Are you looking for an easel you can take with you anywhere? I’m an artist on the go and I absolutely love my portable artist easel.
I use the The Marquis Artists Desk Easel at home and I take it outside, to painting class, or anywhere.
If you’ve got an artist in your family, it’s a great gift. If YOU’RE the artist, it’s a great gift for you!
Compact & Portable
I’m one of those artists who prefers to paint while sitting on the sofa or outside on my balcony, rather than at a floor-standing easel. Instead, I set my easel up on a footstool next to me – wherever I am.
Portability goes even further for me than it may for some of you. I travel around the U.S. quite a bit, and I usually pack a canvas and this easel with me. It fits into my Honda nicely and holds all of my paints.
I also bring a little clear tote for my brushes, rags and turps. The tote seals in any smells, too. With this travel kit I can set up on a picnic table while camping or bring it to my family’s home.
Even if you’re an artist who doesn’t move around like I do, this easel works well just sitting on a table or desk. It adjusts up or down to suit the angle you prefer, and holds a nice sized canvas; I’ve used it with a 14″x18″ canvas, which is larger than the manufacturer suggests. (That said, if you like to work on really large paintings, a traditional easel, like the American Easel Oak Maestro Easel-Golden Finish may be a better fit for you.)
The beauty of this tabletop easel is that it’s lightweight and compact…and ready to go whenever you are.
Roomy and Secure Storage
The other feature I like is the amount of storage the sliding drawer provides. I have about 24 tubes of paint, and it holds all of them. And it’s versatile — whether you work in oils, acrylic or watercolor…you just pull the drawer out to the side and everything is nicely organized for you. I tend to be an ‘organized artist’ so I put all the reds and oranges in one section, the yellows in another, and so on.
To stay organized, you also want to make sure your paints stay organized when carrying the easel around. This easel has a clasp keeps the paint drawer closed. This way I can carry it around with me with no fear of spilling my paints.
Quality Construction
I’ve had my The Marquis Artists Easel for about 12 years now, and it’s still in great condition. In fact, I’d say it’s almost like new, excluding the paint smudges on it. It’s so durable because it’s constructed from wood, with metal plates where it joins together. This means that in order to break it, either the hard metal joints have to give in or a piece of the easel has to break in half. I doubt this would happen, since mine’s taken some abuse from me.
This easel is right for you if
You tend to paint on small to medium sized canvases, you’re a mobile painter, and you want a quality product at a reasonable price.
Description
This is a portable easel that folds, adjusting to four positions. The drawer latches securely for storage or during trips. Folded dimensions are 13-1/4 inches wide by 10-1/2 inches high by 2-3/4 inches deep. Includes a wooden palette that fits into the drawer.
Features and Benefits of the Marquis Artist Desk Easel:
- A portable miniature desk that converts to a painting easel
- Adjusts to four different positions
- Has a drawer with three compartments to hold brushes, and other essential gear
- Light-weight, yet sturdy
- Handle for ease in carrying
Accommodates canvas art and prints to size of approximately 11″H x 14″W.
If you’d like to learn more about the The Marquis Artists Desk Easel you can read more reviews on Amazon.
If instead you’re looking for larger, stationary easel I recommend you check out the American Easel Oak Maestro Easel-Golden Finish.
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this portable easel, and I hope I’ve given you some good tips for your painting setup!
Note: If you buy this easel on Amazon, I receive a small commission, but this arrangement does not increase your price.