So you’ve got the right paints, the best brushes and canvases as far as the eye can see – all you need now is the perfect artists easel and you’re ready to create your first masterpiece! Whether you’re working in a studio space, spare room or the kitchen, a reliable easel can be a valuable piece of studio equipment. A good easel can help your posture and offers you a dedicated painting space. There’ll be no more clearing the dining table before you begin painting!

Artists easels come in all shapes and sizes – from large, sturdy studio easels to portable easels to take on your painting trips. You may have never used an easel before, even if you have been painting for a long time. Many artists come to use them first in a college or tutoring setting. Other artists may find that they do not need an easel at all. The most important thing to consider when selecting your easel is practicality. We’ll introduce you to the different types of easels that we stock, and give you some hints and tips that will help you select an easel that is best for you.

Before you buy your first easel it’s important to think about what you need from one. Where will you use your easel? What size is your work? Which painting mediums do you use? What is your painting style like? Are you comfortable standing at an easel or would you need to sit down? Do you have any accessibility issues that need to be taken into consideration? These are all questions you will need to ask yourself that will help you narrow down your choices.

Easels offer different benefits to different artists. Some artists that use easels find that their painting process is much freer. The distance between you and the easel allows for more freedom of movement. There won’t be the restriction to making movements just from the wrist. This is beneficial for artists who favour a loose, energetic style of painting. If you do paint energetically it would be wise to consider buying as sturdy an easel as you can afford. A wooden studio easel would be able to withstand the energy of your movements. A lightweight metal easel would be more unstable. If you are working on a small scale with delicate strokes this wouldn’t be as much of a problem. You will still need your easel to be sturdy, but you could get away with using a more lightweight version.

The environment in which you wish to paint will affect your choice of easel. If you are painting outdoors you will need something compact and portable. If you have a large studio then you may have more space for a sturdier easel. In a spare room you may need to move or store your easel when not in use. You will need something lightweight or even collapsible. Painting in a communal area may mean that you are only able to work from an table mountable easel.

Easels can only hold surfaces up to a maximum height. This is something you will need to double check before you make a purchase. The weight of your work may also be a factor you need to consider. Although most easels will hold canvases of a considerable weight, artists who work with large amounts of mediums, thick paint and collage may need to double check that their paintings do not go above this weight. If you regularly paint work on weighty canvas you would probably be best investing in a heavier studio easel.

Easels and Why They Should Be An Important Part of Any Artist’s Paraphernalia

Whenever you picture an artist, you always see him/her engrossed in their colorful world standing at an easel. Like many other essential materials for a good piece of art, an easel too is an undeniably important part of any artist’s gear. It is of course stress upon especially given the fact that it has been around for centuries, and that too hardly changed. So, lets see why does it hold such value.

An easel is a simple instrument used by artists to hold the canvas in the right position when painting or to display a work of art. The simplest of an easel design is typically tripod, with three upright posts joined at the top end. There are many different sizes and shapes of easels, such as A-frame, H-frame, table top, plein air etc. You can choose an easel that best suits your painting style, medium of use and your budget. Now the question arises is an easel really that necessary? Well, in my opinion it is, maybe not in every situation but mostly.

What are its uses?

In Studio

When working in a studio, you do not need to shift your easel too much. This makes it easier for using a painting easel that’s bulky and difficult too. While an H-frame easel takes up too much space and is only suitable for large studios, an A-frame easel is ideal for smaller studios too owing to its triangular base which can be hauled into a corner. A very small studio or if you are painting at home, then you must opt for a table top easel, which is also the best choice if you paint in watercolors. However, if you prefer to sit and paint then you can also go for bench easels, also known as art horses.

Portable

A portable easel is good if you usually like to paint plein-air. It can easily be folded, has a very lightweight frame and in many designs also holds an attached box to carry brushes, paints, pencils etc. In some of the designs, it may also come with a chair to help you paint when sitting down.

Display

Display easels are just that, easels meant solely to display paintings, as in a gallery or at an exhibition. Their framework is quite flimsy and cannot support you painting on a canvas mounted on it.

Best Metal Display Easels for Studios, Art Classes, Fairs, and More

Looking for a way to display your art or work on a painting or drawing? Light, foldable, and portable, steel display easels are great for classes, studio visits, fairs, and plein air painting or sketching. Made for easy carrying and quick storage, they’re essential equipment for artists and galleries. Some are tabletop models; others are meant for floor displays. Many can be adjusted to various heights and to support different-sized pieces. Browse our selection below to find the right steel easel to suit your needs.

Pujiang’s folding easels stand 63” tall. Constructed with spring-loaded joints, these easels are easy to put up, take down and adjust without tools. Each easel is made of lightweight tubular steel painted a glossy black. Rubber-tipped feet provide no-slip assurance. Support clips slide up and down to accommodate artworks of various widths. Perfect for trade shows, office presentations, and artist exhibits, each easel weighs only 2.5 pounds and can be folded into a 15″ bundle for easy storage and portability. This pack includes six black steel easels, making it a good choice for bulk buying.

What Is Acrylic Paint? – Acrylic Paint Uses, Ingredients, and More

Acrylic paint was developed in Germany in 1934 as a formula of water, acrylic resin, and particles of pigment. The discovery of a paint that had the combined qualities of oils and watercolor paints that could be diluted with water was a groundbreaking discovery. Initially, this radical new paint was sold as house paint, but in the mid-1950s artists began to experiment with it as a possible alternative to oil paints and other artists’ mediums.

How do I Frame a Painting Done on Canvas?

Many artists paint on stretched canvas, but once you've finished your painting how do you frame it? A typical frame is intended for a flat work of art, but there are several options for framing stretched canvas.

It is very easy to frame a stretched canvas. You don't need to remove the canvas from the stretchers to frame the painting. The frame sits on the edge of the stretched canvas as it would on a canvas board, and there is no need to protect it with glass. If the canvas stretchers have become warped, you can remove the finished painting and remount it, either on new stretchers or on a rigid support.

Firstly, you should know the outside dimensions of your painting and the type of frame that will look good with it. Standard sizes are the most economical; you will have to pay more if you purchase a custom frame. You want a frame that will complement your painting and not compete with it. Make sure to buy a frame that is made for the size of your painting if it is a standard size. If the frame isn't as deep as the canvas, you'll see part of the edge of the canvas if you're looking from the side.

To frame the canvas, you simply slip the painting into the frame from the back as usual. You can get canvas frame clips or offset clips for attaching a frame to a canvas from a hardware or frame store, or online. Artist Brian Rice uses bent pipe clamps, instead of buying offset clips, to secure a frame to a canvas. Simply drill the offset clips into the frame and your canvas will be secure within the frame.

It is not necessary, but sometimes a piece of paper is stuck on the back of the framed canvas using brown paper attached to the frame with double-sided tape to 'tidy up' the back of the canvas and stop dust collecting in it. If you do this, be sure to cut a hole in the back to allow the canvas to breathe so it can adjust to changes in ambient temperature and humidity.

You can also use a floater frame (occasionally referred to as an L-frame) to frame your painting. With these types of frames, there is a gap between the edge of the canvas and the frame such that the painting appears to be floating in the frame. The painting is inserted from the front and rests on a ledge of the frame to which the painting is screwed in through the back to the stretcher bars. These frames are available in various sizes and depths, including ones suitable for deep gallery-wrap canvasses.

If you're a real DIY person, you can also build your own frame. Inexpensive lattice is the right weight and width to start with. Cut the lattice to the correct lengths to form a frame, paint them as desired, and use wire nails or brads to fasten the pieces together around your stretched canvas.