{"id":3672,"date":"2026-10-13T15:09:39","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T19:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/bill-groots-small-batch-lap-easel-turns-any-seat-into-a-studio\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T15:09:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T19:09:39","slug":"bill-groots-small-batch-lap-easel-turns-any-seat-into-a-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/bill-groots-small-batch-lap-easel-turns-any-seat-into-a-studio\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Groot\u2019s small-batch Lap Easel turns any seat into a studio"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chicago maker and designer <strong>Bill Groot<\/strong> has devised a compact tool for creative work wherever you happen to be. Handcrafted in small batches from <strong>birch plywood<\/strong> and select solid <strong>maple<\/strong>, <strong>birch<\/strong>, <strong>cherry<\/strong>, and other native hardwoods, the <strong>Lap Easel<\/strong> is a portable, adjustable support that settles comfortably on your lap or a tabletop. Strong yet lightweight, it\u2019s built to move from room to room\u2014or out the door\u2014without sacrificing stability.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:left\">Design that supports how you work<\/h2>\n<p>The Lap Easel\u2019s adjustable construction provides <strong>five angled height settings<\/strong> intended to reduce hand and neck fatigue. Whether you\u2019re propping up paper, a sketchbook, or a screen, the incline can be dialed to suit the task. A discreet body compartment offers space to tuck away basic supplies, keeping essentials within reach and surfaces uncluttered.<\/p>\n<p>Material choices are central to its feel and durability. The mix of birch plywood with solid maple, birch, cherry, and other native hardwoods yields a sturdy frame with a refined, tactile finish. Each unit\u2019s small-batch build underscores the maker\u2019s attention to detail, from the joinery to the smoothness of the working surface.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:left\">From sketching to cookbooks<\/h2>\n<p>Groot\u2019s design flexes across daily routines and studio habits alike. The Lap Easel serves as a stable perch for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Drawing and painting<\/li>\n<li>Reading books and magazines<\/li>\n<li>Writing<\/li>\n<li>Relaxing with a screen<\/li>\n<li>Holding a cookbook<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Because it sits comfortably on a lap or tabletop, the same piece can anchor a morning of sketching, an afternoon of reading, and an evening of recipe testing. For those looking to pick one up, it\u2019s available in the <strong>Colossal Shop<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><em>All images by Craig Shimala.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article focuses on the Lap Easel by Bill Groot and the features and uses described above.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><em>V\u00eda <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/10\/bill-groot-lap-easel\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">thisiscolossal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chicago maker and designer Bill Groot crafts small-batch Lap Easels from birch plywood and select solid maple, birch, cherry, and other native hardwoods. The portable support offers five angled height settings, a storage compartment, and can be used for drawing, reading, writing, screens, and cookbooks; it\u2019s available in the Colossal Shop.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3671,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-happening-now"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}