1. Allow you to stand or sit, and to back up from the work.
2. Free up your non-painting hand.
3. Position the artwork close to your line of sight, and the palette close to the artwork.
4. Allow easy adjustments of height, slope, and angle.
5. Fit into a compact bag, large purse, or backpack.
6. Be super strong and light in weight (mine weighs just 12 ounces)
7. Set up and take down quickly.
8. Include a diffuser to soften the direct sunlight.
9. Resist being blown over by the wind.
10. Be easy to build from readily available materials.
The problem with traditional easels is that they are too heavy or cumbersome to be of much use for small works. Modern pochade easels that fit on camera tripods are an improvement. But, still, most of the ones on the market are more massive, complicated, or expensive than they need to be.
My homemade sketch easel fits on a standard camera tripod, which allows me to control the height and slope of the upper panel, where the painting surface is held to the panel by spring clamps. The lower panel is for the water cup and palette, which hold on by magnets. My palette is usually either a metal watercolor box or the steel lid of a colored pencil box, spray painted white.
A set of portable brushes hangs over the left hand page. The white surface above the painting is a ripstop nylon diffuser designed to shield just the painting and the palette. To reduce wind exposure, it’s no bigger than it needs to be.
More at the Facebook group called "Sketch Easel Builders,” linked in bio.
2. Free up your non-painting hand.
3. Position the artwork close to your line of sight, and the palette close to the artwork.
4. Allow easy adjustments of height, slope, and angle.
5. Fit into a compact bag, large purse, or backpack.
6. Be super strong and light in weight (mine weighs just 12 ounces)
7. Set up and take down quickly.
8. Include a diffuser to soften the direct sunlight.
9. Resist being blown over by the wind.
10. Be easy to build from readily available materials.
The problem with traditional easels is that they are too heavy or cumbersome to be of much use for small works. Modern pochade easels that fit on camera tripods are an improvement. But, still, most of the ones on the market are more massive, complicated, or expensive than they need to be.
My homemade sketch easel fits on a standard camera tripod, which allows me to control the height and slope of the upper panel, where the painting surface is held to the panel by spring clamps. The lower panel is for the water cup and palette, which hold on by magnets. My palette is usually either a metal watercolor box or the steel lid of a colored pencil box, spray painted white.A set of portable brushes hangs over the left hand page. The white surface above the painting is a ripstop nylon diffuser designed to shield just the painting and the palette. To reduce wind exposure, it’s no bigger than it needs to be.
More at the Facebook group called "Sketch Easel Builders,” linked in bio.
Gumroad tutorial: How to Make a Sketch Easel.
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