When I was setting up this room I knew from the start that I would need a huge table. It runs from the door and curves below the window, and means there’s space for my entire drawing and streaming setup.
Not only that, there are two of us in the room, so we’ve split it equally. I have the majority, and my man is gaming on his 40cm table allowance… the things we do for love, am I right?
I love that whenever I enter my room, I can immediately see the tablet waiting for me. I have to admit that I’m pretty lazy, so if the setup wasn’t ready, I wouldn’t be drawing as often (see our pick of the best drawing tablets if you’re hunting for your own).
I’m used to only having one screen, but since it was on the left it made my neck go crazy whenever I was doing studies and turning around all the time to check my reference. I’ve solved that problem by having two screens directly above my tablet for references, Discord or my stream chat.
What makes my setup a bit more complicated is the streaming part. You have to fit in the lights, camera and a mic. I’ve redone and upgraded the arrangement a couple of times and I’m happy with how it looks now.
The only issue is that the lights tend to hit the tablet and then bounce back into my eyes. This can make me feel a bit tired. There’s also sound-absorbing foam running all over my walls to reduce any echo.
Curtains help turn this room into an absolute render cave, and also so that my neighbours don’t question the party lights that are triggered every time I get a new Twitch subscriber
Because I sometimes stream traditional art, I have a mount drilled into my wall, which enables me to have my camera directly above the drawing.
There’s always a matcha latte on the go whenever I’m streaming or drawing. It’s become sort of a ritual to sip on it while being focused. Just simple matcha, milk and ice.
On the left side, I have my traditional art setup. I’ve always had to take out all the markers whenever I’ve wanted to do traditional art, but since I’ve bought these stands I can easily grab them. It does limit the space on the table, but I’m really happy with it.
I store my papers and other traditional artist supplies that I absolutely had to buy (!) in the drawers on the right. I can’t emphasise enough how important storage space is for me, especially when it comes to convention merchandise.
I have a sewing machine on a shelf because, er… are there enough hobbies?! I love all creative work, so I tend to sew in my free time to take a break from doing artwork.
I have lots and lots of drawers, because I tend to pick up a new hobby and where else would I stack all the paper, yarn, fabric and basket-weaving materials?
I also have my art books – my absolute pride and joy collected over the years from Kickstarter campaigns, stores or as vacation souvenirs. I browse through them whenever I need inspiration or want to do something art related that isn’t necessarily drawing.
The pigeon plushie with them was gifted to me by one of my wonderful Twitch mods and now it sits on the shelf and guards my chat!
There is one time when this room becomes absolutely hell and that’s during con prep. Print boxes and displays everywhere, my sticker cutter running on full speed and me panicking that I’ve forgotten something!
Gear up!
If you’re looking for gear to kit out your own studio, you’ll find some attractive deals below, or you might want to check our piece on the dream creative work-from-home setup.
This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.
