now, where did I put that...?

Today I spent the latter half of the afternoon/evening packing things up for The Move. I never had any idea we had so much STUFF... I mean, we haven't been at this house that long, and yet we seem to have so much stuff to pack its unbelievable. This afternoon was earmarked for packing up books. By the end of the day... it kinda looked like this.


Between Greg's music books, and my years of accumulated breed journals, art books, and then both our general reading books... we probably have enough for a library. I tried going through it to weed out things I could toss, but I am a packrat, especially when it comes to reference photos. I just can't part with my photos!!

This actually brings up a really good point for those of you out there who paint, or sculpt, or draw, or want to get into painting, sculpting, drawing.... the most important thing you can have at your fingertips is an extensive morgue. A morgue is the collection of reference photos/images that you've collected over time that you may call upon to help you through a sticky spot or if you need inspiration. A properly catalogued and organized morgue is absolutely invaluable; although its not easy to keep that way. As you get in new pics, whether off line, or clipped out of journals/magazines, or photos you've taken yourself, organization is key to making the most out of your morgue.

I myself have found that the best way to keep things organized is through a variety of systems... I have all my Chronicles and Appaloosa Journals organized by date, which is sort of useful... but if something crosses by path that is REALLY interesting (like a cool color or pattern I come across) then I will rip out the page and keep it in a separate set of files. In this file folder there are different sections... Pinto (split further into tobiano, overo, extreme overo), appaloosa, chestnut, bay, etc etc. That way, if I need to find a particular muse or color for a project, I can access my reference right away. My computer files are organized in a similar way. Once you get enough reference pics, then you can break each catagory further, like Bay: dark bay, light bay, medium bay, bay with extreme dapples.

Its amazing how quickly photos will add up!!! So, keeping organized is the best way to keep your head on straight and keep you from going crazy when you are looking for a specific photo that you KNOW you have but can't seem to lay your hands on it.

Now for me to go and practice what I preach... 'cause my reference folders are pretty much a disaster area right now!! EEK!!