink, how are you getting out quickly ….You are instilling habits that your artist will carry for the rest of their lives. (I also kept a wet towel or washcloth near me for “emergencies”.)

Art Supplies on Walmart.com

Take a Inventory Your Supplies

All artists will be able to take part in some sort of art-making activity. By doing so, they will feel an enormous sense of accomplishment and increased self-esteem. However, be sure to choose all activities carefully – gearing the activity to the interest and ability of the student. Your supplies are what makes that possible. So gather up all the crayons, markers and other supplies so you know what you have.

The very essence of open ended art is expressing your creativity and unique spirit. OOLY’s art and DIY supplies are your best friends when creating original works of art that reflect your personality and style.

I will advise you on this one thing. Just get just basic supplies to start with, I wanted the kids to have what they needed. But alot of what I choose, was not used, Don't go all out on something you are not sure that they will be interested in. As they grow they can help choose the supplies that they want.

Consider these thoughts:  

 Make available lots of modeling materials like clay or homemade dough. This is true for visually impaired artists as well as those who have limited fine motor control.
 If your student is visually impaired, gather a variety of textures to experiment with - smooth papers, rough handmade papers etc.
 Scented markers are always fun.
 Have lots of "big paper" for large movements of the hands and arms.
 Finger paint (bought or homemade) is a terrific tactile material.
 Dance, dance, dance. Music inspires art so a radio or stereo is a must.
 Building objects is a great way for artists to feel that they have accomplished something. Try bits of wood, mat board, cardboard etc. You can work as a team, gluing pieces together and in the end even your visually impaired artists can feel their creations as they evolve.
 Use a awesome hanging file folder pocket chart to store all our paper and notebooks for doodling. I LOVE how much storage there is in wall organizers ! I actually left the bottom few pockets empty and they will make a great place to store our finished art projects or masterpieces in the making. I hung this easily on the wall with these Command hooks.
 Artists with down syndrome respond especially well to music, as do youngsters with autism.

Amazon has a link to their best selling art supplies