Making a DIY PERSPEX® easel

Do your kids love to paint, but you dread having to clear up the mess afterwards? Why not make your own PERSPEX® easel? PERSPEX® is an excellent surface for making paintings. It’s endlessly recyclable, just wipe off the paint and start again! No more soggy paper paintings that the brush often pushes right through. In this blog, we bring you two options for creating your own plexiglass easel.

PERSPEX® easel with an existing easel

In the first example, we show you how we made a PERSPEX® easel with an easel we had already. It couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is order a transparent plexiglass sheet cut to size. The thickness you need depends on the measurements you require. We’ve opted to use a 4 mm transparent PERSPEX® sheet measuring 50 cm x 28 cm. Make sure you round off any sharp corners with 240 grit sandpaper. We had previously ordered the easel elsewhere. You should be able to find a nice-looking one for around £15.

PERSPEX® easel with a homemade easel

Would you prefer to construct your own easel to support a recyclable PERSPEX® “canvas”? Of course, you can get to work with a few wood battens, slats and bolts. This option allows you to tailor the size of your easel to your own requirements. With a homemade easel, you also have the option of making a version where you slide the plexiglass sheet into position: the PERSPEX® is held securely, and the kids can’t just knock it over. Very handy for your youngest artists! Another advantage of this version is that two children can use it at the same time. They can paint on each side and create a joint work of art.

Why a PERSPEX® easel?

Apart from the fact that painting on a plexiglass “canvas” is much less messy than painting on paper, there are countless other advantages. At a glance:

• It’s durable and sustainable because you can reuse a plexiglass canvas endlessly.
• You can paste a drawing behind the acrylic sheet to trace.
• Clean-up is a breeze with a damp cloth and Burnus antistatic cleaner. (Do dry it after using a dry, lint-free cloth)
• A plexiglass easel can be used both indoors and outdoors, so your child can enjoy it all year round.
• Hours of fun for children with chalk markers or water-based paint.