When painting, it's important to establish a strong horizon line. Something that anchors your painting, and keeps the viewer from feeling off balance. This means that you need to have your canvas perfectly level, so you can judge your lines accordingly.
I have developed a pretty good knack for this, and I can often calibrate my canvas just by eyeballing it. But sometimes extra help is needed. Interestingly, the most difficult place for me to keep my canvas level is inside my studio. The studio is in an old factory building, and the wood floors are very uneven. I might move my easel slightly, and find that suddenly the canvas is all askew. To the rescue--my trusty level! And a few handy shims to make adjustments.
Some easels and tripods come with built-in levels. Or you can purchase a small, lightweight, inexpensive one at the hardware store. I am hereby officially adding the level to my "Tools of the Trade" series--you can check out some other favorites by clicking on these links: my drawer-turned-palette; my still life stage; my camera; and my mirror. The toolkit is getting full...
I have developed a pretty good knack for this, and I can often calibrate my canvas just by eyeballing it. But sometimes extra help is needed. Interestingly, the most difficult place for me to keep my canvas level is inside my studio. The studio is in an old factory building, and the wood floors are very uneven. I might move my easel slightly, and find that suddenly the canvas is all askew. To the rescue--my trusty level! And a few handy shims to make adjustments.
Some easels and tripods come with built-in levels. Or you can purchase a small, lightweight, inexpensive one at the hardware store. I am hereby officially adding the level to my "Tools of the Trade" series--you can check out some other favorites by clicking on these links: my drawer-turned-palette; my still life stage; my camera; and my mirror. The toolkit is getting full...
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