2) What is your medium? The angle you work at is a very important consideration. French easels are designed with an adjustable canvas holder for painting with oils. This surface, when folded flat, is used for painting watercolors. Many others are also adjustable from horizontal to beyond vertical. Unless you are just working with a single medium, the more adjustable your easel, the more useful it will be.

3) If portability is your priority, consider getting a light weight aluminum easel with telescoping legs. These are the lightest artist easels on the market and are very compact. Many artists swear by plein air easels. These are so popular with landscape artists and traveling artists, they often don't even consider another option. If these cleverly designed traveling artist boxes have a drawback, it is that they only hold limited sized canvases.

4) If you are going to be working with large canvases in a fixed location, consider getting a sturdy H-frame wood easel. These are solidly constructed and are the choice of most professionals. Because it is heavy are larger than most A-frame easels, only choose one of these if you have ample space for it. You will probably also want to an auxiliary field easel, such as a French easel or plein air easel.

5) Consider your personal comfort when choosing artist easels. Painting can be very relaxing or very exhausting, depending on your level of comfort. Many artists choose easels that can be height-adjusted depending on whether they wish to sit or stand. If you want to paint for extended periods of time or simply like the option of sitting or standing as you wish, one of these may be perfect for you.

If possible, try working with a few different artist easels to see how they feel. If this is not possible, imagine yourself painting with a couple of models that appeal to you. Does it have all the features you need? Does it please your aesthetic sensibilities? It is an important decision, so give it careful thought.