Who makes a top quality, floor standing easel?
bchargnon
watercolor paper etc for a friend of mine. I don't know anything about
this, but want to find one that is well-constructed, sturdy and of good
design.
Can anyone tell me what to look for in a good easel? Do any brands warrant
special attention?
Thanks
Chris
Newt Gray
says...
>Can anyone tell me what to look for in a good easel? Do any brands warrant
>special attention?
It might help people give answers if they
know where you live. Brands that are available
in the USA may not be available in other
countries. If you haven't done so, do a
web search of art suppliers. You'll find an
endless array of available easels. There
are some really nice ones that can be
changed from vertical to horizontal (flat)
orientation, if that is what is needed.
My advice, FWIW, is don't buy any easel
that has only three legs. Make sure it has
a rectangular base or support layout.
That Guy Again
Well, *I* designed and built my own because the commercially available
ones just weren't satisfactory for my purposes. Seven feet of aluminum
and stainless steel, my easel looks like the catapult used for
launching clay pigeons. Yet it works beautifully, with an
opposite-threaded spine for clamping my canvases firmly. The lower jaw
has 2 knurled aluminum wheels, the top jaw has 1, and the 3 wheels
provide 3 good points for holding round, oval, square, rectangular,
and triangular canvases. Add a 4th wheel, and it will be able to grip
hex canvases as soon as those are invented. About the only thing it
lacks is a box for paints and brushes, but this is only because I keep
it in my studio where my materials are within reach.
Unfortunately no photos exist of this easel, but I can build you an
exact copy of it for $150 if you're interested.
Guy Richards
Eliska
>
>"bchargnon" <bch...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:5Zkia.20197$_14....@nwrdny02.gnilink.net...
I know you might want to surprise your friend, but easel preference is a personal thing.
At one point my boyfriend had an idea of something he wanted to purchase for my birthday.
He thought it was cool but it just didn't meet my needs.
You might want to discuss this with the artist
Helpful shopping tips -look for a display of the actual easel and check to see how sturdy
it is. Does it rock back and forth or slip on the floor? What about the crossbar that
holds the painting? Does that wobble. How securely is it fastened together.Look at and use
the hardware that raises and lowers the crossbar, How easy is it to operate.
How large does the artist paint. This will affect whether you but an easel with just one
vertical piece, two or three, and how broad the base should be. Check anything on the
easel that raises and lowers to see how easily it works.
These are suggestions for easels that hold canvases, but some of the principles would
apply to watercolor easels as well. I don't know anything about those. I paint watercolor
on my drafting table.
A lot of non-artists think that the French easel is the coolest thing since sliced bread.
Many artists I know hate them - find them too complicated to assemble and too rickety.
Happy shopping.
Eliska
Newt Gray
says...
>A lot of non-artists think that the French easel is the coolest thing since
slic
>ed bread.
>Many artists I know hate them - find them too complicated to assemble and too
ri
>ckety.
A French Easel is designed for FIELD use,
not for studio use! This thread specifically
requests information on "floor standing easel"
and of "top quality" at that! The presumption
is that it will be used in a studio, not for
plein air painting...
Going back to the French Easel, the "original"
design of same is lauded by those artists
I know, including myself, for it's usefulness
when painting "en plein air." The only thing
my French Easel lacks is an extension for
shading me and it! You can see how I managed
this 'lack' by viewing this:
Lauren Foster-MacLeod
>>
>>"bchargnon" <bch...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>news:5Zkia.20197$_14....@nwrdny02.gnilink.net...
>>> I'd like to buy a floor-standing easel for holding painting canvases,
>>> watercolor paper etc for a friend of mine. I don't know anything about
>>> this, but want to find one that is well-constructed, sturdy and of good
>>> design.
>
personal thing.
I agree. Ask the person you're buying it for. Better still, go to the art
supply stores together and check them out. It also depends on whether the
artist wants a portable easel or not. Those big studio easels are great
for going large paintings on in the studio, but I'd never want to trot one
around for Plein aire painting. Probably wouldn't even fit in the car! :)
Lauren
--
THE BLESSED BEE
www.blessedbee.com
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in...@blessedbee.com
Eliska
>In article <l9ok8vkavber7fs4k...@4ax.com>, eli...@tampabay.rr.com
>says...
>
>
>>A lot of non-artists think that the French easel is the coolest thing since
>slic
>>ed bread.
>>Many artists I know hate them - find them too complicated to assemble and too
>ri
>>ckety.
>
>A French Easel is designed for FIELD use,
>not for studio use! This thread specifically
>requests information on "floor standing easel"
>and of "top quality" at that! The presumption
>is that it will be used in a studio, not for
>plein air painting...
>
Therefore a French easel would not be appropriate, which is what I said.
You'd be amazed what a salesperson will try to sell a person.
I'm glad you like yours - still, many artists I know don't like them
-
>Going back to the French Easel, the "original"
>design of same is lauded by those artists
>I know, including myself, for it's usefulness
>when painting "en plein air." The only thing
>my French Easel lacks is an extension for
>shading me and it! You can see how I managed
>this 'lack' by viewing this:
>
>http://www.zianet.com/jaxart/bio/Pleinair.jpg
>
>
>
>
All that's missing now is the kitchen sink. <g>
Eliska
Marc Sabatella
> Therefore a French easel would not be appropriate, which is what I
said.
> You'd be amazed what a salesperson will try to sell a person.
>
> I'm glad you like yours - still, many artists I know don't like them
For what it's worth, I think they are not bad, but for my purposes,
heavier and bulkier than they need be. Also, the hardware outside the
box seems fragile to me, likely to snap off in transport if you aren't
careful. I am finding the Yarka Russian field easel an improvement in
all these respects. Although, putting the hardware inside the box means
you can't transport large canvases or boards directly on the easel. I
find this an acceptable tradeoff.
--------------
Marc Sabatella
ma...@outsideshore.com
Check out my latest CD, "Falling Grace"
Also "A Jazz Improvisation Primer", Sounds, Scores, & More:
http://www.outsideshore.com/