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Drawing boards A2
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Message
Posted
Hi folks, I'm looking for recommendations for a drawing board that will withstand stretching watercolour paper.
Now working in A3 I thought I'd give my next piece a thorough soaking and, stupidly, I wet the mdf board underneath to stop it soaking up the water from the paper. I thought that might resolve my stretching failures to date. Came back to it this morning and my paper is perfectly flat, but the warp of the board itself is enough to satisfy an Olympic skateboarder.
Any advice?
I learnt online how to reflatten a completed watercolour by soaking the back and sandwiching between baking parchment weighed down with heavy pads. Hoping this will work with my mdf for now. until I get something else.
Posted
Well, I don’t stretch watercolour paper all that often, I’ve opted for the 300 or even 400lb stuff these days from Arches or Fabriano.
But I have an MDF board that I have used in the past for paper stretching and never had any issues. It measures something like 14 or 15mm thick.
No doubt Jackson’s Art have the real deal… at a price!
Posted
I'm pleased to report that the method I use for cockled paper ...soaking the opposite side and flattening with evenly distributed weights, overnight, has worked on the mdf!
Nonetheless I will be investing in a much thicker mdf than the Hobbycraft offering, which I've discovered is only 5mm. thanks Linda and others for all your recommendations.
Once I've used up most of my 300gsm Alan, I will take a look at the higher quality.
Posted
5mm is a bit light for paper stretching for sure, go with the 14mm and all will be fine.
The 300/400lb stuff can be a bit pricey of course, but I think it’s worth the hassle of paper stretching - saying that, a drum tight piece of stretched watercolour paper on a board takes some beating!
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
My landlord used to be a furniture restorer, and often had pieces of wood, mdf, and ply to hand. He gave me (I do like that word 'gave', don't you?) a largeand thick plywood board, which I've used for a good few years now: it's 5-ply thick, so doesn't warp, and has been good for stretching watercolour paper and as a drawing board, up to half Imperial size. I've not primed it.
Posted
Have been busy this week, so sadly missed your last two comments chaps.
I went to my local hardware "chain" for mdf. Sadly the sizes were awkward. So what was close to A2 dimensions was too narrow yet too long. Two short planks as they say. My choices were 12mm or 18mm thick. I thought I'd go for the larger sizes and got them to cut one in half, So now I've ended up with two 18mm. x 600mm x 600mm and they are so heavy, I'm not sure I can use them. A work out while I paint!
The large boards at 12mm thick were already warping just from standing on end. So I let them be.
They had ply wood, but again, awkward sizes. But it may be lighter weight. Hey ho. I may end up going back for that, but perhaps not to that branch of the well known chain.