Create Your Space: 5 Awesome Ideas How to Make an Art Studio in Your Home

“To have a sacred place is an absolute necessity for anybody today. You must have a room or a certain hour of the day or so, where you do not know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody or what they owe you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be.”

~ Joseph Campbell

Wondering how to make an art studio that you’ll love? Deciding to create your own studio space can be one of the most important things you ever do as an artist.

After all, if you’re serious about getting creative, you’ll need a space you can truly call your own – one that’s free from distractions and full of things to inspire you.

It doesn’t have to impress other people and it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s your ‘sacred place’ where you go each day to be awesome. Here are five ways to get you started:

1. Why It’s Important To Make An Art Studio

One of the great things about making art is that, as long as you’ve got your materials to hand, you’re good to go.

However, while it’s cool to do some urban sketching or haul your backpack up mountains for some landscape painting, it’s often difficult to find the right space for creativity within your own four walls.

Think about it. You’re sitting at a table in your bedroom, trying to paint or mastering a new technique in Photoshop that you’re certain will give you the effects you want.

So far, so good. Except your cellphone’s buzzing with another Facebook or Twitter notification, there’s something you want to watch on TV coming up soon and your kid sister or brother is just sooo annoying…not to mention your parents disturbing you every five minutes!

Sound familiar? Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could have a space free from all these distractions? The good news is you can! And, it doesn’t have to cost a bomb either.

Deciding to make an art studio will give the space you really need to develop your ideas beyond the sketchbook and get some serious work done. Why is it so important?

Because having a designated creative space to go to will help you develop a designated routine. Rather than seeing art as something you try and fit into your day when you have a spare five minutes, you’ll start seeing the creative process as a job, albeit a hugely enjoyable one!

When you enter your studio, nothing else should matter other than the process of making art. Leave your cellphone elsewhere and don’t worry about the clock.

In fact, don’t even have a clock anywhere near you. You’re in here to make art and nothing else, so time doesn’t matter.

Even a cluttered basement like this could be turned into a home art studio with a little forward planning

2. Things To Consider When You Make An Art Studio

Once you’ve decided to make an art studio, it’s worth taking some time to consider where it should be located and how it should look. Perhaps there’s a spare room in your house or a corner of the garage or basement where you could work?

Alternatively, take a look in the attic…could all that clutter be cleared out to make way for your creativity?

Some of the main things to look for are:

Is there enough space for the art you want to make? If you like to paint on canvas, it’s worth considering whether there’s enough room for an easel or a suitable wall to hang your work on.

Will you have enough space to step away from your canvas and consider your next brushstroke? Is the floor strong enough to take the weight of your equipment?

If you like to work digitally, are there enough sockets for your computer and do you need you get a network cable installed? If you have wireless internet, is there a good enough signal?

What’s the light like? Natural light can be a huge asset when making art, so having a large window is a major advantage. However, don’t worry if your only light source is electricity – a natural daylight bulb or lamp can be a great compromise.

Is there space for an ideas wall? Having an area where you can pin ideas up is great for inspiration.

These can be anything you like – newspaper or magazine cuttings, photos of your fave artists, musicians, writers or actors, club flyers or even marketing material.

Some artists have even been known to collect things like candy wrappers to help provide inspiration for colors!

3. Making An Art Studio And Keeping It Personal

Once you’ve found a suitable space for an art studio, it’s up to you to own it. Fill it with the things which inspire you most and remember it’s all about you and no one else.

We all have favorite things which give us inspiration – it could be a mascot, a piece of writing or a particular piece of art that never fails to get us thinking creatively.

Some artists find they prefer to listen to music while they work, while others prefer absolute silence. This is up to you, but here’s one very important thing to remember.

Do not – we repeat do not – use your cellphone for music under any circumstances. Why? Because as well as listening to your favorite tunes, you’ll also be open to all the distractions of social media, emails and time-watching.

Don’t get us wrong – we love scrolling through our Twitter feed as much as anyone else. It’s just that there’s a time and a place for it. And that place ain’t your studio.

4. Get Some Help With Home Art Studio Ideas

If, after looking at home art studio ideas, it looks like you’re going to need some help to make an art studio, don’t be afraid to ask!

Remember all the hours pops spends tinkering in the garage or in the basement on some random DIY thing? You’ll probably find his eyes will light up when you throw a new project his way.

It’s a known fact of life that men of a certain age develop a liking for power tools, so your dad will probably be only too happy to put his new cordless drill or electric saw to good use in helping you.

Failing that, ask yourself what you really – I mean really – actually need to make an art studio.

You might not need a huge fancy desk with a drawing board – it might be just as effective to keep it simple with a table, chair and your PC or canvas and easel.

Incidentally, you don’t need to go to a specialist art store to buy an easel – you should find your local homeware store has a wide range of art materials to suit all your needs.

5. Look At The Studios Of Other Artists

Every artist has their own way of working, so when you make your art studio, it’s worth taking a look at how other artists have designed theirs.

Some artists insist on keeping everything clean and minimal, while others prefer things a little (or a lot) messy.

For example, the studio of famous UK painter, Francis Bacon, was notoriously cluttered with paints, magazines and all manner of randomness which just left enough space to stand in the middle and paint!

Alternatively, the studio space of David Hockney is a masterclass in minimalism – a clean, uncluttered and über -chic place in which to create.

Has this article persuaded you to make an art studio? Perhaps you already have one? Get in touch or upload pics of your studio to our Facebook or Twitter pages (yes, we’re not in the studio right now!) or send us your tips – we’d love to hear from you guys!