Tips For Your LederEasel

When working on a watercolor and you want your painting surface to be parallel with the ground, rotate the easel ninety degrees on your tripod, so that the crosspieces are to the sides of your canvas instead of at the top and bottom. This will result in having the easel tubes out of the way, and not poking you in the stomach.

If there's a concern about the rods coming loose, you can place a few of the supplied "O" rings at the back ends of the rods protruding through the holes in the wooden crosspiece.

When conditions are windy or on a rocky terrain, you can secure your palette to the tripod by placing a board such as a 3/16" piece of plywood, an extra paint panel, or other flat material across the metal rods of the palette holder. Then, use the supplied bungee cords to stretch under the rods, hooking the cords onto the edges of your board or paintbox.

You can use a rubber band stretched across the two knobs on the easel crosspiece which would help them from coming loose, preventing the possibility of loss.

The upper slotted tube that attaches onto your tripod, can be used to support a small canvas or panel, up to 10" high, by adding the crosspiece from the bottom tube. You wouldn't need to use the bottom tube in this scenario, making for a small, compact set-up.

The palette holder can support twenty pounds when the weight is distributed straight down over the rods, but if a palette extends too far left, right, or forward, it can place stress on the wood crosspiece and possibly cause it to crack.

I suggest using a Masterson Palette Seal Box ( or similar) which measures 12" x 16". You can use a glass insert or disposable paint pad when using oils. Masterson also makes a box for watercolors.
If using a pastel box, I recommend a box such as the Dakota Deluxe Traveler - Small (or similar) which opens to 24" x 11.25".

If your tripod legs are slippery and the hooks on the palette holder need extra grip, you could cut the tips off from an old rubber glove, or piece of thin tubing, and slip them over the hooks, keeping them from sliding.