Easels are perfect tools to help your children channel theirinner artists . Standing up against a chalkboard or acanvas on an easel while drawing, painting, or even studying gives them an opportunity to have some fun and play pretend. Not to mention that you’ll get some time off for yourself while they’re doing that!
That’s what we’re after in this Cra-Z-Art Easel review. We’ll be discussing everything; price, dimensions, and customer reviews.
Read on.
Cra-Z-Art 3-in-1 Smartest Artist Standing Easel
[amazon box="B00ZBOXF7A"]Cra-Z-Art’s latest is this 3-in-1 standingeasel that goes by the name Smartest Artist easel. It’s made of wood and comes with two sides; a chalkboard surface and a white dry-erase wipe-off surface. In addition, it comes with two sturdy easel clips to hold the paper to either side of the easel so that your kid can channel their innerPicasso. The wooden easel is supposed to be an improvement over their previous plastic easel that used to be lighter, smaller, and overall had a more primitive quality than its successor.
Price
[amazon box="B00II021GK"]This easel’s price point is somewhere between 34 to 44 US dollars, which is pretty affordable compared to its competitors on the market like Hape’s All-in-One Wooden Kids Art Easel that averages at 55 to 77 dollars and Melissa & Doug DeluxeStanding Art Easel , whose price is around 60 to 90 dollars.
[amazon box="B0002AUWKG"]
To cut it short, the Cra-Z-Art easel easily wins the price competition.
Dimensions
The Cra-Z-Art Easel measures 38" x 6.5" x 29", where it comes with 43-inch adjustable wooden legs, making it suitable for kids aged 4 years and up.It comes with a 35 ft paper roll and 5 fabric storage bins that do an amazing job at storing your kid’s supplies and organizing their art space.
Customer Reviews
The Cra-Z-Art easel has mixedreviews over the internet. People praise it for offering decent quality at affordable prices, yet this comes at a price for quality and attention to detail.Theeasel has a sturdy build that’s perfect for 5-year olds. As you can expect, the customer’s favorite feature is the adjustable height that accommodates two children of different ages
On the other hand, parents didn't have an enjoyable time assembling the Cra-Z-Art three-in-one easel where the instructions were vague, and it took a relatively long time to assemble.
Besides, the screws aren't of the best quality, so some parents opted for external screws to guarantee a sturdy build. However, they encountered problems like screws’ heads falling off and having no space for proper hinges and drill holes that were not correctly placed.
The build quality isn't this easel’s strong suit; the wood is a bit soft, and the overall frame comes off as flimsy, which raises some safety concerns among parents. On a positive note, the added baskets wear a clever design feature that came in handy for both parents and children, where it's nice for storage organization. It makes the tools accessible to children during their painting.
The price of the Cra-Z-Art easels reflects in their quality. Honestly, you can’t expect great attention to detail in a product at this price point, and that’s the case here. In both positive and negative reviews, customers agreed that the Cra-Z-Art has poorly detailed instructions and some people even complained of not being able to tell which side is which of the easel, which came off as annoying to them.
For Toddlers: Cra-Z-Art Wooden Tabletop Easel
[amazon box="B07YSVCKFH"]If you feel like the 3-in-1 easel is too much for your kids, then the wooden tabletop easel from Cra-Z-Art might be the one for you.
Cra-Z-Art developed a smaller tabletop easel for toddlers. It’s also double-sided with a chalkboard and a paper whiteboard with the difference that you place it on a sturdy surface like a table, and your kid draws on it while they’re sitting down.
The Tabletop Easel is way more primitive than the adjustable 3-in-1 easel, but you can get it first to test the waters with your kid. However, as you might’ve expected, it’s not the sturdiest option, and it can easily slide down, making it more of a toy rather than a serious art easel.
Crazy Art Easel - Why Do You Need an Art Easel for Your Kid?
While it serves as a station for your kids to gather their supplies and find somewhere to becreative and messy other than your kitchen table, an art easel has a lot more to offer for you and your kid.Vertical Angle
The most important benefit of easels and the reason why kids love them so much is that they provide an angled surface that’s easier to comprehend for them. Theeasel that’s vertically angled allows your child to paint the world as they see it, unlike the horizontal surfaces that need some perspective for them to master.It’s why your kidspaint on your walls even though you’ve given them that stack of white papers !
Brush Hold
[amazon box="B07RFHG7D1"]Standing against an easel and trying to paint might come off as easy as pie for you, but it’s not for your child, especiallytoddlers. Your kid will take some time to learn how to hold a brush or a crayon against that paper. That’s one of thebenefits of providing them with an art easel at an early age.
Hand-Eye Coordination
Practicingdrawing on a vertical surface is one of the most efficient ways for your toddler to learn some hand-eye coordination. While your children can developmotor skills only by playing with toys, you can give them a boost by encouraging them to draw on an art easel.Crazy Art Easel - Safety
Apart from its numerous benefits, yourtop priority when you’re choosing an easel for your kids is to make sure it’s safe enough for them. For easels, safety translates into the stability of the easel. An unstable easel might fall off and hurt your kids, so you need to make sure to eliminate that risk.You should look for easels with crossbars because they help stabilize the whole thing and distribute the weight. In the case of Cra-Z-art Easel, the storage bins help with that. The weight of the stuff you place in them helps stabilize the whole thing.
Plastic and wooden easels are both safe options, but again, their stability depends on their construction. In addition, you should look for stable legs and crossbars. This is especially important with height-adjustable easels. You might accidentally leave some of the screws loose, which increases the risk of them falling on your kid.
Crazy Art Easel - Final Words
Art Easels are handy tools for kids that’ll help them learn some basic skills and unleash their creative side. The Cra-Z-art easel would be an excellent option if you’re looking for something basic that gets the job done. And its price point makes it super attractive.Yet, if you’re looking for something more reliable that’ll be used by multiple, there are better options.
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