The purpose of this exercise was for students to review their current work space and think about any improvements and/or any future requirements in order to optimise their creative practice.
Key words from the brief:
- Do you already have a studio?
- Is it an extension of you?
- Put your written thoughts about these questions in your learning log
- Include photos of your studio or workspace, and examples of any of your artwork or sketchbooks to contextualise your work for your tutor
- Think about the pictures, objects or other things you might want to make in your workspace in the future
- Make an inventory of the equipment and materials you would need to realise these artworks
About my studio
My studio is my bedroom. It’s a personal practical space that contains most of the tools I need to make my work.
The space changes continuously with work-in-progress or just interesting imagery getting tacked to the walls.
I use the room flexibly and tend to work best in a controlled chaos, with piles of sketches and research getting shuffled around for the duration of a project.
It’s possible for me to work up to A2 with ease, and A1 at a push. I do have an easel for large work that I use occasionally. Anything larger that A1 is too cumbersome to manage easily.
During Printmaking 1 I joined Kew Print Studio where I could access printing presses and other specialist equipment; so there are options for me to extend my practice into other spaces if needed. Additionally there are artist studio spaces available locally at https://www.fusionarts.org/ , although I don’t currently see any value in using these.
The following photographs show my studio space ‘As Is’ (at this moment in time):
Additionally I have access to an A3 printer/scanner and basic rostrum set-up for taking photographs of larger work.
Things I would like to experiment with in the future that would not be possible to realise within my current studio set-up:
- Street art – murals/very large scale artwork
- Printmaking – relief printing, silkscreen printing, etching
- Model making/studio based photography – To work at scale or for a sustained period of time I’d need to plan and prepare using current studio space and then hire/borrow a larger space and equipment to do a studio shoot. For example, Kingston University London have a ‘hire’ service.
- Experimentation with wet materials – I can do this to a limited extent but don’t have a suitable space to really make a big mess. Kew Print Studio have bookable studio space that it’s possible to use as a member.
Illustration 