Designing your easel is the first step in the process. Look at easels in an art supply house for features you want to incorporate into your design.
Decide how tall you want your easel to be. Think about who is going to be using the easel. A child's easel needs to be much shorter than one used by an adult. It is possible to make the horizontal crosspiece or tray adjustable so that more than one person can enjoy the use of the easel.
You should also consider the portability of your easel. You can build one out of lightweight wood that's easy to fold up and take with you. Another option that allows great portability is to make a tabletop easel.
Another consideration is how functional you want the tray to be. For example, you might just want the crosspiece wide enough to set a canvas on. Or you might want your tray to be wide enough to hold your artist materials. It's possible to even make a detachable basket for the tray to hold art supplies.
Once you know what easel style you prefer, you can draw up design plans to scale. These plans can help you purchase the right amount of materials for your easel construction.
Choose a wood that's easy for you to work with and readily available. Pine is an inexpensive option, but you can choose something like cherry if you prefer. Even though you may choose to finish your wood easel, just remember it's eventually going to get paint spatters on it. For that reason, a cheaper wood may be a better choice. Just make sure the pieces you choose don't have any flaws or knotholes on them.
To put the easel together you're going to need some long bolts and washers, as well as some wood screws and eye screws. Wood glue can help give the easel added stability. If you plan to add a finish to your easel, choose paint or stain.
Cut the three legs of the easel. The back leg needs to be slightly longer. If you can't find wood that is a width you prefer, you can rip a wider piece into two pieces. Cut the tops of the two front legs at a 15-degree angle.
Hold the three legs together at the top. Measure and mark where you want to put the connecting bolt at the top of the easel. Drill a hole through all three pieces of wood. Use a long bolt to connect the three pieces of wood. Washers keep the wood from rubbing together. A wing nut instead of a regular nut can make it easier to set up and take down the easel.
Open the easel to the position you want. Mark where you wish to place the tray. Cut the tray to the desired width. If you want, you can router an indentation into the wood to hold the canvas. Attach the tray to the front legs. If you wish to have a backer for the easel to support your canvas, you can set a piece of 1/4-inch plywood on the tray.
To keep the back leg from slipping, measure the distance from the center of the tray to the back leg as the easel sets in open position. Attach a lightweight rope or chain between the two with small eye hooks.
Add finish to the easel if you desire.