Working at an Easel

Daily Objective:  To experiment working at an easel or work horse. To practice mark making using the entire arm. 

In Art II, we lean new artistic behaviors such as learning how to work standing up at an easel or using a work horse.  What are the advantages of using an easel?

• You can work larger
• You can step back from your work
• You can improve your mark making by using your entire arm
• Your paper can be held vertically instead of horizontally as on a table

In class today, we will practice setting up an easel and using it.  You will learn how to place the easel according to the subject that you are working on.  As you progress, you'll find that you need to stand back constantly to look at your picture and see how it's developing.  You need to look at it from its normal viewing distance to identify problems and assess solutions. An easel provides you with the right physical perspective of viewing the canvas at the angle and height at which it will eventually be hung. By placing the canvas on the easel, you are free to step back and gain a better perspective of your project, allowing you to correct any mistakes before they are made, so as to avoid possibly ruining your drawing/painting.

---