Because nothing says “fresh creative start” like finally dealing with that pile of dried-out markers, mystery paint tubes, and the drawer that just says “miscellaneous chaos.”
Summer is here, which means longer days, better light, and the perfect opportunity to do something you’ve been avoiding for months: actually organizing your art supplies. Not in a “shame yourself into tidiness” way. In a “make your studio a place you actually want to work in” way.
At Art Supply Center, we believe your workspace should support your creativity, not fight it. And sometimes that means taking a day (or a weekend) (or okay, maybe a week) to sort through everything, toss what’s truly dead, reorganize what’s alive, and rediscover supplies you forgot you had.
This is KonMari for artists, except instead of asking “does it spark joy?” you ask “does it spark art?” and the answer is usually “maybe if I can find it under this pile of stuff.”
Let’s reset your studio for summer.
Why a Studio Reset Actually Matters
You can’t use what you can’t find. That tube of perfect cerulean blue? Useless if it’s buried under 47 other tubes in a drawer you never open because it’s too chaotic to deal with.
Clutter kills creativity. Not in a judgmental “your mess is bad” way, but in a “decision fatigue is real and visual chaos is exhausting” way. When your studio is overwhelming to look at, you spend mental energy just being in the space instead of making things.
Rediscovering supplies is like shopping without spending money. You’ll find things you forgot you bought. Colors you meant to try. Tools you abandoned mid-project. It’s like getting new art supplies except you already paid for them six months ago.
Summer projects deserve a fresh start. Longer days, outdoor inspiration, experimental moods. Summer is prime creative time. Set yourself up for success by making your studio actually usable.
Step 1: The Great Purge (Be Honest, Be Ruthless)
First, you have to face the truth: some of your supplies are dead and you need to let them go.
What to Toss (For Real)
- Dried-out markers and pens that won’t revive. If you’ve tried reactivating them and they’re still dead, they’re gone. Don’t keep pen corpses out of guilt.
- Brushes that are beyond saving. If the bristles are splayed, broken, or shedding everywhere despite cleaning, demote them to texture tools or toss them.
- Paint tubes that are 90% dried out. If you squeeze and nothing comes out, or it’s hard as a rock, it’s done.
- Paper that’s too damaged to use. Warped, moldy, torn beyond repair, compost it or recycle it.
- Broken tools with no remaining function. If it can’t be repurposed, it’s trash.
What to Keep (Even If You’re Not Using It Right Now)
- Supplies you love but haven’t used lately. Just because you haven’t painted with watercolor in six months doesn’t mean you won’t again.
- Weird experimental materials. That pack of iridescent medium you bought on impulse? Keep it. You’ll use it eventually.
- Sentimental supplies. Your first set of colored pencils, the brush your mentor gave you, the sketchbook from that one trip, these stay.
- High-quality tools. Even if you’re not using them right now, good brushes, good paper, and good pigments are worth keeping.
The test: If you look at it and feel genuine curiosity or possibility, keep it. If you look at it and feel guilt, obligation, or “ugh,” let it go.
Step 2: Sort by Category (Not by Location)
Here’s where the KonMari influence sneaks in: instead of organizing drawer-by-drawer, gather ALL of one type of supply in one place so you can see what you actually have.
Categories to sort:
- All paints (watercolor, acrylic, gouache, oil, separate piles)
- All brushes
- All pencils, pens, markers
- All paper (by type: watercolor, drawing, mixed media, etc.)
- All adhesives
- All tools (scissors, knives, rulers, etc.)
- All collage/mixed media materials
This is how you discover you have eight tubes of Ultramarine Blue (oops) and zero Yellow Ochre (problem). It’s also how you find things you thought you’d lost.
Step 3: Organize by How You Actually Work
Don’t organize based on what you think you should do. Organize based on what you actually do.
If you work on multiple projects simultaneously:
Group supplies by project in bins, boxes, or drawers. Everything for Project A lives together. Everything for Project B lives together. No digging through the entire studio to find what you need.
If you work in one medium at a time:
Group by medium. All watercolor supplies in one zone. All drawing supplies in another. Switch between zones as your focus shifts.
If you’re a “see it to use it” person:
Open storage. Jars, cups, pegboards, wall-mounted racks. If it’s hidden in a drawer, you’ll forget it exists.
If you’re overwhelmed by visual clutter:
Closed storage. Bins with labels. Drawers with dividers. Things put away but systematically organized so you know where they are.
Step 4: Create Zones (Even in Small Spaces)
Your studio works better when similar activities happen in similar places.
Wet zone: Paints, brushes, water containers, palettes. Near a sink if possible.
Dry zone: Pencils, pens, markers, paper. Somewhere you won’t accidentally splash paint on everything.
Cutting/assembly zone: Scissors, knives, cutting mats, adhesives. Flat surface, good light.
Drying/storage zone: Racks, shelves, or wall space for work-in-progress and finished pieces.
Even if your “studio” is one corner of a room, creating zones helps your brain know what happens where.
The Most Important Rule
Your studio should work for you, not against you. There’s no “right” way to organize art supplies. There’s only “does this make it easier or harder for me to actually make art?”
If your system works, it’s correct. If it doesn’t, change it. No guilt. No rules. Just function.
Ready to reset your studio for summer? Come grab organizing supplies, storage solutions, and maybe a few new tools to fill the gaps you discovered while sorting. We’ll help you figure out what works for your space and how you actually make art. Let’s get organized (in a fun way, not a stressful way). Proud of a recent reset? Tag us on Instagram to share!
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