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What should you pay attention to when buying a new easel? In this blog we have listed the most important criteria for an easel.
What wood do I need for an easeluse
Most easels are made of wood. Some easels can also be purchased as aluminum easels. But wood is a good choice to choose as a material.
The best, because least sensitive, is oiled beech wood. Scotch wood is also a good choice. Cheap or inexpensive easels are usually made of pine wood. Here there is a risk that the easel will warp over the months and years due to humidity, which can affect the functionality of the easel. So you have to make sure that the easel is made of oiled beech wood.
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How high should an easel be?
Also not unimportant is the question of how high a photo can be that can be placed on the easel and secured from above. For hobby artists and novice painters, a painting height of 120 cm is usually sufficient. You usually only paint larger paintings once you have some experience.
If you are already painting larger images, you should also pay attention to the width of the crossbar. This is the horizontal bar on which the statue rests. Especially when painting wide horizontal formats, painting at the ends can become quite baggy if the easel board is too narrow. A cross support of more than 50-55 cm is optimal.
An easel adjustable in height?
Although almost all easels offer this option, it should be mentioned here: The height adjustment of the crossbar (image support). Depending on the image format, the image can be moved to the desired height. This is onebasic function of a donkey. Some artist and table easels do not offer this option.
Many easels have a vertical bar with a slider at the top that can be adjusted in height. This allows a painting to be secured from above so that it rests stably on the crossbeam below and does not wobble back and forth while painting.
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Tray size
Many donkeys have a storage space under the crossbeamwhere you get your brushes, paint tubes, pots, etc. While professional painters usually have a cart to put their supplies on, this storage space can be very useful for amateur painters. Some wide easels even have drawers on the sides, others have brush holders on the sides.
The decisive factor is ultimately the type of use. A large, heavy studio easel is expensive and only recommended if you really have your own studio, i.e. a permanent painting workspace.
For everyone else, the question is how small the easel should be when you take it down and put it away. An artist's easel can be folded, but even then it remains relatively large and bulky. It is primarily intended for quick set-up and take-down - and for larger photo formats.
Those who paint smaller (or medium) formats (up to a maximum height of 100 cm) would do well to use a field easel. This can be pushed together very small - and also easily transported if you want to paint outside.
A field easel has a painting case integrated into the foldable field easel, in which you can store the painting utensilssuch as palette, paint tubes, brushes, etc.
Easel weight
The weight depends on the type of donkey. With a studio easel (also studio easel) it is good if it is as heavy as possible. Weight means stability. To be able to move it, it is best to be equipped with wheels.
A heavy academy easel is better if you want to paint large and heavy formats.
Otherwise, the lighter the better (but also the more unstable).
The question still arises with a studio easel: with a stool or without? Some models offer theability to push the image up and down. All other models have a hook that clicks into a metal rail. If you make large and heavy paintings - and don't have much strength, a stool is a good idea.
Conclusion: a lot to think about
There is a lot to consider when purchasing a new easel. The good thing is: this significantly reduces the very wide choice. The better you know what you want, the easier it will be to find the right easel.
Easel as a gift
If you don't know exactly what you want, because you are just starting to paint - or because it is a gift for a creative talent, we recommend a field easel. It is easy to assemble and disassemble, allows you to store it in a space-saving manner - and it is suitable for photo sizes up to 100 cm high. For beginners this is usually sufficient.
