Art Alternatives Napa Table Easel & Book Stand

I bought this to use as an easel for painting. I work on a small scale, so I didn't need a standing easel or one that could accommodate large canvases. I WAS looking for something portable, however. There are many easels like this online - some are really bulky and include a drawer or two that can hold supplies, but I find that to be an unnecessary addition that reduces it's packability. With as many art supplies as I own, I need something that is space-saving, not bulky.Other easels seemed to be made poorly with wood that looked rough and possibly splinter-prone. This easel is smooth and well-made - no splinters! In fact, it would be pretty easy to clean with soap and water if you got paint on it. It also lays completely flat which is marvelous! I could put this in a tote bag when I'm painting outside or going to a class, or I could lay it flat on a shelf and hardly know it was there.If you're a person that likes to stand and paint, you might find this to be a bad choice. Plein-air painting would be difficult unless you plan on sitting somewhere. You could sit this on a table at home and paint while standing, but unless the table is high enough, you're in for some neck pain. It's worth purchasing, though, if you're new to painting and want something small to start out with, especially if you need it for an art class.As a side note, at most you could fit a 9x12 inch canvas or sketch pad on here before it loses its purpose as a functioning easel. Anything bigger and you'd have to hold onto your canvas while painting it so it doesn't tip, defeating the purpose.

This SAVED ME during law school. It's a lovely little easel. It has held up well for me since I purchased it three years ago, and made it through law school and a move. I used this for reading massive legal casebooks after I was getting headaches from such bad tension - spending most of your day hunched over a big book doesn't do much good for your neck and shoulders! This little easel was the perfect solution. It looks and feels to me like the pieces are solid wood, and it is sturdy and well-built. I've had to tighten the screws on the little arms over time, but that wasn't a big deal for me - I turned a lot of pages and moved those arms often. It holds books well, particularly my heavy, thick 1000+ page casebooks. Hasn't cracked, broken, or chipped. I put little chair leg pads on the bottom so it wouldn't leave any marks or scratches on my desk, just in case. I would recommend this, with foam stickers, chair pads, or something similar. On the whole, I thought this was a pretty high quality little table easel, especially for the price, and it has held up remarkably well after 3 years of law school (and 3 months of bar prep with more big, heavy books and long days!!). Highly recommend. Every law student should have this in their study setup, with their 500 highlighters and endless notes.

Well, I like this stand a great deal. It is perfect for my needs.BUT...Other reviewers have noted a flaw where the hinges screw into the base. Those screws are sized poorly, and the wood of the base splits right at those screws. They are right. Mine split like that the first time I opened the stand up, straight out of the box.. The only saving grace is that my usage was not typical, in that I didn't particularly want the base.I have a shelf on the wall, under which I slide my keyboard. I wanted a music stand to sit (or be mounted) on the shelf, to serve in playing that keyboard. A base made it a little bigger than I wanted, but also would give me some mobility. I was prepared to go either way.Turns out the decision was made for me. I could have glued the base back together, and refastened it with longer screws, but I chose to take the broken base off, and mount the hinges directly to my shelf, then I routed a groove for the prop--stand to hold the thing at the angle I wanted.The way I use it, it looks and works great. It is a nice looking piece, but that one flaw is fatal if you intend to use it as designed. I could not recommend it for that purpose, unless you were prepared to do a minor amount of woodworking to get it right.

I’m using this product to hold up my textbooks while taking notes for college, and I can already feel a difference in the strain on my neck from no longer crouching over a desk for hours at a time. Having the book off my desk at eye-level is game changing, especially when I’m taking hours worth of notes.This product also works as an iPad stand if needed, and folds up very nicely so I can take it to the library or anywhere else I’m going to study.

I love to read in bed and needed something that could hold both books and my Kindle. I had been using a metal book stand but it was unstable. For awhile I had been looking for a wooden one but their price was way too much. By chance I came across this one and decided to give it a try. Boy was I lucky. It is perfect.The stand is light, big enough that either a Kindle or a hand back or paper back book will nestle into the space and be held securely by the prongs if needed. Once I get myself settled whatever I am reading stay right where I placed it. Then when my husband goes to sleep I can adjust the stand to block out the light and there are no complaints about being kept awake. A real plus.For me this is a necessity. I have had several surgeries on my wrists and shoulder so holding anything while I read is not an option. Nor is it recommended for anyone if reading for any length of time. This made finding a good stand really important to me. This one by Art Alternatives is just perfect. Do yourself a favor, you deserve to enjoy your reading in comfort. An added benefit is it fits any sized cookbook just in case.

This little easel is easy to transport to go to a class, and sturdy enough to use on s regular basis.

I love this! Wish I had got it in the first year of my uni study instead of the last, easily packed flat, only issue is a very thick book may not be able to be held open my the little hands