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Updated: February 14, 2024
If you’re an artist, then you’ll know the importance of having a good and reliable easel stand. There are many different types and sizes of easels on the market, and deciding which one is ideal for you might be challenging.
Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned artist, we’ve done the work for you and hand-picked the best easels that will meet your needs. We will also be covering a few types of easel stands and their functionality, and guide you on how to pick the right type that best suits your art endeavour.
So, scroll down to learn more.
Featured image by Freepik
Table of contents
Best Easel Stands for Beginner and Emerging Artists
- ARTIFY Large A-Frame
- American Oak Yazhi A-Frame
- Miratuso A-Frame Painting Table Easel
- MEEDEN Studio H-Frame with Storage Drawer
- Blick Studio Light-Duty H-Frame Easel
- U.S. Art Supply Solana Table Easel
- Bob Ross 2-in-1 Studio Easel
Best Easel Stands for Professional Artists
- U.S. Art Supply Medium H-Frame
- Mont Marte Tilting Large H-Frame
- MABEF Basic Studio Easel (M-10D)
- MEEDEN Versatile H-Frame
- Blick Studio Convertible Easel
Best Easel Stands for Plein Air Painting
- U.S. Art Supply Field & Table Easel Set
- U.S. Art Supply Coronado Large French Style
- MABEF MBM-22 French Style
• Good to Know: Types of Easels
• How Do I Choose the Best Easel for My Painting?
• Other Resources
Best Easel Stands for Beginner and Emerging Artists
1. ARTIFY Large A-Frame
The ARTIFY A-Frame wooden easel is fully adjustable to different heights and angles, making it perfect for both beginner and experienced artists.
This easel is made from solid wood components that are meticulously polished to create a smooth protective layer that is especially resilient to cracking or damage. It comes with a storage tray deep enough to hold your brushes and other painting tools for convenient access. Whether you’re doing watercolor, acrylic or oil painting, this one is ideal for heavy usage.
ARTIFY provides great customer service too. If the easel has lost parts or is accidentally damaged, just notify them and you are guaranteed to get product replacements. That’s why it’s is our top pick.
What we like about this easel:
• Made from high-quality and solid beechwood
• The deep storage tray
• Lovely natural coated finish that’s water resistant.
2. American Oak Yazhi A-Frame
If you fancy a more traditional A-Frame easel, we recommend the American Easel Oak Yazhi Easel. Made from red oak – it’s another perfect beginner’s easel.
The non-slip rubber feet of this A-Frame easel helps to counteract any movement when painting. It is 60″(1.5m) tall and has an adjustable 12″ x 18″ inch” canvas holder that will hold up to 44″ inch” (1.1m) canvas. It comes fully assembled and folds flat for storage.
The lack of a tray on this easel stand (which may not be a major concern for some) and the smaller surface constraints are just a few compromises you’ll have with this easel.
What we like about this easel:
• Made from great quality oak wood
• Very sturdy stand that won’t wobble
• Comes fully assembled.
3. Miratuso A-Frame Painting Table Easel
You can paint with ease with this Miratuso Table Easel. It is designed with an A-frame structure for added stability, while the legs are fitted with anti-slip rubber pads. This portable table easel folds up nicely and is suitable for artists of all skill levels.
The height of this easel stand can be adjusted to accommodate canvases up to 21″ (53 cm) and is made of high-quality German beech wood that is environmentally friendly.
What we like about this easel:
• Very sturdy and multi-functional
• Space saving and portable
• No assembly required – just pull it out of the box and start using.
4. MEEDEN Studio H-Frame with Storage Drawer
MEEDEN calls this a back-to-basics light-duty easel. The MEEDEN Studio H-Frame easel is suitable for beginner to aspiring artists. You can easily adjust the canvas panel to adapt to different canvas sizes. This easel can also fit in a small studio.
It is fairly simple to put together (with an assembly video included) and has a nice built-in deep storage drawer to keep your art supplies together. Customers who bought it are extremely pleased with the quality of the easel.
What we like about this easel:
• Well designed
• Made from solid beech wood with fine finish
• The smooth sliding canvas panel that’s easy to adjust.
5. Blick Studio Light-Duty H-Frame Easel
The Blick Studio Light-Duty H-Frame easel offers a versatile design that allows you to adjust the height of the mast up to 99″ (2.5m) and tilt it back up to 8°. This flexibility enables you to personalize the easel to suit your preferred medium and painting style.
The easel can accommodate canvas sizes ranging from small to medium, with a maximum height of 48″ (1.2m). You can paint with ease on this easel whether standing up, or sitting down. It’s especially great for beginners who want to start with smaller canvases and gradually work their way up to larger canvas sizes.
Assembly is required, but it will be easy when you follow the instructions and watch the accompanying video.
What we like about this easel:
• Easy to assemble
• Space-saving and can hold large canvases
• Made with good quality beechwood with fine finish.
6. U.S. Art Supply Solana Table Easel
The Solana Adjustable Desk Table Easel by U.S. Art Supply is great for use by kids, students, as well as for advanced artists and professionals. The easel is made with hand sanded high quality aged beechwood from Germany.
It has a three-compartment storage drawer ideal for keeping art supplies organized while you paint, draw or sketch on the easel.
This sturdy, lightweight tabletop box easel can be set to four various angles and will hold canvas paintings and prints up to 11″ x 14″ (28cm x 36cm).
What we like about this easel:
• Sturdy and space-saving
• Budget-friendly
• Suitable for everyday use.
8. Bob Ross 2-in-1 Studio Easel
Ever wonder what easel did Bob Ross use as seen on the Bob Ross Netflix series? Well, it’s the Bob Ross 2-in-1 Studio Easel.
Made entirely of white baked enamel steel, this easel provides an incredibly strong and stable base. Apart from the brand popularity of this easel, some artists who bought it shared that their brush strokes improved significantly thanks to it’s four-legged base.
The easel has a long bottom shelf where you can place all of your art supplies including a bucket of water to clean your brushes. The top canvas holder can be adjusted to any angle, including forward or backward. It is also removable and portable, which you can use as a tabletop easel.
What we like about this easel:
• Easy to assemble
• Very sturdy stand
• Very spacious bottom shelf
• The detachable canvas holder that doubles as a tabletop easel.
Best Easel Stands for Professional Artists
1. U.S. Art Supply Medium H-Frame
Recommended by most professional artists, the U.S. Art Supply Medium H-Frame Easel is the best easel available on the market today in terms of quality and pricing. It sits on a robust, square base with lockable castors and is made of high-quality beechwood.
This easel can hold a canvas up to 48″ (1.2m) tall. It has a tilting flexibility beyond 90°. It’s also simple to tilt and adjust, and can be folded flat when not in use. There’s also a deep 22″ storage tray to hold your art tools while you paint. The wheels makes it easy to move the easel around your studio and can be locked in place.
The easel is easy to assemble. Just read the instructions carefully; and you will have the easel up and ready to go!
What we like about this easel:
• Stable lockable wheels
• Comes with 100% lifetime satisfaction guarantee
• Made of high-quality beechwood, this easel is very sturdy.
2. Mont Marte Tilting Large H-Frame
The Mont Marte Tilting Large H-Frame easel is especially suitable for artists who like to create large scale artworks. The easel itself can accommodate canvas sizes up to 78″ (approx. 2 meters) tall. It’s made of high-quality durable, solid wood with a natural oil finish.
It has a sturdy base made from brass plated steel that keeps the easel firmly grounded. The adjustable central column and a trigger action height adjustment allow easy tilting for best working angle.
If you want to get more comfortable with some of your artwork or add a layer of varnish to your painting, you can do all of that with this easel without having to worry about taking the surface off the easel.
This easel can be folded flat and ideal for indoor and outdoor use. You can paint in various mediums as well. Reasonably priced, it’s a worth while investment for experienced artists.
What we like about this easel:
• Very sturdy
• Handles large canvases well
• Made from high-quality and very solid wood.
3. MABEF Basic Studio Easel (M-10D)
The MABEF H-frame Basic Studio Easel quality built. Even the parts are of the finest quality. Sturdy and sleek, this Italian design easel supports various painting styles, large canvases and is ideal for professional and demanding artists.
The maximum canvas height on this oiled beech wood easel is 47.5″ (121cm). It comes in a kit that is simple to put together.
MABEF’s lifetime guarantee assures every artist who chooses their product, that it will last a lifetime. This is evident as some artists who had this easel for a long time shared that they are still using it!
The high-quality, aesthetic and robust build of this easel are the features that we loved the most. It’s a worthwhile investment for your long term art endeavour.
What we like about this easel:
• Handles large canvases well
• Easily adjustable height
• Made from high-quality solid beechwood, oiled and sanded.
4. MEEDEN Versatile H-Frame
This versatile MEEDEN Versatile Studio H-Frame Easel is made from finely handcrafted smooth beechwood finish. Artists who bought the easel are claiming that the wood quality and finish is superb.
You don’t necessarily need a studio to use this wooden H-Frame easel. When it’s time to move or store the easel, the robust base offers stability, yet the back support neatly folds.
It can accommodate a variety of canvas sizes. Three sliders allow for canvas heights of up to 77″ (approx. 2 meters) to be accommodated. You can easily change the angle of this H-frame easel from vertical to horizontal or any angle in between.
This MEEDEN easel is also suitable for beginner and intermediate artists.
What we like about this easel:
• Very easy to assemble with simple to understand instructions
• Versatile with adjustable height and angel
• Space-saving and easy to move around
• Made from high-quality beechwood and very sturdy.
5. Blick Studio Convertible Easel
The Blick Studio Convertible Easel can handle any painting mediums and painting techniques. It’s also suitable for painting while standing up.
The easel can be adjusted at various angles to accommodate oil, watercolor, acrylic painting and pastel work. Its quick-release hinges make it easier for you to do the angle adjustments.
You can work with larger canvases on this easel too, as it can accommodate up to 61” (1.55 m) in height and 22” (0.55 m) in width. Some assembly is required and we’d recommend a 2-person assembly for first time buyers.
If you’re a professional artist who work with a variety of mediums, this convertible easel will be a convenient and useful tool for you.
What we like about this easel:
• Versatile and sturdy
• Foldable and space-saving
• Made with good quality beechwood with fine finish.
Best Easel Stands for Plein Air Painting
1. U.S. Art Supply Field & Table Easel Set
The U.S. Art Supply Field & Table Easel Set is ideal for beginners.
In the supply kit, you will get 24 premium professional-grade vivid acrylic paint colors in 12ml tubes, an essential assortment of 34 styles of premium paint brushes, 2 stretched canvases, 6 canvas panels, plastic 10 well painting palette, 1 wooden paint palette, and a double-sided color mixing wheel. You can go painting right out of the box with this kit!
The aluminum field easel is great for en plein air painting and can hold canvases up to 35″ tall and 22″ (89cm x 56cm) wide, making it perfect for larger artworks.
As for the wooden table easel, it is perfect for studio use. The easel has a tilting mechanism that gives you complete control over the angle of your canvas or paper. It also has a tray to hold all your art supplies.
Novice painters who want to learn painting as a hobby will benefit greatly from this kit.
What we like about this easel:
• Excellent starter set for beginners
• The field easel comes in a portable carrying case
• The large drawer on the tabletop easel and paint palatte.
3. U.S. Art Supply Coronado Large French Style
If you fancy a French style easel for outdoor usage, then you will love this one by U.S. Art Supply. This Coronado Large French Style Easel adjusts to a maximum height of 72″ (1.8m), when it’s set up.
This easel can accommodate a wide range of art projects as it can hold canvases up to 34″ (86cm) tall. There’s also a leatherette handle and canvas shoulder strap for comfortable carrying. However, because of it’s large size, it’s a bit heavy if you’re going to take a long hike to paint with it.
But on the plus side, this easel has ample storage space. The large-capacity sketchbox can be divided into a four compartments with three removable dividing slats for adjusting compartment sizes. You can organize storage spaces for your brushes, paints, pencils and other tools. The drawer then shuts, locks in place, and folds for safe transportation.
It also looks beautiful as a standing easel in your room and can be converted into a tabletop easel in your studio. That’s why it’s our top pick.
What we like about this easel:
• Large storage space
• Beautifully designed and sturdy
• Comes with 100% lifetime satisfaction guarantee.
4. MABEF Full French Sketchbox Easel
Another high-quality MABEF easel that we love is the Full French Sketchbox Easel. It’s a small size and lightweight easel that folds up as a carrying case.
If you’re a landscape painter, this easel is worth your every penny. It’s suitable for outdoor use and some artists claim that this long-lasting easel can even withstand the rigors of winter.
This easel comes with a compact and beautiful sketch box with 4 compartments, a sliding drawer, and a wooden palette that also serves as a cover when the easel is folded up for transporting.
The easel’s adjustable legs make it simple to arrange your canvas in the best possible position, allowing you to work flat, vertically, or anywhere in between.
One reminder: If you have decided on buying this easel, make sure to avoid the knock offs. The original version comes with a leather handle. So make sure you are getting that.
What we like about this easel:
• Foldable and lightweight
• The adjustable canvas holder – from horizontal to vertical, you can draw or paint at any angle.
Good to Know: Types of Easels
As mentioned, there are several different easels to pick from. So before making your purchase, it’s good to familiarise yourself with the following types.
Image source: Artsupply.com
Compact Art Easels
A-Frame
This is the most commonly used easel by beginner, students and intermediate artists. Its movable bar design can handle a wide range of canvas sizes and is a reasonably priced option for budget-conscious artists. Plus, when they’re not in use, they’re simple to store.
Bench Easel
The bench easel is commonly used in art classes and is great for both drawing and painting while viewing a subject. It’s a no-nonsense choice, but it will take up a lot of space on the floor.
Tabletop Easel
Looking a lot like a scaled down A-Frame, tabletop easels are ideal for small scale paintings and are best for artists who only paint on occasion or who live in small spaces. It is one of the most affordable options available.
Portable Easels
French Easel
There’s no doubting the usefulness of the classic French easel when it comes to painting on the go. French easels are ideal for artists who wish to paint outside their studio and fold them down to a tiny briefcase-style form.
Field Easel
Field easels are designed to be portable and used for en plein air painting. These easels are typically medium or modest in size, with telescoping or folding legs and a tripod design.
Heavy-Duty Easels
H-Frame Easel
H-Frame easels have a strong base and sturdy frame. They are usually the largest and sturdiest of all easels. They don’t normally fold up, therefore they take up a lot more room in storage than conventional easels.
An H-frame easel is a wonderful investment if you have a dedicated studio because they are more solid and allow you to paint on larger canvases than other studio easels. A crank handle on some H-frame easels allows you to easily move the canvas rest up and down.
It is best used for commissioned paintings because of it’s ability to accommodate huge canvases and includes a variety of features like non-skid grips, and trays.
How Do I Choose the Best Easel for My Painting?
Now that you know about the different types of easels, how do you choose the best one for your needs? You’ll be able to make a more informed decision if you can answer these questions:
- What kind of paintings would I like to make?
- Do I require any additional features, such as an adjustable canvas height or a supply tray?
- Am I doing a small or a large scale painting?
- Is a portable easel required for on-location work, or can a stationary easel suffice?
- When the easel is not in use, how much space do I have to keep it?
- What type of composition or material do I want when choosing my easel?
- What is my budget?
This is our best assessment of easels that are all currently available in the market.
We hope you liked reading this guide as much as we did researching and writing it. We also hope that it helped you choose the best easel to fuel your creativity and passion.
Other Resources
Last but not least, we wanted to share the following articles that we think, will be an interesting read for you.
- How to Get Your Art into a Gallery: A Guide for the Aspiring Artist
- In Conversation With Loren Hall – Artist Who Develops His Own Painting Technique
- Treasure Found: Cinthia James Shares Her Art Journey and Guides You to Uncover Your Creative Identity
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