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easel?
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Message
Posted
Sorry to ask a stupid question, but on the basis that art suppliers are in it for themselves, not for me,...
what type of easel should I be looking for? I anticipate taping the paper to a board, but is this any old bit of flat ply which is then stood on an easel or is there a real "best" type? Should I go table top or stand up? I recently built myself a desk top book stand that holds books at about 50 degrees for reading, would this do?
I rather imagine the answer most of you are thinking is "twit, whats he asking that for?", but just in case...
D
Posted
It depends on what medium you will be using. Oil / Acrylic ? something sturdy to take large canvases. Also with the capacity to raise or lower your canvas, then you can either stand or sit. Water colour. I would go for a desk top version. or even just a board to tape my work to and prop it up from behind ( usually in may case a pile of books) at the angle you want it . Check out e bay. .
Posted
Although I do have two H-frame easels for oils (sometimes needed for the large canvases), I must confess that I'm less fussy when it comes to watercolours. I do like to work on an Imperial size, MDF or my last one was made for me out of 18/20mm laminated plywood. You do need to adjust the angle, and fairly quickly at times when controlling washes, down to horizontal on the desk, and for an angle I use anything to hand, be it books, Plaka jars, you name it, it does the job.
The desk easels do a good job I'm sure, but check on the angles before you buy one
Posted
My advice concerning easels is buy a metal aluminium model - much lighter than wood if you want to use it outdoors or at a Life class or tutored workshop as well as in the studio. Go to the Frank Herring and Sons web site for choice. They offer two aluminium easels. Their 'Versatile Easel' is the one I've used for over 20 years and would never be without it. Trouble is priced at £109 you might have to raise a mortgage to buy it! That was the question posed to me over the phone by Mr Herring when I bought mine years ago - then it was less than half its current price.
Their other alloy easel is a conventional three legged extendable type . Take the mast off the top and you could probably use it as a camera tripod. But that I think is the limit of it's versatility. That model sells at about £69. Frank Herring & Sons have a clear well-designed website that will help you make a choice.
Herring's once made an Aluminium 'Donkey' -used by a few of my friends. It had an adjustable mast at the front to support a board to hold a sheet of watercolour paper. You sat astride it to draw or paint. 'Donkeys' were standard items of furniture in School of Art 'life' rooms years ago. I don't think Herrings stock them any more.
Posted
Some few years ago I wanted an easel & the front-runners were the "Versatile" Easel which has been referred to, and the "David Potter".
I was persuaded to get the latter make but that too is certainly not cheap (£140). They are based in Norwich. I use the DP all the time in
the 'studio' where it can be used happily on a desk, or of course outside. It is mainly aluminium & not too heavy. Although I only use
watercolour I am told that it would be fine for the oil fraternity.
Posted
The aluminium easel mentioned by RobK is popular with many - light but also strong. It would be a very good choice especially if you like to paint outside.
Take a look at watercolourists online (YouTube) - Alan Owen, who uses a rather natty red painted metal easel, almost certainly aluminium, and Steve Cronin, who uses a wooden desktop of interesting design. For myself, as I can't easily manage painting outside and almost invariably work indoors, it's a sheet of quite heavy ply, propped up at an angle on a glass paperweight. I either stick the paper to that board with gummed tape if it needs stretching, or just held in place with masking tape if it's a heavier weight of paper. I do have a sketching easel, and a desktop, either of which I could use for watercolour (by attaching the board) but as it happens I don't think I ever have.
Syd's arrangement looks very practical and comfortable too.
(Should have added - I lay the painting board on a table; it doesn't need too steep an angle. There's also a sort of plastic coated wire frame device for table-top use, which you'll see professional painting demonstrators, eg Terry Harrison, use - The Painting and Drawing Channel, when i watched it, rather went in for those, which suggests the SAA with which it's connected, sells them.
Edited
by RobertJones
Posted
I have an adjustable table for indoor painting, very similar to a hospital over- bed table, I can slant it to whatever angle I require, and it has a ledge either side against which my drawing/painting board rests. Also have a W&N easel which adjusts to all angles...(bought second hand cheap) Afraid I am very economical in my equipment, I use a 4" x 4" wooden block to prop my drawing board against when I go to Art groups and classes, which I covered with the plastic non-slip sort of netting which comes on a roll and is cut to shape for tea trays, etc etc. Real Scrooge stuff!