A painting easel is the quintessential accessory of a painter's studio. Nothing else defines the artist's domain like it. All other accessories can belong to practitioners of different crafts, from paints to solvents to brushes. However, an art easel with a canvas ready for the master's touch uniquely defines a visual artist's profession.
The image of the painting easel is a familiar one, from the large H-frames depicted in Old Master's works to the more slender tripods designed for fieldwork. A professional artist might need an assortment of easels to support the variety of sizes and types of paintings they would be called to do.
A miniature portrait would require a tabletop art easel to bring the small proportions of the work at eye level to the artist, while a large-scale landscape will demand the sturdiness and stability of the floor-size wooden easels.
Today, students, artists and hobbyists can find good quality easels for sale in craft stores, art stores, and of course online. The old-fashioned, sturdy, but heavy and hard-to-move wooden art easels, either H-frame or tripods, are available. Aluminum easels are another choice. Much lighter, they are appropriate for outdoor painting, as their weight allows for easy transport. Like photography tripods, these modern art easels are easily adjustable and can be used for presentations as well as to hold canvases and sketch pads.
For the younger set, toy manufacturers offer colorful easels for sale with large sheets or rolls of paper holders that preschoolers and first graders will enjoy covering in bright crayon art. Made of rounded plastic and sized for small children, they usually include a tray for supplies. However, children outgrow them quickly, and they cannot be adapted to tabletop usage.
Art easels are a useful, fun and often practical asset not only to professional artists, but to any creative family. Modern materials have made it possible to manufacture lightweight easels, easy to set up and store, and the availability of easels for sale in a wide range of outlets insures a satisfyingly large selection. Painting easels can be ordinary school supplies on a par with book bags and lunchboxes.