Painting on the iPad is great, and I love having mobility to move around to different locations. But I find myself sitting way too much sometimes, which isn't healthy. I started to notice issues a few years ago with too much "desk time". And once I got my iPad, I spent even more time sitting and painting on it. But I love it! On the other hand, I didn't want to end up with many of the health issues which can come about from prolonged sitting. I tried sitting in different places {because after all, the iPad is much more mobile than a desktop computer}, but it just didn't seem to help enough.

This isn't an issue when I'm doing traditional art in my studio, because I'm standing when I work, and moving quite a bit. It's really hard to stand with an iPad, however, unless you're working at a fairly tall desk or countertop.

So I decided to find an "iPad easel", if there was such a thing. And I found this little gem, which is absolutely AMAZING! I love this stand! I placed one in my art studio but I wanted one upstairs where the office is since I do a lot of painting in the office in the early morning before I hit the studio. So I ordered another!

In the studio, when paint is drying on the table, I can just move over to my Levo stand and do some painting on the iPad. I love the wheels, which make it very easy to move. It's super heavy and the tripod style center is perfect for adjusting to my height and vision.

I find myself painting looser and with more freedom when I'm standing up and using this stand as my easel. It's very much like the feeling I get when I'm painting in traditional mediums in my art studio.

And if I want to be close to the window and watch the birds while I paint, or even take it out onto the patio, I can do it!

The beauty of it is I'm able to put my iPad in the holder even with my very thick, super heavy protective case. It's tight in there, but that's ok...that means it's definitely not going anywhere!

If you're painting on the iPad like a lot of people who have taken my classes, and you want to stand up, or even use this chair side or bed side in your space instead of having to physically hold the iPad {which can hurt your arms and hands if you do it a lot, as I do}, I highly recommend something like this. The one I purchased is by Levo and is the G2 Tablet Floor Stand. They have many different types on their website. I'm sure there are other brands out there as well. This one just appealed to me and the reviews were great. Their website is Levostore.com if you want to check it out.

Even if this isn't for you, I encourage you to consider other things to keep your health in order and avoid too much sitting. Such as take frequent breaks if you're spending a lot of time at a desk doing computer work, or on the iPad doing fun work. If you have a very active lifestyle already, this may not be an issue for you. But if you find yourself sitting too much like I did, and find it's causing issues {like chiropractor visits...I've had my share of those!}, this is something to think about. I spend hours -- sometimes ALL DAY -- on many of my iPad paintings. I make myself take frequent breaks away from it, even if I'm using my Levo stand, just to move around more and not get locked into one position for too long.

As much as I love for you guys to take my classes and to love see all the fun art you create, I also want everyone to stay in great health! So stand up, take frequent breaks, and maybe even go for a walk or do a little dancing to some great music on those breaks {yes, I do both!}. You'll feel better and have even more energy to give to your art in your creative journey! --Jai

Jai Johnson

Painting My Favorite Subjects

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