Hands-free "mahl stick"

[David Dowbyhuz]

I've read some of the group

[Lon Haverly]

Great idea, David. I use a method for keeping my hands off the work, as well. It is a curb at the bottom of my drawing board about 4" high. I draw mostly, so I use a table at 45 degree angle so I can look over the top at my model. I place my arm on the curb to give stability, as would a mahl stick. You have to be innovative.

On vertical setup like yours, a mahl stick of some sort is even more needful.

I hope to get into painting again. Drawing is not taken very seriously by the art world, even tho it is a very challenging discipline.

[Margaret Elvin]

Very clever and nice, David.

I bet you could sell those. They look so stable, too, which I find especially. appealing.

Margaret

[Pierre Foisy]

Very good design David.

...and will take quite an oblique angle without having to hold the bar in place.

I was thinking that maybe you could put a rubber washer on one end, as a stopper, so the stick could rest on it with less of a chance of falling.

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Hey David, you could use that at a studio party for limbo.

[Marvin Mattelson]

I use a similar device to anchor my mahl stick. The one shown here is my portable mahl brace. I use it when I am painting away from home. It attaches to the canvas stretcher.

I have a larger version which I use in my studio. It clamps onto my easel. I generally hold the other end of the mahl stick which slides onto a hook under my palette, leaving my fingers free to hold my rag. For really critical touches I have a second mahl brace that attaches to the other side of my easel for hands free usage.

[Marvin Mattelson]

Sorry! Here's the picture.

[David Dowbyhuz]

In the interests of economizing space I've further modified my set-up, much like Marvin, and the "legs" are gone. The assembly is now clamped to my easel as well. (I've resigned myself to canvas widths that "fit between" for now.)

On the right end of the horizontal pole you can just make out the loop I attached there. When the angle of the prop becomes too extreme, I just throw the loop over the peg on the high side.

(No more limbo fests I'm afraid, Tim. )

Regards,
Dave

[Leslie Bohoss]

Hi,
This is the solution for painting of details by me, after an idea from my friend. It's a telescope-antenna, fixed on the easel above (middle).
For greater easel, he (my friend) mounted a normally curtain-rail (PVC) with a hook. He uses a mop-stick (extendible!) from store, with a drilled hole for that hook. You can easily move left or right like a curtain.Works perfectly. (in theory the same like by David, only vertically)
Ciao.