Traditionally, a mahl stick consists of a hard wood stick with a tied suede ball on one end.  The soft, slip-resistant ball rests on the canvas or easel, while the stick is used to form a bridge across the painting, to keep the artist’s hand off the painting. This is excellent for steadying your hand while doing small detail work while the rest of the painting is still wet.

Quick Tip: On vacation and need a mahl stick in 3 seconds: use a knitting needle, chop stick or kebab stick and push one end firmly into an old wine cork!

You will need:

• one wooden dowel (+-1cm diameter) – the length depends on the canvas size that you would like to span – I used 50cm.
• a piece of stretch fabric like a bandage
• a circle of suede or soft, non-slip material – 20cm in diameter
• a piece of string – 50cm in length
• a piece of sandpaper (optional)
• a small amount of varnish (optional)
• needle and thread or glue (optional)

Step 1. Sand the wooden dowel lightly and apply a thin coat of varnish to protect the wood.

Step 2. When the varnish is dry, roll the bandage or some other stretchy material around one end of the dowel and secure with a needle and thread, or some glue, if needed.

Step 3. Cut a 20cm diameter circle from a piece of soft, non-slip material. Traditionally suede is used, but I used a piece of fake leather used for car upholstery. Shape the material around the bandage ball and secure firmly with a piece of string.