Choosing the right artist easel can make a real difference to how comfortably and confidently you work. From a compact tabletop easel for drawing and small paintings to a heavy-duty studio easel capable of supporting very large canvases, each style is designed for a different way of working.
The best easel for you will depend on your medium, available space, preferred working position, canvas size and whether you need something permanent or portable.
In this guide, we look at the main types of artist easels and some of the different options available in the Luca Easel & Storage range to help you find the right setup for your studio.
What Should You Look for When Choosing an Easel?
Before deciding on a particular style, consider how you normally work.
Think about:
- The maximum size of your artwork
- Whether you paint sitting or standing
- How much floor or table space you have
- Whether the easel needs to be portable
- Whether you need storage for paints and brushes
- The amount of height and angle adjustment you need
- Whether you work with canvas, boards or watercolour paper
- Whether the easel will stay permanently in your studio or needs to be packed away
Once you know these things, choosing between the different types of easels becomes much easier.
Tabletop Easels – Compact and Convenient
Tabletop easels are ideal when space is limited or you prefer working while seated. They sit directly on a table, desk or workbench and can usually be packed away much more easily than a full-sized studio easel.
They are particularly useful for smaller paintings, drawing, watercolour, classrooms and home studios.
Best for:
- Small artworks
- Beginners and students
- Drawing and painting at a desk
- Apartments and small studios
- Art classes and workshops
- Artists who need an easel that is easy to store
For a simple compact option, the Luca Foldable Triangle Desk Easel provides a convenient working support that can be folded away when not in use.
The Luca Square Table Easel is another excellent choice, particularly for drawing and watercolour.
If you want your easel and art materials together in one compact setup, there are two useful box-style options:
These are particularly practical for artists who don't have a permanent studio and need to pack their materials away after each painting session.
For miniature artwork or display purposes, the Luca Small Tripod Easel – 30cm provides an even more compact option.
Tripod Easels – Simple, Versatile and Easy to Position
Tripod easels use three points of support and are a popular choice when portability and a relatively small footprint are important.
Compared with a large H-frame studio easel, they are generally easier to reposition and store.
The Luca Heavy Duty Tripod Easel LW07C is made from premium beechwood and provides a more substantial tripod option for artists who want the simplicity of a tripod design with greater support for regular painting.
Best for:
- Home studios
- Students
- Small to medium canvases
- Multipurpose rooms
- Artists who need to move their easel regularly
A tripod easel can be an excellent step up from a tabletop easel without committing to the space required for a large studio model.
A-Frame & Lyre Easels – A Studio Favourite
A-frame easels, sometimes called lyre easels, have a triangular footprint supported by a rear leg.
They offer a good compromise between the stability of a studio easel and the space-saving benefits of a simpler design.
The Luca A Frame Forward-Style Easel can hold canvases up to approximately 123cm, making it a practical choice for many home studios.
Another option is the Luca Studio Lyre Easel LW08, a traditional beechwood studio easel with a streamlined design.
Best for:
- Home studios
- Students and practising artists
- Small to medium canvases
- Limited floor space
- Artists wanting a traditional standing easel
For artists who don't regularly work on very large canvases, an A-frame or lyre easel may provide all the support they need without taking over the studio.
H-Frame Easels – Stability for Serious Studio Work
For artists who have a dedicated painting space, an H-frame easel is one of the most popular choices.
The broad base and vertical construction provide greater stability than many lighter easel designs. This becomes especially valuable when working on larger canvases or using painting techniques that place more pressure on the surface.
The Luca H-Frame Artist & Display Easel LW02B provides a versatile option for both painting and presentation.
Artists requiring greater capacity can consider the Luca Heavy Duty Easel LDW01, which is designed to accommodate canvases up to approximately 220cm.
For a large studio where mobility is also important, the Luca Large Studio H-Frame Artist Easel with Wheels accommodates canvases up to approximately 215cm while allowing the easel to be repositioned around the studio more easily.
Best for:
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Oil and acrylic painting
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Dedicated studios
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Medium to very large canvases
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Regular painting
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Artists who prioritise stability
If your easel will stay permanently set up in your studio, an H-frame is often worth considering.
Watercolour Easels – When Working Angle Matters
Watercolour artists have different requirements from many oil and acrylic painters.
Because water moves across the paper, the angle of the working surface can influence washes, gradients and how pigments settle.
The Luca Watercolour Studio Easel LW10B is specifically designed to provide the angle flexibility required for watercolour work, including the ability to adjust the working surface towards a horizontal position.
Best for:
- Watercolour
- Gouache
- Drawing
- Mixed media
- Artists who frequently change their working angle
If you work across several mediums, the Luca Studio Easel with Multi-Angle Adjustment & Castor Wheels LW11 provides another versatile studio option.
Its multi-angle adjustment makes it particularly useful for artists who don't always want to work with their canvas in the traditional upright position.
French Box & Pochade Easels – For Plein Air Painting
If you enjoy painting outdoors, portability becomes just as important as stability.
French box and pochade easels are designed to create a portable painting workstation, allowing artists to carry materials and set up away from the studio.
The Luca French Box Easel with Wooden Palette & Shoulder Strap combines an easel, storage space and wooden palette in a portable beechwood design.
For artists wanting an even more compact outdoor painting setup, the Luca Artists' Pochade Box Easels are another excellent choice.
Best for:
- Plein air painting
- Landscape artists
- Travelling artists
- Workshops
- Painting holidays
- Artists who want storage and an easel in one
A pochade box is particularly useful when you want to travel light, while a French box easel provides a more traditional portable studio experience.
Large Studio Easels – For Large and Oversized Canvases
When you begin working on large canvases, the requirements of an easel change significantly.
Height is only part of the equation. A large studio easel also needs enough strength and stability to support the weight of the artwork while allowing you to position it comfortably.
For artists working at this scale, Luca offers several substantial studio options.
Luca Double Mast Grand Studio Easel
For particularly large and demanding studio work, the Luca Double Mast Grand Studio Easel sits at the top end of the Luca studio range.
Its double-mast construction provides additional support for oversized artwork, making it particularly suited to professional artists, art schools, ateliers and large studios.
For artists who regularly work on very large canvases, the additional support of a double-mast design can make a significant difference to the stability of the working surface.
Luca Grand Studio Easel with Cranking System
The Luca Grand Studio Easel with Cranking System is another professional studio option and accommodates canvases up to approximately 207cm.
The cranking system makes height adjustment considerably more convenient, particularly when working with larger or heavier canvases.
Instead of repeatedly lifting a substantial canvas manually, the artist can make controlled adjustments to bring different areas of the painting to a comfortable working height.
Luca Heavy Duty Easel LDW01
The Luca Heavy Duty Easel LDW01 is capable of holding canvases up to approximately 220cm and provides a substantial traditional studio setup.
This is an excellent choice for artists who want large-canvas capacity in a heavy-duty H-frame design.
Luca Large Studio H-Frame Easel with Wheels
The Luca Large Studio H-Frame Artist Easel with Wheels accommodates canvases up to approximately 215cm.
Its wheels are particularly useful in larger studios where an easel may need to be moved to change lighting conditions, create additional working space or reposition artwork for viewing.
Luca Multi-Angle Studio Easel
Artists who value flexibility should also consider the Luca Studio Easel with Multi-Angle Adjustment & Castor Wheels LW11.
The combination of adjustable working angles and castor wheels makes it a versatile option for artists working across different techniques and positions.
Display Easels – For Artworks, Exhibitions and Presentation
Not every easel is purchased primarily for painting.
Display easels are useful for presenting finished artwork in galleries, exhibitions, studios, retail environments, events and even at home.
The Luca French Rear-Support Easel can be used in studio and commercial display environments, providing an attractive wooden support for artwork.
The Luca French Display Easel is another option specifically suited to presenting finished pieces.
For smaller works, the Luca Small Tripod Easel can also be used to display miniature canvases, photographs, signs and other small pieces.
Which Artist Easel Is Right for You?
If you're still unsure, start with the way you work most often.
For small paintings or limited space:
Choose a tabletop or desk easel.
For a home studio:
Consider a tripod, A-frame or lyre easel.
For regular oil or acrylic painting:
An H-frame easel provides greater studio stability.
For watercolour:
Look for an easel that allows flatter and horizontal working angles.
For plein air painting:
Choose a French box or pochade easel.
For large canvases:
Consider a heavy-duty H-frame, grand studio or double-mast easel.
For maximum flexibility:
A multi-angle studio easel allows you to change your working position for different techniques.
For displaying finished artwork:
Choose a dedicated display easel or rear-support design.
Don't Forget Maximum Canvas Size
One of the most important specifications to check before purchasing an easel is its maximum canvas capacity.
It can be tempting to choose an easel based only on the canvas sizes you currently use. However, if you expect your work to become larger over time, choosing an easel with additional capacity can save you from having to upgrade again later.
The Luca range spans everything from miniature tabletop easels to substantial professional studio easels capable of supporting canvases over two metres high.
Do You Need a Portable or Permanent Easel?
Another important question is how often the easel will need to move.
If you have a dedicated studio and the easel can remain assembled, stability and working capacity may be more important than weight.
If you work in a shared room, attend classes or paint outdoors, portability becomes much more important.
Tabletop, tripod, French box and pochade easels are particularly useful when your painting setup needs to move with you.
For large studios, castor wheels can provide a useful compromise — giving you the stability of a substantial studio easel while still allowing it to be repositioned.
Choosing an Easel That Can Grow With Your Art
There isn't one perfect easel for every artist.
A watercolour painter working at a table has very different requirements from an oil painter creating two-metre canvases. Likewise, an artist travelling to paint landscapes outdoors needs something very different from an artist working permanently in a professional studio.
The best easel is one that suits your medium, canvas size, available space and preferred working position.
Before making your choice, think not only about what you paint today, but also where you would like your work to go in the future.
A well-chosen easel can become an important part of your studio and serve you for many years.
Explore Luca Artist Easels
From compact tabletop models and portable plein air easels to heavy-duty H-frame and professional double-mast studio easels, the Luca range offers options for beginners, students, practising artists and professional studios.
Shop the Complete Luca Easel & Storage Collection
Browse the range and compare sizes, working angles, canvas capacities and features to find the easel that best suits the way you create.
