Studio improvements
I am very excited to have a new pencil caddy for organizing my colored pencils. At our last colored pencil meeting, I asked several people how they organized their colored pencils for working at their drawing tables, and Gary Ruuska had a great concept that he shared with me. He had taken a lazy susan as a base, and cut 2″ PVC piping into sections, and glued it onto the base to color coordinate his pencils. I passed this information on to my husband, who often helps me out with technical stuff in my studio (putting together furniture from IKEA, installing things, building tables, etc.) and he made me the pencil caddy as pictured below. It is definitely making my life easier at the drafting table. Thank you Gary!
I like it! I have an old carousel with mostly single-pencil sized holes, and I find that it’s too much effort to put each one back. (Whoa, that makes me sound lazy!)
I notice your teeny-weenies there in the jar also… did I hear you say at the workshop that you glue them onto new pencils? What do you use?
Comment by LizP — Sunday, November 9, 2008 @ 4:06 pm
Hi Liz, I think I would find a carousel as you mention a bit tedious as well – I don’t think you sound lazy at all!
I do two different things with the “teeny-weenies”: I usually glue the smaller pencils onto a new one of the same with gel-type superglue. I learned this tip from Linda Lucas-Hardy at one of her workshops. Those little pencils in the jars, for some reason, never got glued onto another (most likely I didn’t have the same color in my possession at the time), so I will use them in a pencil extender, and get them down to about one inch in length.
Either are a great way to maximize the amount of pencil that can be used.
Comment by Debbi — Sunday, November 9, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
Congratulations!
I love the new caddy!
Comment by nicole caulfield — Thursday, November 13, 2008 @ 5:08 pm
Thanks Nicole! I still don’t have my DerWent Coloursofts or Inktense in the caddy, and will probably keep them in their nice little tins that they came in, so it’s not really ALL of my pencils, but still, a great improvement.
Comment by Debbi — Thursday, November 13, 2008 @ 5:14 pm
Oh wait – found your comment about how you made this caddy. it’s great. I have an old commercial display rack that was made for prismacolor pencils – it’s 8 hexagon containers on an angle, really wonderful – each one a different color so you can grab a color quickly – but I’ve had it 30 years and it’s just started coming apart. I’m so sad
. Maybe I can get my husband to be inspired and cut some PVC if I show him your great photo. Thanks – Deb T.
Comment by deb — Sunday, November 23, 2008 @ 3:26 am
Hi Deb, I’m glad you like the pencil caddy. I don’t know where you live, but my husband got the lazy susan at a Containers store, and then some 2″ PVC piping at Home Depot, and used some epoxy glue/cement to glue the pipe sections in place. The two inner circles are elevated with some sort of pipe attachments. Let me know if you need any more information. The entire set of materials cost about $33.00, and I love my new caddy!
Comment by Debbi — Sunday, November 23, 2008 @ 4:21 pm
Well, I know this is ancient history, and I did mean to comment quite a while ago, but I lost track and forgot. Sorry! I’m glad this worked out for you. I should point out that you went me one better. Mine is on a stationary piece of oak, and if I make a second one it will be on a lazy susan.
Comment by Gary Ruuska — Saturday, January 17, 2009 @ 1:13 am
Gary – That’s funny, I could have sworn you said your caddy was on a lazy susan. Maybe you should try attaching the oak to a lazy susan? Anyways, you had the best idea and thank you!
Comment by Debbi — Saturday, January 17, 2009 @ 11:43 am