How To Make an Artist Easel

Sooner or later, every artist finds themselves in serious need of an easel. Yet, traditional artist’s easels can easily range in price from $200 to 1,000 and many artists find themselves seeking out another alternative by building their own. Fortunately, the process is quick and simple and can be made in a single afternoon if left unpainted.

Items Needed:

• Two 1.5 inch by .5 inch boards cut to 75 inches long


• One 1.5 inch by .5 inch board cut to 72 inches long


• Two 1.5 inch by .5 inch boards cut to 50 inches long


• Three 6 inch long bolts with threading down entire length


• Three washers sized to fit the bolts.


• Three wing nuts sized to fit the bolts


• Table or hand saw


• Drill


• A sanding board like that possesses a fine gauge paper on one side and a rough gauge paper on the other.


• Sturdy, soft padded craft clamps.

Make the tripod.

1. Using your table or hand saw, carefully bevel one end of each of the 75-inch boards to ensure that they better fit against your centerboard when open and spread at an angle. These will be the outer legs of your tripod.


2. Brace the beveled ends of the boards firmly against either side of your 72-inch board and using your drill; run a bolt through all three of these boards and create a hole through all three pieces.


3. Remove the bolt again and sand the beveled ends of the 75-inch boards using rough gauge sandpaper. You can also use the sand paper to adjust or fine-tune the angle of the beveled ends so that they lay flush against the centerboard. If you plan on painting or staining the wood of your easel, now would be the time to do so. Allow to dry completely before continuing.


4. Replace the bolt through the drilled hole and slide a washer on to the bolt’s end and follow it with a wing nut. 


5. Tighten the wing nut on the bolt to loosely secure the boards together. Do not make too tight as you may wish to adjust the leg placement when attaching the cross brace.

Create the cross brace.

1. Brace your two pieces of 52-inch board tightly together side by side, making sure that each of the 1.5 inch surfaces are in contact with each other.


2. Drill two holes through the boards, the first one at the 18 inch point and the second at the 32 inch point and insert a bolt into each hole.


3. Slide a washer on to the end of each of the bolts on the cross brace and follow it with a wing nut. Tighten the wing nut a bit, but not too tightly. 


4. Set the assembled cross brace on the floor and place the legs of the tripod on the outside of either bolt within the cross brace opening. 


5. Lift the cross brace to your desired height on the tripod legs and tighten the bolts of the cross brace until quite snug. Your canvas can rest directly on the cross base for painting, or you can bring the bottom of the canvas out at an angle by resting it securely on the extended ends of the bolts. If you feel you need additional support, you can brace the canvas to the easel using a pair of sturdy, soft crafting clamps.