Artist in Residence

The American artist and self-confessed “packrat” shows us around his workspace and introduces his studio mate to the world

A spare bedroom in my house serves as my studio. This also means I have the luxury of a non-existent workday commute.

I’m a bit of a packrat – especially when it comes to books – and I have a habit of pulling various books from my library to reference in the middle of a project. This usually leads to miscellaneous stacks of books all around my studio. Having my studio in a separate room of the house means I can close the door behind me in the evening and not worry about tidying up.

Freelancing also gives me the flexibility to spend the daylight hours playing with my two-year-old son. I squeeze in my work whenever I can, with the bulk of my workday occurring after my son goes to bed. These late work-nights mean there’s always a pot of coffee near my easel.

Even with my odd hours, I try to maintain a bit of structure to my workday. Every evening when I sit down to work, I sketch a bit to get my gears turning. After that, I take care of any digital work that needs to be done. I’m primarily a traditional artist, but I often digitally work out my compositions and explore colour options.

Once I complete all of my computer work, I shift over to my main workstation, a Craftech Sienna Multimedia Center, and break out the paints. It can function as a drafting table or as an easel, and has an attached taboret side table and built-in drawer palette.

To the left of the workstation, I have an old drafting table that I use to set up any books or reference I may need for my paintings. Having this bit of structure among all the clutter – both in the layout of my studio and in my workflow – helps me lose myself in my paintings, and focus on the integrity of my brushwork and the overall quality of the image. Thomas is a former student at Watts Atelier of the Arts, where he now works. See more of his art at www.tombabbey.com.

A wall-mounted monitor provides me with easy access to the reference files on my computer. I generally work out my colour compositions digitally, and will pull them up on this screen to serve as a guide while I work. I use this small mirror constantly....

I try to utilise three-dimensional reference whenever possible. I pick up interesting figures, toys and models, and give them a coat of matte gray paint, giving them a mid-tone value that shows their form and is easy to light. My tendency to clutter my...