Anyone know anything about easels?

Hi all,

Going to try and make an easel for my girlfriend – but unfortunately I don’t know much about them. Had a look at a few online and in a shop, but some thoughts would be great.

It will be full sized (as opposed to tabletop), for painting canvases anything up to around 80 x 120cm (or maybe even bigger, I guessed that size). I am going to try and make it as easy to fold up/store/transport as easy.

For heights, I am thinking the bottom canvas support varies from anything between 50cm and 150cm, and the top support between 160cm and 200cm (she is about 165cm tall).

Thinking the bottom support will be adjustable in 3cm or so increments, and the top support will slide up and down and be tightened up with a knob (think that’s how most standard ones work).

Does that all sound OK?

Any other extras which would be useful? Canvas rack on rear, shelf for paints, lamp?

People who have used them before, what did you/didn’t you like about the ones you used? Stable? Good height? Easy to use? Any handy features?

I know it would be easy to copy the standard tripod design, but I would like to do something a bit different, and improve it if possible!

Many thanks,
Duane.

I use a four legged easel, a friend made it for me.

It’s got holes drilled in the forward facing legs which I insert dowels to rest my boards on. If the board is small, I’ll rest a piece of 2×1 across the dowels and then rest the board on top.

It’s super stable with nothing to go wrong.

The only benefit a three legged easel has is that if you are outdoors on uneven ground you can make it level.

A simple table is all you need to pit your paints, palette and gear on. You can get folding picnic tables for outdoor use.

It’s gonna need 2 bottle cages, a garmin mount, and clearance for mudguards if she plans to use it all year round. Full length cable routing would be a bonus, and don’t forget to future proof it in case she wants to go electronic at some point. And unless she’s competing, I’d concentrate on comfort rather than aero.

yeah man.. I would say don’t over complicate it

It’s a thing to hold a canvas in the right place.. I have an el cheapo basic telescopic tripod jobbie that is more than adequate..

If anything I would prefer it to be simpler

that’s ace McMoonter.. reminds me of school 🙂

reminds me of school

That’s how the blackboard was supported when I was at school.

There are a lot of plans available online. For instance, https://www.pinterest.com/decoartnut/artbuild-your-own-easel/%5B/url%5D

A highly active predator found throughout the United Kingdom and often confused with its close relative, the stoat. However, it is significantly smaller than the stoat, being the smallest European carnivore, and it never has a black tip to its tail. It also does not turn white in winter anywhere in Britain.

A highly active predator found throughout the United Kingdom and often confused with its close relative, the stoat. However, it is significantly smaller than the stoat, being the smallest European carnivore, and it never has a black tip to its tail. It also does not turn white in winter anywhere in Britain.

Wicked.

Easelly made, and s’toatally different to a mammal

I know it would be easy to copy the standard tripod design, but I would like to do something a bit different, and improve it if possible!

Depends on what you use the easel for – if you want to stand the canvas in a space and paint whats beyond it – like you would for a still life or a life drawing session then you need something free standing and either the trad 3 leg jobber or something like mounter’s 4 leg is what you’d need.

Moonter’s is simpler build but doesn’t pack away as small/narrow as the trad ones.

If you just need to hold the canvas to work on it then the simplest way is to make and A frame and lean it against the wall

Thanks for the replies guys – helpful and otherwise! 😛

I do like the idea of a super simple 4 leg easel. However, being realistic, it will probably spend more time packed away than up and out, so being able to pack down relatively small would be good.

I’m thinking some kind of cross between this;
http://www.cassart.co.uk/w_n/painting_accessories/winsor_newton_thames_radial_easel.htm#product-reviews

and

Need to figure out how to make it stable yet compact.

One other question – mcmoonter, yours doesn’t have a top canvas support – is that an issue? Have you ever had the work fall forwards?

Lastly – is there a normal/best angle for the canvas? In that video above the guy makes it vertical, whereas I’m guessing leaning back a bit is best?

Ta,
Duane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel

You can get easels from auctions for next to nothing.

Check out the general auctions in your area.

Don’t forget Gumtree.

But where’s the fun in that?! 🙂

Weasley

One other question – mcmoonter, yours doesn’t have a top canvas support – is that an issue? Have you ever had the work fall forwards?

Lastly – is there a normal/best angle for the canvas? In that video above the guy makes it vertical, whereas I’m guessing leaning back a bit is best?

Mine doesn’t need a top clamp, that’s partly because the top section is about two feet across, so it makes the board stable. A single spined support would probably need a support. I’ve never had a board tip forward. If it did need a clamp you could probably use a modified bungee over the top.

The two sides are linked with a rope like a kids blackboard, so I can adjust the tilt of the board too without any loss of stability.

The tilt is a personal thing. I don’t like things too vertical.

Any chance of a picture of yours without the painting mc?

Any chance of a picture of yours without the painting mc?

Here you go.

https://picasaweb.google.com/113038090087066024057/EaselDesign#

Amazing, many thanks. If you were painting a smaller canvas I guess you could just put a larger board behind it?

If you were painting a smaller canvas I guess you could just put a larger board behind it?

Yep. It’s much easier to modify an easel made for a big board to accommodate a small one than the other way around. That’s where the standard ones fail for me. I’ve painted boards eight feet by six down to eighteen inches square on mine.

Dragging this up again – how high do you all normally place the canvas – is there a rule of thumb? For example – two thirds of the way up the canvas in line with eye level – ?

Ta,
Duane.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/the-results-of-all-those-woodworkdiy-threads/page/2?replies=42#post-6885806