Post 134: Where do the Easels Go?

Where do the Easels Go?

I've been shopping for a heavy-duty studio easel for some time now in the hope's of scoring a great deal on a great easel at starving-artist prices. Oh, I want it to fold up and bend every way imaginable including tilting and laying flat. I want it have locking wheels. And most assuredly be very stable - no shake, rattle and roll (except when needed to). It's good to have a dream...Maybe you need a great deal on an easel too?

Buying New Easels

I'm dreaming of an H-Frame Studio Easel (sing that to "White Christmas" please). I look at the online art websites and I look at Amazon and Wayfair. I read the easel reviews for the year. I browse my local Hobby Lobby and Michael's in person and online. For awhile it was so overwhelming because there are SO MANY choices. And oh my gosh, SO MANY prices! I've seen them from just under $100 to $6000 plus.

 

Anyone's Main Easel Considerations:

• Your budget
  
• Your space dimensions (pay special attention to the height!)
  
• Where you are using it - indoor and/or outdoor
  
• What size canvases do you plan to paint with it?
• What type of art you produce?

How much are you willing to spend on the easel you are considering? You can probably find an easel to fit your budget and needs if you do your homework.

What will fit best in the space you plan to use it in? You must look at the amount of floor space the easel uses as well as how high your ceilings are. Measure before you buy! Look at the footprint of the easel.

If you want to carry it outdoors to paint, you will need something portable and lightweight enough to get it where you need it AND not so light that it will blow away on a windy day.

Generally, what size canvas do you prefer to paint on? If you paint large canvases and you have high ceilings, great. You'll need an easel that is sturdy enough to handle that. 

Some easels have features that make it easier to work with depending on the medium you use. The tilt forward to the tilt to horizontal should be considered.

Types of Easels

Compact Easels

A-Frame or Lyre

Bench or Donkey Easels

Table Top

I-Frame or Single Mast

 

Outdoor and Portable Easels - Set these guys up anywhere

French 

Field

 

Heavy Duty Easels - the Mack Daddy of Easels

H Frame

Wall Mount 

 

Painting Stations / Taborets / Art Desks

Basically, art furniture

Stool or Chair?

Do you paint standing or seated or optionally both? Then you need a stool or chair, with or without a back, preferably with height adjustment.

 

 

Photo by Taylor Floyd Mews on Unsplash 

Easel Bells and Whistles Features to look for:

• Materials used - wood (beech, elm, oak, mahogany) or aluminum
  
• Stability
• Portability
  
• Ease of use 
• Size
  
• Tilt
  
• Ease of putting it together
• Weight
• Masts 1 or 2
  
• Adjustable height - minimum and maximum
  
• Ability to handle multiple canvases and/or very large canvases
  
• Quality hinges, lockable castors, floor levelers, knobs, ratchets, crank
  
• Storage space included
  
• Built in palette

Used Easels

Then there is the question of why can't I find a used easel, a nice easel that needs a new home? I watch Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist Northern Virginia to search for an easel that would suit my needs. So far, no luck. Maybe they get snatched up so fast that I miss it. 

But where do all the easels go when an artist no longer uses those easels? Do they pass them along to their kids or artist friends? Do they move them to the attic or the back of the garage for layers of dust to accumulate? -GASP- do they put them in yard sales?

Where do the used easels go?

 

 

Photo by Justyn Warner on Unsplash 

 I do need to make a decision on "the right easel for me" soon...back to the search...

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Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at 2230 B Tackett’s Mill Drive, Lake Ridge, VA 22192 on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4
AND at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

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Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.