Painters Online Logo

Login/register

Studio

Uses for off cut mount board?

Welcome to the forum.

Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.

Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.

Hang on Studio Wall
Author
Message

Carla Foulds

  • New Member
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6
Posted
Hello again I have recently had to mount some of my prints for the first time. It was a sharp learning curve and it also goes without saying that I wasted quite a bit of board in the process. There was some sizable pieces left that although could not be used for mounting may have other artistic uses. I was looking for some ideas as to what I could use these for? Thank you!

Derek Snowdon

  • Forum Expert
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 849
Posted
Try painting on them, many do.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 24793
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 8642
Posted
Or use them for ink drawings - backing for pictures in frames - paint on them with gouache or acrylic - size them, eg with a coat of acrylic gesso, and you can even use them for oil studies. I'm told - haven't tried it - that they can work as a base for pastels, with or without a little priming to give tooth; and they could certainly be used with oil pastels. Draw on them with conté crayon, letting the colour of the mount act as a tone in its own right - almost endless uses for acid-free mount-board. Charcoal, carbon pencil could be used -- or you could take up silverpoint, using the mountboard as your base; which I keep meaning to do, having used silverpoint many years ago. Well done for cutting your own mounts, by the way - I'd be afraid of slicing the tips of my fingers off, and being me that's just what would happen.

Edited
by RobertJones

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 24793
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 8642
Posted
Maybe I'll have a go, Alan - I had a rather nasty experience with a cutter (what on earth do you call them!? Oh the brain ......) craft knife! Craft knife .... nasty experience with..... yes. Years ago - I was trying to cut a mount using a steel rule, and the craft knife; one slip, and blood everywhere: cue much fainting, cotton wool, plasters, and a certain amount of rather pathetic whimpering.... it didn't do the mountboard much good, either. And since then, I've been strangely reluctant to go anywhere near anything sharp in artistic terms: once sliced, twice shy. But I wasn't using a proper mount cutter: trying to cut corners, I cut something else. Painful memories, Alan; painful memories......
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 24793
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 8642
Posted
..... a modicum of crafting skills ...... Now there lies the problem.

Carla Foulds

  • New Member
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6
Posted
Thank you for all your thoughts on uses! I wasnt sure it could be used for painting on, re how suitable and archival it would be, but I guess it is made to last the lifetime of the painting it frames so should be fine in that respect :)

Sylvia Evans

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 16928
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 4788
Posted
Lovely to paint on . Don't get too we. t Gouache...and then pastel. What fun, and not cost you anything.
Sef on final snow field Ghondor Peak2

Malcolm Buckley

  • Forum Member
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 27
Posted
As everyone has said, offcuts have a multitude of uses like being painted upon, depending on the size I also use small bits for dipping the edges in paint when I want to create straight lines on a painting, dip the edge and then carefully apply to the painting, I also sometimes create 'combs' for making effects in the paint surface using a craft knife you can make these any configuration you wish and of course you can use bits as scrapers, so no waste needed.