Heather Castles

Heather Castles, Illustrator Adelaide, Australia www.illustrationcastle.com blog.illustrationcastle.com "This is my new studio in my home in Adelaide, Australia...with a lovely view of the neighbour's fence! I generally like to work around a lot of plants...but having just moved here, my modest collection of two plants at my desk is just a start! I used to have violets on my drafting table in Canada, and they grew HUGE (like dinner plate size around) because while I sat there for hours painting, they sat there absorbing all the CO2 from my breath which plants love." "I found this awesome Singer sewing machine at a garage sale here for $15...I have yet to learn how to use it, but will for sure as it's in top nick and wouldn't mind learning how. A friend also gave me on loan an antique "prayer chair" which I'm using to display / store my artwork against. I'm really enjoying having the space to leave my work leaning against the walls so I can see them and scrutinize what needs to be improved to finish them." "I use the space for drying large pieces, storage, and displaying work at the moment...funnily enough I haven't spent much time painting in my studio as I prefer to hang out with my husband while I'm working, and often end up painting in the living room sitting on the floor and watching TV together. Also, at the moment I'm doing a lot of oil painting, and I prefer to use the backyard picnic table and paint outside as it keeps the fumes down ...plus working in the warm sun and listening to the birds is relaxing."-HC

Tommy Kane

Tommy Kane, Illustrator, Manhattan, NY www.tommykane.com tommykane.blogspot.com "I work out of my apartment in the east village of Manhattan. Me, the wife and two cats. 800 square feet. Finally I got myself a new G5 computer with a nice 23 inch monitor. I've got a new epson printer and scanner. Bose speakers. " "I built the desk in our bedroom. I can roll right out of bed and start working in my underwear. I'm in heaven. " "As you can see I also don't have a painting studio so I have to paint in my living room. I have a small portable easel I set up and then I work on my kitchen table, which I built. " I only use acrylic, otherwise it would get too messy. It's not easy but you gotta do what you gotta do. As you can see I like to surround myself with my own paintings for inspiration." - TK

Geninne D. Zlatkis

Geninne D. Zlatkis, Freelance graphic designer/illustrator, Hacienda Jajalpa, Mexico Blog: blogdelanine.blogspot.com "My studio is my haven, it's very organized, serene and warm. The wall behind my desk was first primed with Magnetic Primer by Rust-Oleum: website, then top coated in a chocolate colored water based paint. And now I have a whole wall where I can display my art with cool magnets, which I'm addicted to btw :oP My desk is a dining table from IKEA, as is the shelf with all my files and boxes. The 12 drawer mahogany credenza is one of my huband Manolo's designs, he designs furniture and houses. And all the artwork is done either by my kids or myself." - EDZ

David Evans

David M. Evans, Visual Journalist/Illustrator Washington D.C. metro area Website: www.devansart.com Blog: devansart.blogspot.com "This is my corner of the world. I guess it would be a bedroom in most households but in ours it's considered the studio. It's a constant battle to keep the non-art related stuff from encroaching. I work for a large media company in the D.C. metro area. In the media the television is a requirement so it sort of found it's way into my own space. Unless I'm working on things from the office it stays off. Music is more important to me while I work on my own projects. The giant base and tweeters keep the room filled with an iTunes radio station called Secret Agent. It makes me feel as though I lead an exotic life. I work primarily on the giant dinosaur in the back. The silver laptop belongs to work and the black one belongs to my wife and usually is in the other corner. I just happened to have them all on the desk at once. The white piece of furniture represents my desire to hold on to the past. It used to be chocked full of all kinds of art stuff. Now it holds my digital camera and a much-thinned out collection of traditional supplies. My book collection includes topics that range from art to home improvement. The bulletin board holds sketches and ideas for future projects." "My wife is a CPA. This is her corner. I lust after the space that's there. When I look at it I see a mirage before my eyes of a nice drawing board and more storage. Maybe even an easel so I could use my newly purchased oils. But a marriage is about compromise so I turn back around in my chair and try to put the real estate out of my mind." "In the third corner the filing cabinet is the largest item. It holds what would be giant piles of life's paperwork if it weren't there. Even now it overflows into baskets and sub-piles. The painting on the wall is of N.Y. Yankee Lou Gehrig. It was my first painting assignment in college. It's acrylic on illustration board. It's a reminder of where I have come from talent-wise. The top shelf holds my remote controlled Mini and another painting I painted for my wife. It's of Russell Crowe...and that's all I'm going to say about that. The other shelf holds an N.C. Wyeth biography, WWII history and art books. I am amazed and inspired by Erik Tiemen's art in The Art of Star Wars. The lucky bamboo plant is there to help me on my quest to build a stronger illustration career. Plus, it's nice to have a little of the outside inside." "An Ace in Action. The story of Snoopy and the Red Baron exemplifies creativity to me. Who would have thought to combine a flying dog house, the Red Baron and not to mention a Beagle capable of flying that doghouse. Charles Schultz was a genius." "A Snoopy of our own. Olive is a Beagle/Bassett mix. She doesn't take kindly to strangers in the studio. You can see the remains of a trespasser behind her. She's a killer of all things stuffed." "Buzz Lightyear sits on the top of my workstation. I single this toy out for two reasons. The first is that I admire the artistic development it takes to produce a movie like the Toy Story series. The second is that it's going to take a slightly delusional super hero's herculean effort to revive my illustration career. Like Buzz I'll probably learn a few things along the way and realize that some of the answers were right in front of me all along. Plus who doesn't like a barrel of Monkeys?" -DE

Matthew Porterfield

Matthew Porterfield, Filmmaker Baltimore, Maryland, www.hamiltonfilmgroup.org "This is my "office", the room where I do all my work. It's a very tight space, but I'm rather tidy. I edited my first feature film, HAMILTON, here. On the left, is the 16mm print. My cat, Francis, is always in and out of the room, so it's appropriate that he's here for the photo." "To edit, I use Final Cut on a laptop connected to an external monitor. On the left, is a DVCAM drive, which gives me the freedom to import and export video whenever. On the left, I have an external drive and a DVD burner (see below)." "On top of the monitor are stacks of photos I'm getting ready to send out to film festivals." "Above, that's what my desktop looks like most days, now that I'm writing notes for my next screenplay." "I threw a cork-board on top of some standing files to extend my desk space. This is where I keep papers, books, pens, bills, food, and drink. It's the only space I let get piled up with junk, which happens every two weeks or so." "These are the standing files that support my makeshift desktop. I slide my cork-board out of the way to access the files, where I keep bills, receipts, notes, scripts, press clippings, flyers - everything! Below are drawers where I keep all sorts of other stuff: discs, printer ink, paper, envelopes, stamps, staples, and all my video dailies." "Only Francis likes a mess." "I just got this new bookshelf, after my old one collapsed. Some of those film books are very heavy. I keep my scanner on the shelves, too." "And, these are my favorite two bookshelves. I keep the film books that I love here." "I don't like a lot on my walls where I work, plus my landlord doesn't want me to hang anything, so I have to be able to take it all down quick when she comes. Above my desk, is a lithographed poster my friend Mike McNeive (www.magicmarkercompany.com) made for my last film. The jar of pink he used on the print was previously used by Richard Serra (crazy, huh?) Next to the poster, is the only screenprint I've ever done. I made it last summer. The drawing is magic marker on foam core, made by this guy Jeff Barnes. He sold it to me for five dollars. I felt like I was ripping him off, but that's all I had at the time." "This side of my office is sort of the opposite of its other half. I still like to write early drafts on a typewriter. I like the way it looks; plus, it's nostalgic: my Dad always used one when I was growing up. Maybe the nicest thing about the room is the door that leads outside onto the fire escape." - MP