I have had some questions from people about my little folding stool, both online and in real life, so I thought I´d write a post on it.
I don´t like standing up when I´m drawing, I want to sit down so I can lay the sketchbook on my lap, to get a sturdy support for the drawing. I want to sit close to the ground for two reasons: 1) I want to reach my paints and water and stuff that I keep on the ground, without having to bend down or lean over to the sides, and 2) I like it when my knees are a little bit above the seat level, so the sketchbook has a comfortable angle to my eyes. It´s like sitting at a leaning drawing board, and gives me a good working pose.
This particular folding stool was a quick solution to the fact that my old one (which was slightly bigger) broke from old age and heavy use in Barcelona in July. I searched online and found this on amazon.com, and since it was cheap, small and can carry up to 90 kg, I figured it would probably work. And it does. It is not perfect, but it´s ok.
I don´t think that this stool is for everyone, because as I said in my previous post, it is ridiculously small. Microscopic. I added some usual pens in the photo for comparison.
Some measurements – US citizens will have to do their own maths. 😉 The seat height is about 18 cm. The fabric of the seat is 19 x 18 cm, and my butt is ever so slightly bigger than that, so it´s not super comfy to sit on for a longer period of time, but it works for me. When folded, the metal parts measure 23,5 x 25 cm, and the thickness of the whole chair is then less than 3 cm, so it will fit into almost any bag. It is very lightweight, haven´t checked exactly how much it weighs, but it is considerably lighter than my current Stillman & Birn portrait format sketchbook. It doesn´t really add any weight to the bag.
The print on the seat fabric doesn´t seem to be a real brand name, I can´t find it through the usual search engines, and the product images at amazon do not show any print on the seat. I don´t really think amazon.com needs more links, but if you copy this and paste it into their search bar, you´ll find the stool (along with some others): Folding Outdoor Camping Hiking Fishing Picnic Garden BBQ Stool.