Have you ever gone shopping for easels and found the options of fall-apart folding easels vs. expensive hardwood calliopes, and thought “what the heck do artists buy?”
The answer might surprise you.
4×4 blocks
Many painters don’t use easels at all. For my biggest paintings, two 4x4x16” pieces of wood service nicely. They lift a painting off the floor to lean against the wall. If desired, drop cloths can be used to protect the floor from wet paint, or if it’s an unswept studio, to protect the wet paint from the floor.
For unstretched canvas: thumbtacks, pushpins, or staples are often used directly in the wall. This gives a nice solid surface, and keeps the canvas from bouncing every time you make a brush stroke, or sagging out as it’s worked.
For wood panels or smaller stretched canvases, many artists use a system of screws. Placed side-by-side and level, the hard edge of the screw heads grip the soft wood of the cradle to hold it in place without slipping. This gives a secure and solid surface, potentially allows the artist to work on more than one painting at a time, and allows the artist to view the works in a similar format to when they’ll be on the gallery wall.
If you’re fortunate to have north windows on the side wall, an added benefit is the diffusion of light coming in from the side. From this angle, there is minimal glare on the paintings.
Fran O’Neill’s studio
So there you have it. For some artists, the best easel is no easel at all. Unlike expensive, rickety, splay-footed easels, all of these systems save studio space, which can be even more valuable than money.
Fran O’Neill working on a pair of abstracts
Do you like your studio system? Send us a note, with pictures. We’d love to see!
Interested learning with Fran O’Neill and Jonathan Harkham? Check out their online classes, and sign up today! Class sizes are small and they’re likely to fill soon. Classes start September 23rd.
Dear Ruthie, Uh, there will be vulgar language and sexxxy images in WTF Resist! I mean, even more vulgar language than usual from me. It’s all in the name of art! But I thought you should know. Let me know if you have guidelines beyond what common sensitivity dictates. Thanks, Suzanne Dear Suzanne, Ok I’ll …
“Sketchbooks are a place for experimentation, self reflection, technical practice, and developing an artistic identity,” says Keith Pfeiffer, official sketchbook class instructor. (To be cheeky, we called it Advanced Doodling.) I asked Keith what his favorite sketchbook was. Here is what he said: “My favorite sketchbook is Moleskine sketchbook 9×12. The paper is smooth enough for clean …
[image_with_animation image_url=”7670″ alignment=”” animation=”Fade In” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Find a stone you can comfortably hold in your hand. Without looking at it, spend a few minutes exploring it with your hands. Close your eyes. Feel the weight of the stone, the shape and balance and texture of it. Get to know it as well as you …
Day 21 of our 30 day creative challenge in January was a transcription of Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne. The transcription didn’t have to be a copy, but I was looking for artists who were seeing the underlying story, structure, movement, and composition – as well as artists who took the inspiration into their own new …
Best Easel for Artists
Have you ever gone shopping for easels and found the options of fall-apart folding easels vs. expensive hardwood calliopes, and thought “what the heck do artists buy?”
The answer might surprise you.
Many painters don’t use easels at all. For my biggest paintings, two 4x4x16” pieces of wood service nicely. They lift a painting off the floor to lean against the wall. If desired, drop cloths can be used to protect the floor from wet paint, or if it’s an unswept studio, to protect the wet paint from the floor.
For unstretched canvas: thumbtacks, pushpins, or staples are often used directly in the wall. This gives a nice solid surface, and keeps the canvas from bouncing every time you make a brush stroke, or sagging out as it’s worked.
For wood panels or smaller stretched canvases, many artists use a system of screws. Placed side-by-side and level, the hard edge of the screw heads grip the soft wood of the cradle to hold it in place without slipping. This gives a secure and solid surface, potentially allows the artist to work on more than one painting at a time, and allows the artist to view the works in a similar format to when they’ll be on the gallery wall.
If you’re fortunate to have north windows on the side wall, an added benefit is the diffusion of light coming in from the side. From this angle, there is minimal glare on the paintings.
So there you have it. For some artists, the best easel is no easel at all. Unlike expensive, rickety, splay-footed easels, all of these systems save studio space, which can be even more valuable than money.
Do you like your studio system? Send us a note, with pictures. We’d love to see!
Interested learning with Fran O’Neill and Jonathan Harkham? Check out their online classes, and sign up today! Class sizes are small and they’re likely to fill soon. Classes start September 23rd.
Jonathan Harkham / Still Life begins 9/23
Fran O’Neill / Abstracts begins 9/23
Fran O’Neill / To Transcribe begins 10/24
Related Posts
Re: Resisting
Dear Ruthie, Uh, there will be vulgar language and sexxxy images in WTF Resist! I mean, even more vulgar language than usual from me. It’s all in the name of art! But I thought you should know. Let me know if you have guidelines beyond what common sensitivity dictates. Thanks, Suzanne Dear Suzanne, Ok I’ll …
Sketchbook
“Sketchbooks are a place for experimentation, self reflection, technical practice, and developing an artistic identity,” says Keith Pfeiffer, official sketchbook class instructor. (To be cheeky, we called it Advanced Doodling.) I asked Keith what his favorite sketchbook was. Here is what he said: “My favorite sketchbook is Moleskine sketchbook 9×12. The paper is smooth enough for clean …
SAL Challenge Day 13: Touch Senses, Drawing a Stone
[image_with_animation image_url=”7670″ alignment=”” animation=”Fade In” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Find a stone you can comfortably hold in your hand. Without looking at it, spend a few minutes exploring it with your hands. Close your eyes. Feel the weight of the stone, the shape and balance and texture of it. Get to know it as well as you …
30SAL Faves: Bacchus and Ariadne
Day 21 of our 30 day creative challenge in January was a transcription of Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne. The transcription didn’t have to be a copy, but I was looking for artists who were seeing the underlying story, structure, movement, and composition – as well as artists who took the inspiration into their own new …