Feb 19, 2012

Nice Rack.

Get your mind out of the gutter, silly!

Today we are talking about DRYING racks!

One “must have” art room staple is the drying rack. Where there is paint, there must be a place to dry the paint! For the record, I LOVE my drying rack.

I opted for the model that holds 100 sheets. You’d be amazed at how many days this rack is filled by the end of the day. I see 6 groups each day, and chances that we’ve painted and or glued are pretty good. I wedge it between my drawers and paper cutter and can easily pull it out for easy student access.

I train students to do one thing, and one thing only, when putting their art on the drying rack. Start at the BOTTOM and work your way UP. This way I can fit 4 whole classes on the drying rack (remember how it fills up fast!). The red papers at the top are the “place mats” students use to put under smaller artworks so they don’t fall though. Students also use them to paint on to save the table. It works like a charm.

One amazing idea I found a long time ago, and still want to implement is this sign that Jodi from One Crayola Short. Isn’t it clever!? Click on the photo to see her whole post on this idea.

What other drying rack tricks do you have up your sleeve?

Stacia McCann

I have that rack, plus I have the one that hangs on a door and a rack that is half the size of the one that holds 100 sheets (so I guess a 50 sheeter?) Some days, all 3 of my drying racks are full. That’s a good day in the art room!!
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Jessica Balsley
  
  Yes, totally a sign of a good day in the art room!
Dawn Norris

I like the sign. I will have to make one to put by my small drying rack. I really miss my old drying rack. I use to have a hugh drying rack and I never had to worry about having enough room to place projects throughout the day. When the elementary art program at my school was cut last year and they used the art room for another classroom, the drying rack was disposed of. How wasteful!!!!!
Ingrid de Bree

I LOVE the Stop sign! I’m making one right now! I wish I had a dollar for every time I said that in class, I could retire! What a BRILLIANT idea!
http://www.tjartroom.blogger.com Christy

We use the ‘bottom-up’ rule, too – then I have clothespins marked with each class that I use to clip onto the top shelf of each class’s work to help me keep track of where one class’s work ends and the next begins – when I unload the racks I sometimes use the clothespins to clip the stack of work together until I can get it filed away onto the right shelf.
Katy

I am in the market for a drying rack now and didn’t know there was so many choices. Anywhere from $60 – $2,000 there are table top vs. wall mount, spring loaded vs. lock system, back-to-back vs. side-to-side, etc. What brand do you have? Do you really get what you pay for? Any advice you can give would be helpful.
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Jessica Balsley
  
  Looking back, this one was around 300-400 dollars. I prefer the wheels, and front and back storage. I don’t like the ones that flip up. I reccomend one just like mine.
Kristin

Could I get a better look at the drying rack you use? I need one in my room, but quite a bit of confusion on what to get. The ones on wheels all tilt. Is that good?
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Jessica Balsley
  
  Kristin,
  
  The racks do not move up and down themselves, but they do have a slight tilt up. This one is very close to the one I purchased. Hope it helps!
  Jessica