Your Guide To Selecting
Table Top Easels

If you're looking for ideas for table top easels, the choice is wide and it's very easy to end up with something that's nearly right for you - but not quite....

Yes, nearly right, because you realize, too late, that you should have got this or that feature on your easel to make your painting sessions so much more comfortable and enjoyable.

I've set out below some of the main features you should check out before buying.

You may not want all of them, but it should help you make a better decision when looking at the multitude of table top easels available.

After this, we look at some of the types of table top easels, so you can get a better sense of which one(s) may be right for you. Here we go.

Questions you may want to ask yourself include ...

Aluminium or Wooden? Aluminium table top easels generally fold down to a narrow 'tube' of metal strips. Wooden ones aren't so accommodating but usually still fold flat.

Weight is really only a factor in relation to the easel's stability on the work surface. Too light and you'll be chasing it across the table as you paint...

Look out for protective (and non-skid) rubber feet.

How wide an art canvas or drawing board will it comfortably take? Assume about two and a half times the width of the easel as a comfortable maximum.

And the maximum height/depth? Here the supplier normally tells you what this is.

Can it go from flat to vertical? Is it fully adjustable in between or is it angled by set increments?

Do you want a sketch box type easel that includes a drawer for art supplies?

Are you happy with an open support frame for canvas panels or boards or do you want a solid easel worktop to which watercolor paper could be taped?

Are you happy with the simplest functional item or do you want (say) a polished wood surface that is an attractive conversation piece in the home?

Does it need to clamp to a table?

Do you want the base of your canvas to sit slightly below table height?

Finally, of course, what's your budget? Table top easels can cost from under $10.00 to well over ten times this amount.

Now let's look at some of the table top easels available so you can better visualise the various features. This isn't by any means an exhaustive list and you may find something better.

But hopefully that's because you've read this and you're better informed...

A little too lightweight for some needs but a simple, inexpensive Economy Table Easel like this gets you started for around $10.

Couldn't be much simpler - a base with a groove for your canvas, elasticated clamp and away you go for under $20.00!

Only one painting angle possible, but lightweight aluminium folds down to nearly nothing for under $20 - including the extension bar. Even cheaper without it.

Ideal for watercolor or drawing paper etc. where you need a solid surface to work on. Incremental angling of board. Around $46.

Compact, stylish and sturdy. Limited canvas height of about 20", but it can be used as a wet canvas carrier if you're on an outdoor painting trip. Around $22.

If you need a minimalist table easel, clamp this to your worktop for under $40. Adjusts from horizontal to vertical and any angle in between. Clamps to table up to 2" thick.

Dropping the base of your canvas below table level can be really useful at times. Look out for this facility, which can be adjusted independently of the top clamp. This model doubles as a travel sketchbox at under $55.

Sturdy, stylishly produced in polished wood, you can have a quality piece of furniture as well as an easel. Fully adjustable and can take a canvas up to around 36" high. Around $120.

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