I have been at war with my equipment since my first drawing. Many of my easels seemed as if they were trying to run away from me as I drew on them. One would begin to sway and rock so wildly, I could hardly draw on it as it went by. I needed a special sound system just to drown out its groans and squeaks.

Another easel attacked me in the middle of my presentation by dropping a screen on my head. I wrestled it to the floor just in time for an over head glue bar to stick in my hair. I pulled long and hard to remove that bar. This produced a Mohawk hair style for the rest of the event.

I must confess, I have often spent time praying for protection from my equipment. I have greatly enjoyed the stories of those miraculously delivered by God from lesser easel designs. Some designs make us wish US patents were easier to get, to protect others from the same mistakes. For this reason, this book is copyrighted.

I wish I could call this book, "Easels made easy", but there is nothing easy about making a sturdy, lightweight, portable easel with conventional tools and a limited budget. The best I can hope for is to share practical designs that have been effectively used over the last 60 years.

Chalk Art is centuries old. It is rich with a wonderful heritage of pioneers who carried their easels on horseback to the town square, the meeting hall and the church house. They easily captured the imagination with the simplest of tools.

Each artist discovers new ideas for equipment. Some insist their prototype is best yet rarely are two easels exactly alike. Some merit can be found in almost every design, if you look hard enough.

Only simple plans are given in this book, since some artists sell plans and easels. Detailed plans and easels may be ordered from them. Easel prices range from $500 and up. Many plans sell for under $10. (See appendix for suppliers)