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Welcome to my studio. I’ve
added this page to give you a glimpse of the physical space in
which I work, gearing it toward fellow artists.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved learning
about other freelance artists, not only their work, but how they
work, where, when, what mediums they use, who inspired them and
why did they end up in this profession. Seeing images of an
artist’s studio, works in progress, their palette, computer work
station, sculpting area and whatnot are also of great inertest
to me. When I first decided to add this section to the site, I
had big plans, but after spending a day cleaning up the
unfinished basement in our new house, which is my studio, and
taking some test photos, I realized I was not projecting the
space in pictures accurately; it looked cluttered and chaotic
and anything but a place of creativity. Without a few serious
days of sorting bookshelves, hiding wires, removing clutter,
stowing away scale models, archeological artifacts, paper
encrusted tack boards, phone number lists, office supplies and
much more, it simply would not look in pictures as it truly
‘feels’. For me, the odd collectibles, family photos, children’s
art, doodles, models, miniatures, dice, feathers and bits of
dried grass or grape vines, shells, candles, clocks, jars of
paint brushes and rows of books, are all in perfect order, and
invaluable inspirational resources.
I need the visual stimuli I receive from the
collected ornaments and images about me, the books I can just
pick up and flip through for inspiration, the art work given to
me daily by my three kids, which they do in one corner of the
room in what we call the ‘craft studio’. Having three small
children around who excitedly draw, sculpt, paint, stick
feathers, pasta, sparkles and twigs to paper with glitter glue,
is all very messy, but they love it, and their joy at being
creative reminds me of why I got into this racket, and adds
vitality and wonder to the huge room.
This space is basically the entire basement of our
house, with the garage serving as a wood working and lino
printing shop, the far end a place to pose models in costumes,
do photo shoots, cut board, store art materials and even work
out a bit in the gym we have set up in one corner. The main
studio area is shown below in a map I drew up specifically for
this site, although when I get both the time and the money, we
plan to put in a full bathroom, studio sink, and finally add the
ceiling to this entire area. For the time being, I like having
an unfinished ceiling where I can run wires, and get that
industrial artist’s loft feel that I so enjoy. It is a basement,
with a window at either end of the enormous space, armed with
alarms and watched by our 90 pound Shepard-cross “Sorcia’,
allowing me to pull the blinds on the sunniest summer days and
stay cool, control the illumination for when I work on the light
table or want to do photography with specific light sources. The
floor is sanded concrete, great for rolling around on the
various studio chairs, and if I spill some paint or thinner, no
worries. The walls of the studio are almost entirely encrusted
with shelves holding books and the fore mentioned ornaments and
tack boards, as well as plenty of artwork and projects on the
go, to-do-lists, and kids art.
I work in many mediums, but mainly digital,
graphite, ink and acrylic paints. Since I have several jobs on
the go at any given time, at various stages of completion, I
actually use all the work areas, and occasionally move my work
outside to our enclosed gazebo, or spread my stuff out on the
kitchen table. In the actual work areas, shown on the map, I
spend much of my time sketching at a huge drawing table sitting
at a gentle 10% grade, just enough that pencils and anything
else rolls off; this is in order that I don’t cover the surface
with books or other articles so that I always have a place ready
to draw upon when an idea hits or I get off the phone with a new
client. From this main drawing table I can simply turn my chair
around and find myself at the huge light table, mounted on
another drawing table which is tilted to a 45 degree angle. When
not using the light table, I have a board that sits over it on
which I can do finished drawings on paper, board, illustration
board or canvas. It is here at this steeply sloped table that I
do all my painting and inking, as well as finished graphite
drawings.
Nearby, are two more work surfaces, these are flat,
folding tables that are usually covered in the kids latest craft
projects, and layered thick with their drawings, paintings, and
glue and sparkle abstract works. Often times I clean off these
garish coloured creations to employ the opaque projector (an old
Artograph® used to transfer small drawings down onto larger
illustration boards masonite sheets) which is bolted to one
table, while on the other I laminate the under drawings to
boards on which I paint most of my work.
As far as digital media and equipment go, I am
modestly outfitted with a large Dell desktop system, a couple of
years old but still a mighty work horse. The system has a 19”
monitor, is hooked up to a half decent sound system with a sub
woofer, a flat bed scanner and thirsty Epson inkjet printer. I
seem to be spending more and more of my studio hours in front of
the computer as the years go by, and have been illustrating
digitally in the past year or two.
To keep me company when the kids are out or asleep,
I have two aquariums, one is a 20 gallon containing a huge angel
fish, called ‘Zeus’, and a school of albino catfish which have
been breeding furiously this year and doubled their population.
In another tank is a tough old Siamese fighting fish, who is a
male, but my oldest daughter insists ‘he’ is a ‘she’ called
‘Aura’. Numerous tropical plants line up along the window, one
spreading its vines into both aquariums and forming root balls,
giving these aquatic environments an authentic Amazonian feel.
Outside the studio proper is the laundry room, where
there is a huge sink and the all important beer fridge and water
cooler. One of the advantages of being self employed is
sometimes you can take a break at 3pm and crack open a beer,
turn the sub woofer up, find a great song on iTunes and get down
to some serious sketching. Other pleasant aspects of working at
home, beyond the obvious tax benefits are dress code, the
commute, and starting times.
First of all, I work at home because that’s what
illustrators do, and while I would like to have an office space
someplace downtown and leave my work their at the end of the
day... that isn’t going to happen. My wife works full time out
of the home, so in lieu of daycare, the kids stay home with me.
I need to work at odd times because the day is often dominated
by communications and meetings, writing invoices, going to the
bank or post office, and increasingly, writing emails back and
forth with clients from around the world. Because of the odd
hours, and frequently severe deadlines I need to meet, I simply
skip the shower and shave ritual first thing in the morning and
get right to work, coffee in hand, making the one minute commute
from bed to coffee machine to studio downstairs, dressed in a
T-shirt and shorts. I am usually operational by 10 am, at least
enough to conduct phone calls, and like many illustrators, I am
a night person – always have been – and get 80% of my actual
creative work done after everybody else in the house has gone to
bed. Bed time for me is about 2am, but if I have a deadline, I
will easily work until 4am.
I certainly don’t want emerging illustrators to
think that this lifestyle is the only way to be a freelance
artist, nor would you be expected to keep these sorts of hours,
but for me, working late into the night simply gets the job
done, the bills paid and the deadlines met. I will of course be
able to get up and get the kids to school at the ungodly hour of
8am, or attend an early client meeting, but in such
circumstances, a 2pm nap is always in order.
To learn more about my actual business details,
click here.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this closer look at my studio, and the
lifestyle of one illustrator. I plan to add more images here
over the next few months, so check back from time to time.
Best Regards,
Will McAusland
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