Field and sketching easels are designed to be lightweight yet sturdy, and ideal for taking out of doors. They tend to be designed with telescopic legs that can be pulled out full if you like to work standing up, or partially to get the right height for work sitting down. Field easels are either made out of metal (aluminium) or wood, and when closed usually have a strap that holds all the legs together. They are a lot cheaper than studio easels, and they are less stable, with a greater limitation on the size of canvas or board it can accommodate. Be sure to check the specifications before purchasing. Some sketching easels come with a box attached, which makes carrying all your paints and brushes a lot easier as well. The Jackson’s Academy Half sized French style box easel has a drawer just underneath the canvas ledge, making it really easy to reach your paints and other art materials. The lids of many of these box field easels can double up as a palette.
PROS: Lightweight, easy to transport, good for art classes, relatively cheap, very practical
CONS: Can be unstable, can be a little fiddly to put up
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