Please help me with art organization!

[Hiker Mama]

Organization is not my strong point, but I have really been working hard on staying organized and getting rid of clutter. My amazing, creative, artistic son (age 8) is also extremely cluttered by nature, and I've been trying to train him to make a spot for his stuff and put it back in the same spot every time. This works fine for toys, but for art stuff - argh! I love that he is so creative; he works on drawing or origami or other art projects for large chunks of every day. But those projects and the aftermath end up all over the house! Notebooks, pencils, loose pieces of paper (used or not), finished projects, things in progress, origami creations, paintbrushes, you name it. And heaven forbid I should get rid of even one piece of paper he has marked on. I really need some more ideas for how to deal with the overwhelming number of creations and supplies. Help!

[lach]

Do you have an Ikea near you? We have a few units of the Trofast series for art things. You can buy the tubs in 3 different sizes, and then I've labeled with a label-maker on the edge of the rim what is in each one. We have a big one for scrap paper, one for glue and scissors (that one's up high because my kids are little!) one for crayons and markers, one for paints, one for stamps, a big one that's just labeled "collage" for felt and feathers and googly eyes and stuff.

I also have a big bin (also from Ikea... just one of their fabric storage cubes that fit on their bookshelves) that finished art projects and coloring and and that stuff goes into to "save." And by "save," I mean every few months I go in and recycle most of it, because while I know it was super special to her at the time, it's long forgotten. I save the things that really are cool or I think of as milestones for her or that really are special for one reason or another.

My DD is still very young, so I don't know if this advice is useful.

[rype]

Just this weekend I tackled this issue. I found something very similar to this at Goodwill. So that's for all the papers, odds and ends. I got one of these for little things. And one of these types things that's plastic, that's what he has his markers, crayons, pens and pencils in. Those last tow I got at Target from that $1 section in the front. To display his art and I haven't put it up yet, I just got some mini clothes pins and twine. I plan on hanging the twine the wall in our hallway on the first floor. Then he can hang his own art up with the clothes pins. I've pretty much got a place for everything or at least I think I do. Also he does all his art on the dining room table which we don't use. He has to clean it up every Friday. Now that school's starting up he'll have to be neater than before. He doesn't want to put things away where he can't see them, that's why I like the caddy type organizers.

[craft_media_hero]

We have a three drawer plastic bin for supplies. One drawer holds all drawing materials, the next is modeling, the next is painting. Nearly everything fits in there.

As far as where to keep the finished works . . . that one I'm stumped on. You might consider getting an actual large-sized artist's portfolio with the plastic pockets and putting his best work in there and mailing the rest to grandparents

Good luck!