Whether you’re just starting to put brush to canvas or you’ve been creating art for decades, every piece you create is one-of-a-kind and deserves to be treasured. Of course, over time, your completed canvases can add up. 

To stay organized and make sure your pieces look great for the long term, take the time to develop a system of art supplies storage. Protect each canvas like the unique treasure that it is, and organize your art supplies so you can easily find and use them when your muse strikes. 

Not sure how to get started? We’ve got a variety of art supply storage ideas to help you preserve your pieces for the ages. 

The Golden Rule of Art Storage: Climate Control Is Everything

Think of all the time, effort, and love you put into each piece of art you create. Whether or not the completed piece will ever hang on the wall of a gallery or museum is beside the point. It’s still valuable and worth preserving. 

The first step to safely storing your art is to always keep your pieces in a climate-controlled environment. Humidity can be a sneaky danger, causing your canvases to expand or contract. This can lead to your paint layers cracking and eventually flaking. 

Humidity can also impact specific art media in different ways.

• Oil paintings: The oil binding can become soft and tacky in high humidity, or the paint can turn brittle in low humidity conditions.
• Watercolors: This medium is especially sensitive to high humidity, which can reactivate pigments, causing colors to bleed or run even after they’ve dried. 
• Pastels and charcoal: Moisture can cause particles to shift or smudge, creating unwanted textures.

What is the ideal climate for storing art supplies? According to art management software experts, Artfundi, the temperature “sweet spot” is between 64.4 and 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit with an ideal humidity level of 45% for paintings. 

Protecting Your Masterpieces: How to Store Canvases

You may not have room in your studio to hang all of your work, so what do you do with the completed canvases you want to keep but can’t currently showcase? Adding a few proper storage techniques to your art care routine will ensure that your canvases continue to look their best for when you’re ready to show them to the world.

Avoid Direct Sunlight

The UV radiation in direct sunlight acts like a slow burn on many types of artwork. Organic pigments, for example, will fade over time when exposed to UV light. Oil paintings and watercolors are both susceptible to fading. 

Consider storing your canvases in dark or shaded environments that don’t get direct sunlight. 

Store Canvases Vertically

Whenever possible, store your finished canvases vertically, like books on a shelf. This prevents pressure from building up to damage the surface of your canvas or the canvas’s structure itself. 

Keep Pieces Separate

Ideally, you don’t want your canvases to touch each other or to have paint-on-paint contact. Even fully dried paint can still transfer onto other surfaces. Additionally, please note that oil paintings can take months or even years to fully dry. Before this happens, they can stick to anything touching them. 

Invest in padded dividers or acid-free foam cores and place them between each canvas to protect it from damage. 

Support Your Canvases

It may be tempting to lean your canvases against a wall or the end of a shelf, but over time, this can cause your canvases to warp. To keep your works of art in pristine condition, make sure they are fully supported along their edges. Put them in canvas storage racks. If you’re handy, you can save money by building your own simple wooden storage shelves. It doesn’t have to be perfect to get the job done. 

Art Supply Storage Ideas for an Organized Studio

Art supplies don’t grow on trees, and they’re definitely not free. Organizing your supplies, such as brushes, paints, varnishes, and solvents, in the right way can extend their lifespan and improve your workflow. After all, you don’t want to be scrambling around for the right brush when inspiration strikes. 

When it comes to storage for art supplies, we’ve got some helpful tips for you.

Storing Paints

• Store oil and acrylic paint tubes cap down to prevent air bubbles and separation. 
• Use drawer organizers or custom-built slots to keep your tubes visible and accessible.
• Store in cool, consistent temperatures to prevent separation.

Storing Brushes

• Store brushes horizontally in divided drawers or vertically in containers with bristles up.
• Never store brushes with their bristles down, as this can permanently damage their shape.
• Use brush holders with individual slots to prevent bristles from touching each other.

Storing Other Painting Tools

• Keep palette knives in protective sheaths to protect their edges and prevent accidents.
• Store palette scrapers, texture tools, and other implements in separate containers to prevent them from knocking into each other. 
• Keep painting mediums, varnishes, and solvents upright in well-ventilated areas away from heat sources. Consider storing them in dedicated cabinets with spill-proof shelving. 

A Smart Solution for the Arts District Creator

Whether you actively show your art in the LA arts district or you’re still learning the basics, your art deserves to be protected and preserved. If you’re lucky enough to have a home studio, you may be able to store all your completed canvases and extra art supplies in your existing workspace. 

For everyone else, you’ll need to get a little more creative when it comes to art supplies storage. Perhaps you can store your supplies in an extra bedroom or home office. Just avoid spaces without climate control, such as the attic or garage. 

Another excellent art supply storage idea is to rent a climate-controlled self-storage space. A storage space will provide you with ample room to store your canvases upright in storage racks. You can also store your extra paints, brushes, and other art supplies out of the way until you need them. 

At Price Self Storage, we offer climate-controlled storage units at specific locations throughout California. We’re here to help you protect your priceless works of art. 

Search for your nearest Price Self Storage facility today.