When I took up drawing, I started buying regular and сolored pencils with great enthusiasm. After a month, they were everywhere.
I went to the nearest stationer’s shop, hoping to find a compact and useful organizer.
It was surprising to see the different options available.
Office Containers
The first option is pen cups and multi-purpose baskets.
A pen cup is basically a mug without a handle. Some of these ‘mugs’ look like beautiful works of art, but they are expensive, costing as much as $59. However, this price bracket is the exception rather than the rule.
A standard cylindrical holder made of mesh metal would cost around $3.
Baskets and rectangular plastic containers are very cheap too.
Both cups and baskets are sold in 3-5 piece sets.
These sets are handy as they allow you to organize a large quantity of art supplies.
Spinning Sorters
I was in awe when I first encountered carousels (tabletop rotating holders).
They have 3-4 tiers of slots for pencils or brushes and flat trays for paper clips, erasers, and so on.
Using one of these carousels, you’ll find the necessary tool very quickly: just spin the holder.
The price of a spinning sorter is $15-20.
Art Boxes
Wooden storage systems usually resemble a small chest of drawers. Their drawers are divided into compartments of varying sizes which are suitable for pencils and other items. These enormous storage boxes will easily ‘swallow’ almost all of you art supplies.
I’ve examined one of these organizers in a shop. They seem solid and durable.
To buy a box like this, you’ll spend $50-70.
Plastic and metal storage systems also exist. Here is an example:
This impressive system does not take up too much space in its folded position.
Sometimes these storage systems include a kit of pencils.
Pencil Cases
Even an ordinary zippered school pencil case is a good ‘house’ for pencils. Unlike desk organizers, they protect pencils from direct sunlight (did you know their pigments can fade?).
Nevertheless, since school pencil cases are designed for storing only a few stationary items, I recommend you consider binder-style cases.
They hold a lot of pencils: much more than 50. There are elastic straps for each pencil and special loops for erasers and sharpeners.
The material of the cases – durable canvas or leather – is waterproof. If you’ve ever drawn plain air, you’ll appreciate what a good feature this is.
Another advantage is that these binder-style organizers are quite affordable ($15-30 each).
Which of these amazing holders did I buy? I chose a 160-slot pencil case.
The holder is not too big (8.46 x 9.84 x 3.15 inches), and its material looks sturdy.
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