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I don’t have a lot of space for a hobby workshop. My home is very small, and my hobby space, which also is where I run this website and where I do my day job, is essentially this desk and two bookshelves on either side of it (not pictured). But I think that this is where most of us are. When we watch the professional painters on YouTube we get the impression that we should have a whole room dedicated to the hobby, but that’s just not realistic for most people.

I thought that I would show you the entire layout of my (messy) desk. Be assured: this is actually the really clean version of this desk. I may have OCD (I do) but neatness is not one of my compulsions.

So here is my hobby workshop in a limited space:

I am fortunate to have a very large desk. This thing is about 6 feet wide and 3 feet deep. It’s an ancient desk that was made in probably 1945 and I love the thing. It is virtually indestructible and, though it weighs a million pounds, it has ample drawer space and room to spread out.

You can see one of the problems with this hobby workshop in limited space: there is no backwall because there’s a window there. And, while I used to store stuff on the window sill, we have since gotten a cat and it has taken over that window sill, breaking many important things as he did so. So, there’s no back wall to store anything.

There is also a flaw with the desk and that’s that it is a little TOO big. It’s hard to make good use of the top right and left corners. The space behind the large monitor is empty, and the space in the top right I can’t reach without standing up and stretching. So, good for storage, but I can’t use the whole desk.

But let’s talk about what exactly the hobby workshop can contain.

Okay, so we’re on the left-hand side of the desk, and while I can’t talk about everything on there, here is some of the description of this hobby space.

#1. Neatfi 2200 Lumens Super Bright Desk Lamp

I had previously used a yellow-light ring light, and I thought that it was pretty great. It had a magnifying glass in the middle and it looked neat. But when I got a true-white light it completely changed the game. The arm on this lamp is perfectly flexible and long enough to reach where I need it. This light is a game changer, and I love it.

#2. 22″ ACER LED Monitor

I admit, this is a cheap monitor. But all I needed was a cheap monitor. It is the perfect size for my desk, and I use it for work and hobbying and blogging. But what makes the BIG difference is that I took it off its base and mounted it on a boom arm. So, I can move the monitor around–most importantly I can lower it down to cover the paints below and hides them. Really happy with that.

#3. Podcast with Brian McClellan

This has nothing to do with a hobby workshop in a limited space, but I am a big fan of author Brian McClellan. If you haven’t read his Powder Mage books, and you have an interest in fantasy Napoleonics, like Sludge or Silver Bayonet, then dive in.

#4. Nail Polish Racks

All of my paints, on both the left and right-hand sides of my desk, are in acrylic nail polish racks. They’re cheap, they’re perfectly sized for Citadel paints, and I love them.

#5. Kill Team Novitiates

This is just a shout out to some of the models I was painting at the time I took this picture (a couple weeks ago). These are the Sisters of Battle Novitiates that were released for Kill Team, but I bought them separately because I just really like all the Kill Team models (but don’t want the books and terrain).

#6. Citadel Painting Handle

You can barely see it, but just to the left of #6 is a model in the Citadel Painting Handle. I know there are other painting handles, and I know you can just use a down with poster tack, but honestly every time someone recommends to me to use poster tack, I tune out. It feels like way too much work when I can buy a good old painting handle for fourteen dollars.

#7 and #8. Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo

Nothing fancy here, but I’ve been using these for a long time and they stand up to a surprising amount of wear and tear.

#9. Citadel Flush Clippers

My Citadel flush clippers are never far away. They don’t fit well into the mug where I keep my brushes and I don’t want to store them in a drawer because I use them too much. So they’re always just on the side of the desk, easy to grab.

#10. Oil Paints for Oil Washes

I have written recently about how much I have fallen in love with oil washes, and these are the crappy place where I store my oil paints. They clearly don’t fit on a nail polish rack. I prefer Winsor and Newton. I’ve bought cheaper ones, and they weren’t as good.

#11. AK Interactive Streaking Grime

I’ve also written about how I tried Dirty Down Rust, didn’t like it, and retreated to the tried-and-true AK Interactive Streaking Grime. I don’t use it a ton now that I use oil washes, but I still like to keep it close.

#12. Micro Sol and Micro Set

This is where I store my Micro Sol and Micro Set. But I think the important thing to mention here is the fact that my laptop is up on a stand so that I can store stuff underneath it. Having that laptop raised up does not only make more storage space but it also is better ergonomically for long hours of work.

#13. Tamiya Extra Thin

This is Tamiya Extra Thin. You don’t need me to sell this to you. Everyone loves Tamiya Extra Thin.

#14. Wireless Bluetooth Ear Buds

In this small black case is my Bluetooth ear buds, which I love. They’re remarkably cheap–under forty dollars–and I got them to replace my $300 Bose noise canceling headphones because they were just too bulky for me. The noise quality isn’t significantly worse, and they have a pretty good range as I walk around my house and even out into the yard.

#15. A Whole Mess of Space Marines

There are some other models on here, but I 100% use my laptop keyboard as a shelf for storing the models I’m working on. And right now that means Space Marines.

#16. Lenovo IdeaPad Laptop

I love this laptop. It’s no gaming laptop, but as you can see in the photo, it runs Excel.

#17. Promised Neverland

A little Easter egg for people who follow my kid’s YouTube channel. We read manga and watch anime and make videos about it.

#18. Sarissa European Townhouse

I have mentioned that I’m developing a ruleset. This MDF kit from Sarissa is part of the playtesting. Sarissa is great, by the way.

#19. Kharadron Overlords Ironclad

This is the model that I wrote about when I started working with oil washes. I am really trying hard to fulfill my goals of having a full Age of Sigmar army by the end of the year and I thought it was going to be Kharadron Overlords, but I discovered I only liked the airships.

#20. Warcry Red Harvest terrain

I was really excited about this box, but I’ve really only been able to get myself to paint the terrain. I really love the terrain though.

#21. Desk Shelf

In an attempt to make more of my hobby workshop in limited space, I bought a shelf for storage. It hasn’t been as effective as I’d like, but it’s somewhat useful.