There's more to painting than just paint, brushes, and canvas. This article covers some tools and supplies that you need or may find useful depending on your working style.
You need an easel. Get the heaviest one you can find so that it doesn't walk away from you as you paint. Some other options are floor easels or Julian (or French) easels for outdoor painting. Prices for this piece of equipment are $20 for a tabletop and over $100 for a full-sized easel. If you're resourceful, you can rig up something that works for you.
Positioning your painting surface at the correct angle for working is absolutely necessary. When you look at your canvas, the surface should be parallel to your face. So, an easel, or something you rig up yourself that does the same thing, is essential. Here are some options for easels:
To begin with, try propping your canvas against a heavy box on your work table. If your work surface is slick and the painting is sliding, try making a stop by duct-taping a piece of wood to the table.
Look for paint boxes with easels built into them.
A floor easel is great, but it can be expensive and it takes up a lot of room if you don't have a separate area for your work. If you find an inexpensive model made of three sticks that are 1 to 2 inches in thickness, don't bother wasting your money. This model skitters around the floor as you work and collapses unexpectedly. Go to an art supply store and try out the floor easels to see which works best for you.
