The best art easels
Painting flat on a table means a stiff neck and a picture seen at a slant: easels for the corner of a room, the kitchen table and painting outdoors, compared.
An easel holds a canvas or pad upright, at eye level and at the angle wanted, so what’s painted is what’s seen. Floor easels like the MEEDEN are for painting standing up in a room that can spare a corner; box easels sit on a table, carry paints inside and fold away, which suits a kitchen table or a day out.
The first thing to check is the tallest canvas it takes: from 43cm on the Daler-Rowney to 89cm on the MEEDEN. Beech is the wood to look for, hard and steady, and a drawer or compartments keep tubes and brushes by the easel rather than across the table. The Artworx comes with paints, canvases and brushes, for anyone starting from scratch.
What matters
- Floor or table: a studio easel for standing, a box easel for the table.
- The tallest canvas it takes, and how far it tilts.
- Somewhere for paints and brushes: a drawer or compartments.
- Hard, steady wood such as beech.
#1 of 4
Best overall
MEEDEN Studio H-Frame Easel with Storage Drawer
£89.95 RRP
A proper studio easel for painting standing up: a solid beech H-frame that adjusts from 152 to 191cm tall, holds canvases up to 89cm and keeps paints and brushes in a deep drawer under the tray.
What owners say: Owners find the solid wood frame far steadier than a tripod easel, and say it takes big canvases in its stride.
Heads up: It arrives flat-packed, so set aside time to put it together; MEEDEN has an assembly video to follow.
A closer look: The beech frame is heavy enough to stand firm, and its 43cm-square base fits the corner of a room without taking over. Slide the tray up or down to suit anything from a sketch board to a big canvas, and keep the paints in daily use in the drawer so they’re to hand at the easel.
- Solid beech H-frame
- Adjusts from 152 to 191cm
- Holds canvases up to 89cm
- Built-in storage drawer
- 43 x 43cm footprint
Best for: Painting standing up
- Type
- Floor, H-frame
- Tallest canvas
- 89cm
- Wood
- Solid beech
- Storage
- Drawer
- Paints included
- No
#2 of 4
Best starter set
Artworx Painting Set with Box Easel
£20–£30 Price range
Everything to start painting on canvas in one box: 24 acrylic colours, two 30 x 24cm canvases, six brushes, a palette, a palette knife and a tutorial guide, stored in a wooden box easel that takes canvases 30 to 57cm high.
What owners say: Owners like finding all they need to start in one box, and say the easel is sturdy yet small enough for a little table.
Heads up: The brushes are basic, so a couple of better synthetic brushes will get more from the paints once the first canvases are done.
A closer look: Start on one canvas while getting a feel for how quickly acrylic dries, with a jar of water beside the palette. Once the paints run out, the box carries on as a table easel for any canvas within its range, and the compartments hold whatever replaces them.
- 24 acrylic paints
- 2 canvases, 30 x 24cm
- 6 brushes, palette and knife
- Full-colour tutorial guide
- Takes canvases 30 to 57cm high
Best for: Starting to paint
- Type
- Table, box easel
- Tallest canvas
- 57cm
- Wood
- Wood, type not stated
- Storage
- Compartments
- Paints included
- 24 acrylics, 2 canvases
#3 of 4
Best for watercolour
Daler-Rowney Edinburgh Table Easel
£30–£50 Price range
A beech box easel for the kitchen table that tilts to any angle from upright to flat, with room inside for paints and brushes. Daler-Rowney traces its roots to 1783, when the brothers Thomas and Richard Rowney set up in London.
What owners say: Owners say it holds a board or pad steady at whatever angle they set, with space inside for paint tubes and brushes.
A closer look: Watercolour painters can lower the lid almost flat so washes don’t run, while oils and acrylics suit a steeper angle. Closed, it’s about the size of a large book, so it slides onto a shelf between sessions, and the dividers lift out to fit bigger tubes.
- FSC oiled beechwood
- Holds canvases up to 43cm
- Storage box, removable dividers
- Tilts from upright to flat
- Folds flat, with a carry handle
Best for: Painting at the table
- Type
- Table, box easel
- Tallest canvas
- 43cm
- Wood
- Beech, FSC, oiled
- Storage
- Box, removable dividers
- Paints included
- No
#4 of 4
Best for painting outdoors
Kuyal Box Easel Sketchbox
£20–£30 Price range
A beech sketchbox with a carry handle and two locking clasps, so paints and brushes travel inside it to the park or the coast, and the lid props up as an easel for pads and canvases up to 20 inches high.
What owners say: Owners like how sturdy it feels and how easily it carries, with the four compartments taking small paints and brushes.
A closer look: Closed, it’s 36 x 27cm, so it suits sketchbooks and small canvases rather than big boards. Check both clasps have clicked shut before lifting it by the handle, and wipe spilt paint off the beech before it dries.
- Beech box with carry handle
- Four storage compartments
- Two locking clasps
- Holds canvases up to 20in
- Closes to 36 x 27 x 8.5cm
Best for: Painting on location
- Type
- Table, box easel
- Tallest canvas
- 51cm (20in)
- Wood
- Beech
- Storage
- 4 compartments
- Paints included
- No
How they compare
| Feature | #1MEEDEN H-frame | #2Artworx easel set | #3Daler-Rowney Edinburgh | #4Kuyal sketchbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best starter set | Best for watercolour | Best for painting outdoors | |
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.6 |
| Price | £89.95 RRP | £20–£30 Price range | £30–£50 Price range | £20–£30 Price range |
| Type | Floor, H-frame | Table, box easel | Table, box easel | Table, box easel |
| Tallest canvas | 89cm | 57cm | 43cm | 51cm (20in) |
| Wood | Solid beech | Wood, type not stated | Beech, FSC, oiled | Beech |
| Storage | Drawer | Compartments | Box, removable dividers | 4 compartments |
| Paints included | No | 24 acrylics, 2 canvases | No | No |
| Best for | Painting standing up | Starting to paint | Painting at the table | Painting on location |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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