32 ArtistDrawingandInspirationProduct FeatureChoosingtherighteaselis anintegral
partofthepaintingprocess.The
importanceofhavingthecorrecteasel
is oftenoverlookedbuthavinga firm
andsteadyeaselcanbeasimportant
tothefinishedpaintingaschoosing
thecorrectpaint,canvasorbrush.
Oneofthefirstconsiderations
whenselectinganeaselis thetypeof
materialit is constructedfrom.Timber
is primarilyusedforthemajority
ofeaselsalthoughsomeeaselsare
constructedfromaluminium.Whatever
materialis used,theobjectis tocreate
aneaselthatdoesn’tmove,shakeor
vibratewheninuse.NorthAmerican
RedOak,oranyOakforthatmatter
is thefinestmaterialforconstructing
easels.It is anextremelyhardwood,
soglueandscrewsdonotcomeloose
onceapplied.Thecolour,grainand
overallappearanceofOakcombined
withitsstrengthandhardnessmakeit
theidealtimberforeaselmanufacture.
Themajorityofeaselsonthe
markettodayareconstructedfrom
Beechwood.Beechis a softerwood
thanOaksoscrewshavea tendency
toloosenovertimeandcause
theeaseltoshakeandvibrate.
Thenew‘Lyptus’wood,a naturally
occurringhybridofEucalyptus
GrandisandEucalyptusUrophylla
(bothAustraliannatives)is comparable
toOakinstrengthandhardness.Lyptuswoodhasa straightgrainand
fine,eventexture.Asit is plantation
grown,thetreesarehand-pruned
throughouttheirgrowthyearsleading
toveryuniformwoodwithfewknots.
Aluminiumis generallyusedfor
fieldeasels.It is lightweight,strong
andresistanttotheelements.
Therearemanytypesofeaselsfor
differentapplications– painting,pastel
work,indoororoutdooruse.Easels
aredesignedina varietyofstylesto
accommodatemanydifferentways
artistswork.Therearefivestylesof
easels,TheTableEasel,theTripodor
Fieldeasel,theBoxorFrenchStyle
Easel,theLyre(A-Frame)Easeland
theStudio(H-Frame)Easel.There
area numberofvariationstoeachof
thesethatofferdifferenttiltsettings,
storageoptionsandsizecapabilities.
S&Sstocksa widevariety
ofeaselsforeveryonefromthe
beginner,studentandhobbyistright
throughtotheprofessionalartist.TableEasel- Asthenamesuggests,
is a smalleaselthatfitsontoa table
top.Tabletopeaselsaregenerally
scaled-downversionsofa tripod,
lyre,studioorboxeaselalthough
therearesomesuchastheDaler-
RowneyArtspherewhichhavebeen
specificallydesignedfortableuse.
Idealwherespaceis anissue.lyreora-FrameEasel- Triangular
shapedeaselswith2 frontlegsand
singlerearlegthatformtheshapeof
an“A”wheninuse.Thesinglerear
legis collapsibleonmosttypesof
Lyreeaselsallowingforeasystorage
andforuseincornersandtightspaces.
Generally,A-frameeaselsdonottilt
forwardofthepaintingsurface.Tripod/FieldEasel- Generally
easytohandleandfoldup.
Theyarelightweight,portable
andsinglemasted.Theydonot
providethestabilityoftheLyre
orH-Frameeaselsbuttheirlight
weightandeaseoftransport
makesthemidealforfielduse.French/boxEasel- A 3-in-1easel
comprisinga sketchbox,aneasel,and
a canvascarrier.Theyarelightweight
andportableandallowyoutocarry
paintingmaterialseasilyintothefield.
Theangleat whichyouworkcanbe
variedbetweenverticalandhorizontal.studioEasel– Alsoknownasan
H-Frameeasel,theseeaselsarebased
onright-angles.Allpostsaregenerally
parallelto eachotherwitha sturdy
rectangularbase.Studioeaselscan
accommodatemuchlargercanvases
thanothereaselsandoftenhavecrank
adjustmentsandpainttrays.Mostoffer
a forwardtiltmakingthemevenmore
convenientforpainters.Studioeaselsare
stableandsturdyandavailablein many
variationsincludingdoublemasts.JullianEasels
ThenameJullianis synonymouswith
easeldesignandconstruction.They
countedamongthemostprestigious
easelsintheworld.DuringtheSecond
WorldWar,RogerJullian,a French
prisonerofwar,devotedhimselfto
designingtheperfectSketchbox
easel.Whenthewarended,Jullian
returnedtoFranceandformedthe
JulianCompany,employingFrench
craftsmentoproducetheoriginal
FrenchBoxeasel– nowthemost
popularandmostcopied(butnever
replicated)easelintheworld!Jullian
Easelshavebeenthepreferredchoice
ofartistsformorethan 60 years.JullianParisArtistCollection
JullianJb 45FrenchboxEasel
TheoriginalFrenchboxeasel.
Designedfortravelling,theJB 45
stillsetsthestandardforpleinair
easeldesign.Manufacturedfrom
premiumqualityBeechwoodwith
rivetedmajormetalpartstoensure
lifetimedurability,theJB 45 features
a deep,metallinedboxinteriorand
a 3 compartmentdrawer,a high
qualitystitchedleathershoulderstrap,
handleandnameholder.TheJB 45 is
renownedforitsstabilityandcomes
suppliedwitha Jullianbackpack/EasElsaTs&sJB40
JB40CarryingBag