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Does It Matter What Medium I'm Using?

If you paint only with watercolors, you probably will want an easel which will only hold your work horizontal. But if you use different mediums such as pastels, pencil and oils, look for something that'll be easy to adjust the angle at which you're working. A good choice would be the TRIDENT Euro French Easel as long as you do not intend to paint on canvases larger than 33”. If you only paint with Oils, you should be looking for an easel that will hold your paintings vertically or near vertical because they will collect less dust. Acrylics dry fast enough for dust not to be a real problem.

Display, Sketching and Portable Easels

Display easels like the TRIDENT Dartmouth easel are made for showing a painting without the risk of falling over, they are built with a wide base. It is important to check how small the easel folds down. Other easels are also useful for propping up paintings so as to dry properly. You can use pastels, watercolor and oils with the new TRIDENT Chariot. The brother to this great design is the TRIDENT Caravaggio. The Caravaggio comes with the finest knobs u will find anywhere. This easel is strong and will take punishment. 

Table-Top Easels

If space is an issue these are great as they don't take up floor space and some of these easels can be folded up. Available in various sizes and configurations, including ones that are scaled-down versions of floor-standing easels, tripod easels (three-legged), and a few with storage boxes. These particular designs will not accept large-scale canvases. The ease of painting also depends on the height of your work surface; be cautious of having bend down to paint.

Sketch Box or Paint Box Easels

Variations on a table-top easel, these have a box in which to store your painting supplies. The lid of the TRIDENT Emperor box has a lip on which to stand your canvas. If you are just starting out, consider buying one that comes with paints, brushes, etc, inside.

French Easels

A French easel is a three-in-one easel: a sketch-box, an easel, and a canvas carrier. The sketch-box holds your painting supplies and palette and the TRIDENT El Greco French Easel has a lower compartment; the legs and canvas-holding arm collapse to make it easy to carry; the canvas holder can double as a canvas carrier. The angle on an El Greco French Easel at which you work can be varied between vertical and horizontal.

Studio Easels

The ones with a square foot are more stable than the ones with three legs (two at the front, one at the back) but these easels were not designed to fold up or prop against a wall. The size of canvas you use more often is the size canvas that should be your guide to selecting the size of your easel. Don’t go overboard and spend a lot of money on super sizing your choice. Studio easels can get really huge, heavy, and cumbersome with gadgets that you will never use. Some retailers sell them for outlandish amounts of money. Save your hard earned money. A studio easel like the TRIDENT Avignon H-Frame is large and attractive and it comes with a beautiful hinged storage compartment. The Avignon easel can accommodate big canvases with ease. Another easel that can handle project is the TRIDENT Galeria, with its' large mast, it can accommodate large canvases and with ease.