WATERCOLOR BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS (Luminous Lighting)
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I am pretty new to SVSLearn. I just finished watching Luminous Lighting with Lee White. Lee mentions working with Arches Watercolor Coldpress Board. I can't seem to find Arches watercolor board online. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is it sold with a different name? Currently, I am using 140 lb. Cold Press and it buckles when I do watery washes. Thanks in advance.
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@Kimberly-Batti Hi Kimberly, I might be mistaken, but my recollection is that @Lee-White uses 300# arches cold press, which could explain the difference.
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@Kimberly-Batti yep, @BichonBistro is right. I use the heavier weight paper to avoid the buckling paper. Or, I staple the 140 lb to a plastic board called "Incredible Art Board". Here's a link: https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjLtciYn6TjAhXjklsKHbwTBEUYABAPGgJ5bQ&sig=AOD64_3keck-qQd8pOAZCgG0wPc2-yASKQ&ctype=5&q=&ved=0ahUKEwiO9ryYn6TjAhWBm-AKHa3_AqwQ9A4I1gE&adurl=
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I have found a watercolor board it was dick blicks https://www.dickblick.com/categories/canvas/painting-papers/watercolor/
I have it but haven't tried it yet. I am looking forward to playing with it. @Lee-White and @davidhohn had a discussion once, I forget where, maybe on our interactive class, about mixing medias of watercolor and oil paint on this board and I am sooo excited to try this one day.
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I'm also a fan of the canson boards. They are much harder to do smooth washes with however. They are good for creating texture and unexpected "happy accidents".
https://www.dickblick.com/products/canson-montval-watercolor-art-board/
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@lmrush Cool!
Brief recap on watercolor and oil -- I did most of the image in watercolor and then sealed it 2-3 coats of a clear spray fix. Then mixed gel medium with water and applied 3-4 coats. Really seal that watercolor! Then went about painting with oils on top of the acrylic spray fix and gel medium in a normal fashion. Lots of thin transparent washes along with areas of opaque paint.
Have fun!
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@Kimberly-Batti You can also staple or tape watercolor paper to double thick gator board. (or basically really thick foamcore)
https://www.dickblick.com/products/gatorfoam-board/?clickTracking=true&wmcp=pla&wmcid=items&wmckw=13201-1016&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhd3Z5Oem4wIVKBitBh1TUARSEAQYAyABEgLLpvD_BwEThe watercolor paper might buckle a bit while you work on the paper (as the fibers expand) but if the paper is "stretched" (properly taped or stapled down) as it dries it will go perfectly, absolutely, positively flat.
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I use hardboard panels, art tape, and 300 lb Arches. I don't tend to work super wet though. If I get buckling and need to get the paper nice and flat again, I sponge wet the back of the paper evenly and lay it between two boards with a weight on top. Flattens out overnight great!
I want to try out one of those incredible art boards @Lee-White mentioned, and need to try out gator board too apparently. I've seen it mentioned many times.
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I’ve used the Cason watercolor board (hot press) since 1990, when I started using watercolor in college. I love that it’s all ready to go when I’m ready to paint. I use a ton of water and it’s almost always worked perfectly (no buckling). I did get a bad piece once that separated from the cardboard backing. Then I discovered Arches watercolor blocks and though I’ve used those for a decade or so, they tend to buckle So I have just been careful. All that being said, I continued to use the canson board and arches because i sucked at stretching my paper. But after listening to @Lee-White mention his Incredible art board, I purchased one and am so happy with it. I’ve stretched my papers on it several times now and love the results. I trace onto the paper, waterproof ink it, soak it in the water to stretch, mount it to the incredible board and let it dry overnight. It’s great. Granted the wait time to paint is longer but the ease of getting the image onto the paper makes up for it. And since the incredible board is big enough for two 9x12 pieces, I have one blank sheet mounted that’s ready to go if needed. Super happy with my paper now.
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@davidhohn Thank you so much David!
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@BichonBistro Thank you!
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@lmrush Sounds like the experimentation will be great. Thanks for your response!
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@Lee-White When you work with boards, how do you make your art digital? Scanner? Photograph work? Do you have a scanner that you recommend?
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@davidhohn Thank you for the tips. I will try out the gator board.
@burvantill Thank you for sharing your experiences. I am terrible and impatient with stretching watercolor paper. I like the idea of having two papers to use on one board.Thank you all for your feedback and suggestions!
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@Kimberly-Batti i typically photograph the work in very small sections and then composite together in photoshop. That way I get a huge and very detailed final image.
