How To Choose The Right Easel For Your Work

Easels are the most important and often expensive pieces of equipment in an artist's arsenal.  It's also critical to purchase an easel that is good-quality so it will last a lifetime and provide you with hours of enjoyment.

When getting ready to purchase an easel, you should understand that your selection will be personal and therefore can be a little difficult to choose what's right for you. You should ask yourself a few questions first, such as Where do you create your artwork?  What media do you work with? Do you have limited space or wide open spaces?  Here's a quick run through to help you choose what will work best for you.

Wooden A-Frame Easel:

Wooden A-frame easels are probably the best known and are named because they are triangular in shape, resembling the capital letter “A”.  The A-frame relies on the triangular footprint to create a sturdy platform for painting.  The single rear leg will allow you to place the easel in corners, on uneven ground, and works well for small spaces.

As far as height, wooden A-frames are usually relatively small so when loaded with a canvas or board, they can become quite top-heavy and fall over. Most A-frame models have the rear leg hinged at the top of the ease so it can lay flat for easy storage.

A-Frame Aluminium Easels:

This is the inexpensive, light-weight cousin to the wooden A-Frame easel.  It has sturdy aluminium legs that can be individually adjusted for uneven outdoor terrains.  Like the wooden A-Frame, aluminium A-frame easels have the triangular footprint and can become unstable and top-heavy when holding a heavy canvas or board. They are lightweight and will fold up into a very manageable size for storage.

H-Frame Easels:

They are designed with a square frame that looks like the capital letter “H”.  They are considered the most sturdy among studio easels.  The H-frame easel is bottom heavy by nature and features a wide four-point base which makes them resistant to side-to-side motions and front-to-back rocking, even when loaded with the largest size of a canvas. Most H-frame easels will release and fold so they can be somewhat flattened for storage.

Single Mast Wooden Easels:

The single mast easel does not have the A or H frame but instead has a single bar that runs up the centre and that's where you place canvas or board.  The legs can be individually set to adjust for uneven ground. This easel is very lightweight and portable.  They fold up to a good size for storing.