Watercolour board, General Materials Discussion, SAA

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	Author	Message
	Helen	Can anyone give me their experiences using watercolour board. I understand that you can use this for work where you are a bit more brutal, ie, scratching into the painting, using lots of water etc but as I have never used it before I am unsure of the best one to buy. I guess my questions are, is the board any good, does it have the same soft surface as the paper (as I am sure I read that some of them have paper glued to the board) and does it produce a nice finish once dry? If anyone is able to let me know their thoughts it would be much appreciated! Thanks Helen Posted - 04/04/2008 13:26:44
	John	Hi Helen In my (very limited) experience they are not very nice to use. Certainly does seem like paper glued stuck to the board. If you wet too much the board buckles, a soft affect and the colours look very anaemic. So only use I can see is for very bright colours, not too wet and you can then can stand it somewhere without framing it! On DVDs have seen various artists attacking paper with razor blades and you can get a special tool from here (Fenwicks knife I think). Ones I have used are something like £5 for 4 and don't know if there are better quality ones. regards John Posted - 08/04/2008 06:59:01
	joan	I bought Keith Fenwicks knife,it takes a bit of getting used to as I have a small hand,but you can get some great results from it,especially rocks etc,I'm a big fan of his,I'm hopefully going to see him in june at Patchings art fair,and Terry Harrison, Posted - 08/04/2008 10:19:24
	Helen	Thanks for the info.....I went into an art shop yesterday and managed to find some quality watercolour board, but on close examination I don't think I'd enjoy painting on it if that makes sense! Thanks for sharing your experiences John, it's been a great help. I also orderd Keith Fenwicks knife on Sunday and it has just arrived (very quick delivery) so I will enjoy putting that to good use. Helen Posted - 08/04/2008 12:36:12
	Joan	I've watched Keith use that knife,its marvellous what he can do with it,he just whittles away,the results,wow,puts mine to shame.hope you enjoy using it Helen. Posted - 08/04/2008 16:31:33
	Margaret	I use watercolour board for work in gouache. It is excellent for that. Posted - 20/05/2008 09:39:24
	Tracey	I too have had trouble finding the watercolour boards....having used some old ones in the past to do pencil work I found white mountboard worked fine for me....just and idea...also although I can appreciate using this keith fenwick 'wonder knife' a credit card works well or just an old pallet knife...they have the same edges and get exactly the same results without the expense...... sorry if this dampens any bonfires, just my opinion! Happy painting people! Posted - 23/09/2008 14:25:35
		Hi Helen, I went to the expense of buying some watercolour board to share with a friend. It turned out to be totally useless for our requirements as watercolourists. O.K. for acrylics etc. I suppose. Don't forget that Keith Fenwick and other professionals are doing what they do all day every day. 'nuff said. Posted - 27/09/2008 18:27:47 Last Edited - 27/09/2008 18:29:25
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