Elayne accumulated art supplies for years and stored them in two rolling carts in her master bedroom closet. In January 2020 when she began painting, she moved the carts to her dining room and set up a painting system on her dining room table. The good thing about this is that she can store everything in/on her carts when she has company for tea or dinner and when she is through a project, can move them back to her closet and out of view.
Because Elayne uses her dining room table for eating and company, it is important that she cover it and keep it clean and protected. She generally has a vinyl table cover over a cotton one for several different seasons. When she prepares for painting, she covers the table even more with trash bags or a party vinyl tablecloth.
For cleaning brushes, sponges and her hands, Elayne has a system of three to four hot drink cups set in a clear drawer organizer. She was originally going to use the drawer organizer filled with water after watching a painting demo, but it became heavy with water, was cumbersome to carry, and had to be cleaned often; however, four hot drink cups fit very well in it and the sides of the organizer prevent them from tipping over. In three of the hot drink cups she inserts paint pucks that are perfect for cleaning brushes and sponges then fills the cups with water. When Elayne is through painting, she pours the water from any cup/s she has used down the sink and cleans the brushes and sponges more thoroughly.
Elayne purchased several size paint brushes and sponges over the years and stored them in a covered clear plastic box. In January 2020, she purchased a 40-unit paint brush holder to more easily find the paint brushes she wanted to use for a project. Elayne selects the brushes and sponges for a particular project and puts them in a plastic tray close to her painting. Because some of the brushes and sponges are much larger than the 40-unit, she keeps those in the plastic box until needed.
Depending on the project, Elayne selects the paint colors needed and uses a small white plastic palette for paints and basic mixing. She also keeps close by a small clear squirt bottle to hold water in case any paints tend to dry.
Paper towels are a must for the painter. Before Elayne begins a project, she tears off several sheets of paper towels and keeps them next to her work. If paint gets on her hands or drips down a tube, she can clean them off immediately, often dunking part of a towel in one of the water cups. Since Elayne's art area is close to her kitchen, she can easily wash brushes, sponges, cups, and her hands with dish soap and water and dry with paper towels.
If Elayne is working with acrylic paints, especially acrylic pourings, she lines a large deep baking pan with tin foil to contain all the drips. To hold her canvas aloft, she places small paper cups upside down under the canvas. Elayne also uses sheets of tin foil for laying any drying canvases.
When Elayne completes an acrylic painting, she sprays it with Krylon Clear Acrylic Coating. Because the fumes can be toxic, windows need to be opened ahead of time, during the spraying, and for a while afterwards to keep the air as fresh as possible. Elayne also lines the table with additional paper or plastic that she discards after spraying since the smell lingers.