Workspaces, What's On Your Desk and Ergonomics | |
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ORGANIZATION- Years ago, in about 1978, I took a 3-week workshop in Los Angeles from Ieuan Rees. He started out by telling us, "Everything in your studio is dirty." When we overcame our shock, we realized that it was true, and went to our "kits" and began to clean everything: edges of rulers, nibs, pen holders, everything we had. I hope that when we all went home we did the same, but I've never been able to sustain the level of cleanliness here for long. Nevertheless, he was right. Food for thought! Jenny Hunter Groat _________________ Make yourself some personal workspace and tidy it frequently. You will uncover ideas you had forgotten about. Margaret Beech, York, UK _________________ Organization is important! Wilma Hardenburgh, Missoula, Montana _________________ As for getting organized: yes! How many times have I looked unsuccessfully for something in my studio, lost under PILES of stuff? This includes pens and nibs. Recently, I did something that was suggested by Louise Megginson years ago. I organized all my pens by size and kind and then LABELED the twirly holder thing (don't know what to call this round thing that has three tiers and spins) on the side of each hole with the nib size. I've also labeled the pen holder itself with an indelible marker. These aging eyes need all the help they can get, and now when I'm in the heat of creative passion I can find the pen I need (well, that's the intent). Cari Ferraro _________________ Besides keeping all my files labeled, a couple of notebooks on the spine, discs and diskettes as produced. But, instead of labels, I prefer clear plastic boxes (in the kitchen, glass jars)....where I can just see what is in them (we are visual people!). Jill Bell _________________ I prefer many well placed and adjustable artificial lights, as I am always needing to move them around for different things, needing different kinds and qualities of light. Jill Bell _________________ Although I have daylight bulbs in my lights and anglepoise lamps, I would say that there is nothing to beat good, steady northern light. Which I have in the form of a velux window over (and slightly above) my left shoulder (I am right handed). There is also another window in the room. Nature, at it's best, still beats the man made version. How many real artist's studios do you see with no windows? Catherine/Tiggy, Scotland _________________ I prefer a U shaped work area if possible. I find it nearly doubles your working space with all the peripherals. I have my copy machine in that U as well and don't have to get up to use it. I assure you. I want everything within reach as much as possible when I'm on a roll (even, as I previously posted, the remote controls to the stereo and television so I can change channels, or mute it when the phone rings). Jill Bell _________________ I have always used a bedroom as my office/studio. The first thing I do is take out the pole that you hang clothes on and install shelves in the closet. It provides just the right amount of space for most of my junk. You can close the doors and have all your supplies out of sight. I've seen offices where people have removed the doors (often using them as desks/table tops, their two drawer file cabinets as legs for the tables) from their closets to make access more convenient. Jill Bell _________________ WHAT'S ON YOUR DESK: I buy a roll of nubbly plastic drawer/sink liner stuff and small squares of it decorate the top of my slanted drafting board. They keep paint brushes, pencils, rulers, tea mugs, etc., from rolling and boy is that a time and clothes saver. Ann Van Tassell _________________ I keep a strip of sandpaper taped to my drawing table. Each time I pick up an eraser, I first feel to make sure it's dry, then clean it on the sandpaper. Corinna Taylor, Chicago _________________ My favorite kind of pen rest is a large recycled soda or water bottle, cut in half to hold water, with notches on the edges. I can then lay the pen or brush in the notches across the water after I rinse it. It is cheap and disposable (though I haven't yet thrown any out). Smaller water bottles make a good size for workshops and they can be fit into a sponge to collect spills. posted 1999 to CS by Maria Levy, Tucson, Arizona _________________ Each time I find a new exemplar, I reduce it to a size of approximately 5" x 7", and laminate it. Be sure to give credit to the artist. Now you have a convenient size exemplar. I have trimmed all mine to the same size of 5" x 7". Mine have been used for many years and are as clean as the day I made them. They shed ink and fingerprints beautifully. Whenever needed just tape your exemplar to your work table. Through the years, I have continued making these reduced versions of interesting innovative lettering that I find in newsletters, books, classes, etc. I have amassed 41 two-sided cards through the years. I rubber band them together and keep them beside my workspace. Virginia Meltzer, Missoula, Montana _________________ I asked Virginia if she would post the above tip. She had first posted it to cyberscribes in 1999. I love the idea and hope to do this! I have also seen something similar from Kath Harney in Seattle. She uses a perpetual calendar stand with 2 rings (like in a three ring notebook) to store the laminated exemplars. This allows her to easily flip through all her exemplars. The rings make it easy to add an exemplar or remove one to post at her workspace. Nancy Grossenbacher, Portland, Oregon _________________ ERGONOMICS AND GOOD WORK HABITS: I would have to say that my very first workshop delivered the pearl. Jersey Shore Calligraphers Guild, oh, some 10 years ago. Anna Pinto was teaching a workshop on italic. I had never sat with a calligraphy teacher, much less in a room full of people with strange tools, cushions for their tender bottoms, and a love for lettering. Anna came over to see how I was doing early on in the day, and saw that I kept my paper stationary, and moved my hand across the page of letters. She told me to place my hand down on the page exactly where it feels comfortable. That was to be my center of focus. From here on out, I was to move my paper back and forth, leaving my hand stationary. Seems so simple, doesn't it? But that's it for me. For fine lettering that is. When doing that big bold gestural stuff, everything moves everywhere. Kate McKulla, Mountain Lakes _________________ Don't work with just your hand, work from your shoulder for good movement and flow. Mary W., Connecticut _________________ To prevent a sore finger, I use the blank ( non-medicated ) corn wrap around type covers to cover sensitive areas on my fingers.... like the outside of my little finger, the "pencil bump" on my second finger, etc. Sometimes I can find them at the dollar store as vs. the more costly Dr. Scholl's. For those of you not familiar with what I am talking about, go the the "Healthy Foot" dept at any store and look around. I like the oval ones without any medicated discs. I just use light weight tape and make several passes over the dealie. When I leave my work area , I un-wrap it ,and hang it on the table, and when I return I just re-tape it. Anne Cheney _________________ More on the sore fingers. I use a variety of bandaids and corn pads whatever I have handy. The cheap cotton glove with cut-off fingers helps to prevent it from dragging on the paper. One time I used the cut-off fingers to make a sewn-on pad for the little finger. Corrina Taylor _________________ Invest in a good chair, and make everything as "ergonomically correct" as possible. Jill Bell _________________ Give the eyes a rest every three-four hours and look at something in the distance for awhile. Have good eye check-ups regularly. Mary W. in Connecticut _________________ Speaking from recent experience with circulation problems. Please everyone make sure you get up and about every hour, or more regularly. If everything is arranged so that you can slide around on your chair it is very tempting *not* to get up regularly, especially if you are absorbed in what you are doing and you work alone not in a busy office environment. So pace yourself, and take breaks every hour or so where you get up and move about and stretch! Catherine/Tiggy in Scotland | |