Testing Ampersand Claybord in Portray, Drawing, Printmaking and Extra

It looks as if an not possible feat to seek out an artist’s floor that works with just about all mediums, but the Ampersand Claybord fulfills it. The ingenious floor is archival, acid-free, and warp-proof, with a extremely absorbent, {smooth} end that works superbly with an array of strategies and supplies. On this overview, I examined the Claybord with the widest vary of mediums I’ve ever used for a single overview – acrylic, oil, ink, watercolour, printmaking, graphite, colored pencil, markers, and collage.

In regards to the Ampersand Firm

The invention that marked the start of the Ampersand firm was the Claybord itself. This distinctive coated artists’ panel was invented by Charles Ewing, who sought to create a inflexible floor for his personal artworks that may permit for a mixture of ink and scratchboard strategies. He was associates with Elaine Salazar, a graduate pupil on the College of Texas. She believed within the potential of the Claybord along with her background in artwork historical past, and alongside three classmates gained a nationwide enterprise competitors with their plan for the event of the Claybord. The prize allowed them to discovered Ampersand with Charles and his spouse, Barbara, in 1993.

Ampersand Artwork Provide nonetheless operates in Texas, lower than 20 miles from the place it was based. Since its inception, they’ve developed numerous extra prime quality artist surfaces, together with the Aquabord and Gessobord.

Properties of the Claybord

Ampersand Claybords are hardboard panels coated with a singular Kaolin clay floor formulation. Kaolin clay is known as after the situation it was primarily mined from in historical past – the Gaoling (‘Kao-Ling’) mountains in China. It was and nonetheless is an important ingredient within the manufacture of porcelain and whiteware. It’s additionally a quite common ingredient in papermaking as a coating or filler, and is even present in some skincare merchandise. Ampersand use Kaolin clay mined within the USA for his or her Claybords. It’s mixed with different elements to kind a flexible, acid-free, pH-neutral, and absorbent floor, which is sanded to an ultra-smooth end, making it glorious for nice particulars. It’s comparable in dealing with to the clay gesso grounds utilized by artists within the Renaissance.

This specialised Claybord floor traps pigments within the prime layers of the nice mineral clay floor. Because the floor could be very absorbent, it dries rapidly, permitting artists to work quickly. This isn’t to say that the colors will sink and uninteresting, as the character of the bottom retains colors true and good on the floor.

Claybord is made with wood hardboard that’s handled with Ampersand’s Archiva-Seal. This seals the hardboard previous to including the kaolin clay coating, making certain that an artist’s work will stand up to the take a look at of time and remove any support-induced discoloration. Ampersand’s hardboard is formaldehyde-free and comes from FSC-certified forests.

Ampersand Claybords can be found cradled or uncradled, which merely refers back to the bracing body bars hooked up to the again of the panel. A cradled Claybord will be hung straight on the wall from a nail, whereas it’s advisable to border the uncradled model, particularly for larger-sized artworks. Cradled panels, usually, have better stability than uncradled ones and stop the substrate from warping. The Claybord cradles are of remarkable high quality – constructed by hand in Ampersand’s manufacturing facility from premium 13-ply birchwood.

Ampersand uncradled Claybords can be found in sizes from 4 x 4 in to 18 x 24 in, and are 3 mm thick. The cradled panels can be found from 8 x 8 in to 18 x 24 in, in two thicknesses – 22 mm and 38 mm.

Evaluating the Claybord to Canvas with Acrylic and Oil Paint

I started my checks of the Claybord with acrylic and oil paint by making side-by-side comparability swatches with a chunk of primed canvas. The distinction between the acrylic Phthalo Blue utilized to the canvas and Claybord is essentially the most obvious. On canvas, the subtle space misplaced all of the bristle marks from the comb, whereas on Claybord, they had been completely retained. This impact is some extent of non-public desire, but it surely’s definitely visually compelling to see the whole mark made by the comb.

The swatches of Phthalo Blue oil paint on each surfaces additionally look very completely different, this time most noticeably in payoff. Once more, the brushmarks have been a lot better retained on the Claybord floor, however the color additionally seems barely colder, and sunk in a lot faster. After half an hour, my swatch on canvas nonetheless appeared slick and glossy, whereas the Claybord had already taken on a semi-matt look. Because the Claybord could be very absorbent, you’ll be capable to layer paint on prime of it a lot faster with out making the floor too slick.

Testing the Claybord with Acrylic and Oil Paint

I began work on my first Clayboard with a portrait underpainting utilizing acrylic Van Dyck Brown (Hue). I seen instantly that each one of my brushmarks had been in a short time absorbed by the floor, and that they might dry very pronounced. I labored loosely, and you’ll see all the proof of my course of within the dried marks. The paint flowed very simply over the floor of the panel because it’s so {smooth}, permitting me to work rapidly. To deepen the woman’s hair and the background I utilized a second layer of Van Dyck Brown. It additionally dried very quickly, however had barely extra tooth from the earlier layer of acrylic to connect to. Should you don’t like your work to have a lot of seen strokes, I’d advise pushing previous this preliminary blocking in stage.

Subsequent, I labored on prime of my acrylic underpainting in oil, layering within the tones and colors round my topic’s eyes and brow. I discovered that the oil paint utilized superbly to the Claybord floor, and caught the pigment regardless of its smoothness. In a few highlighted areas beneath the attention and on the height of the brow, I diluted my paint with a contact of turpentine to see how transparency appeared on the floor. The whiteness of the bottom paired with the feel of the underpainting gave these sections life and motion. After two weeks of drying time, I felt that my portray nonetheless had the identical vibrancy of color as once I first utilized it.

Evaluating the Claybord to Sizzling Pressed Watercolour Paper with Watercolour and Ink

I repeated the identical comparative swatch take a look at, this time with Jackson’s Sizzling Pressed Watercolour Paper subsequent to the Claybord, with watercolour and ink in Alizarin Crimson. I selected the recent pressed watercolour paper as a result of its floor end is the closest in smoothness to the Claybord.

The watercolour on Claybord dried in an unpredictable natural sample, the place the pigment pooled collectively in circles and flares. This gave the end a singular character that I feel could also be not possible to duplicate on paper. On the watercolour paper, the identical swatch of paint dried very flat and even, with no variation of mark or tone. The color on the watercolour on the paper additionally dried a lot darker than on the Claybord, the place it has retained a contemporary, vivid hue. The ink swatch on Claybord additionally has a stronger payoff, and the brushmarks have been retained. As you possibly can see on the paper, the identical color seems duller as a result of it’s a extra absorbent floor, and the brushstroke has fully dissipated. The Claybord might be very thrilling to make use of for those who’d want watercolours and inks to have extra texture.

Testing the Claybord with Watercolours and Ink

To check working in watercolours and ink on the Claybord, I selected to begin my portray with a number of Daniel Smith watercolours, in Phthalo Blue, Quinacridone Pink, Jaune Sensible No.1, and Terre Verte. The floor of the Claybord could be very slick on software, with no tooth, so the watercolour paint slipped and pooled throughout it very fluidly. It took a while for the paint to dry down, and it was virtually not possible to use in strong blocked areas. This floor is ideal for those who benefit from the visible impact of portray wet-on-wet.

As you paint, the pigment doesn’t flood outdoors of your brushstroke, however will produce random fluid patterns inside your stroke. I attempted to check portray on it wet-on-wet by brushing on the form of a leaf earlier than dropping pigment onto it, but it surely doesn’t bleed and disperse like it will on sizzling pressed watercolour paper. Any areas that you simply load with a lot of water will take an particularly very long time to dry, and the pigment might be pulled round these areas, giving the entire floor a dappled impact.

It’s doable to raise the watercolour paint while nonetheless moist, however you must watch out to keep away from staining colors if that is your most well-liked method. These might be more durable to shift again to the white of the panel, however in any other case any errors or highlights will be introduced again with a clear brush, sponge, or rag while the paint is moist. I additionally examined lifting as soon as the paint was dry, which allowed me to lighten the realm, however I wasn’t in a position to convey it again to the unique white of the panel totally. Nonetheless, Claybord will be sanded again with metal wool to disclose the white under, which I show additional alongside within the article.

Should you attempt to layer the paints while they’re nonetheless moist, the floor is so slick that you could be take away the earlier software of paint with it. The Claybord capabilities finest with watercolour utilized in dried layers, or in a single single layer. I added a second layer to some areas of my portray as soon as the primary was dry, and so they adhered superbly with out shifting the pigment under. Glazing is made straightforward, because the dried paint turns into secured to the floor.

To check the Claybord with ink, I utilized Dr. Ph. Martin’s Hydrus Liquid Watercolour in Alizarin Crimson, and Royal Talens Ecoline Watercolour Ink in Indigo, within the passage to the left between my leaves and flowers, to create tonal depth within the portray. The brushmarks within the ink dried extra rapidly and appeared extra visibly than within the watercolour. I feel it could possibly be helpful to layer ink on prime of watercolour to pick extra particular particulars, or to insert areas of deeper color.

As soon as your portray is dry, it’s also possible to scratch again into it to create drawn traces by revealing the white floor once more. Ampersand makes their very own instruments for this objective, which had been primarily designed to be used with their Scratchbord panels, however it’s also possible to use any sharp implement with a tough edge. I used the sting of a palette knife to fluidly scratch some linework into the leaves, making use of little or no strain. Should you by accident splashed a mistake in your work, the power to softly scratch it off and proceed working is a good asset of the Claybord.

Eradicating Paint on the Claybord with Metal Wool

As soon as your portray is dry, it’s possible you’ll dislike one thing you’ve added sufficient to wish to take away it fully. One of many traits of portray on Claybords is which you can take away the paint and produce again the white of the bottom by rubbing it with metal wool. Right here I demonstrated eradicating the decrease left nook of my acrylic and oil portrait by rubbing on the floor, and making use of medium strain in a round movement. The scratchy texture from the metal wool additionally creates an fascinating drawn texture that will attraction to some combined media artists as a mark-making method.

Testing the Claybord with Collage and Reduction Printmaking

Claybord is ideal for combined media work due to its extremely absorbent floor, dense hardboard substrate, and the added help of the cradled backing, which prevents warping irrespective of what number of supplies you layer on. To check a few the extra experimental makes use of of the Claybord, I wished to mix collage and aid printmaking on the floor.

To start, I added a watercolour wash to some sheets of Daler-Rowney Structure Paper, which I wished to collage as a result of it’s very skinny. I let this dry, earlier than tearing it into swirling shapes to stay to the Claybord utilizing Arcare Impartial pH Adhesive, utilized with a gentle brush.

Subsequent, I inked up a lino block of two bushes and positioned it face down onto my panel earlier than rubbing the again evenly with a spoon.

The print transferred onto the Claybord and collaged paper with ease, and I didn’t discover there to be any discrepancy within the adhesion of the ink between them. The Claybord creates a superb alternative for aid printmakers to expertise printing their work past paper, onto a cradled panel, which will be hung straight on the wall with out a body.

Testing the Claybord with Graphite, Colored Pencils, and Marker Pens

I used to be pleasantly stunned with the benefit and color payoff when drawing with graphite, colored pencils, and pens on the Claybord. I used to be anxious that the floor could be too {smooth} to have sufficient tooth for the pigment to stick to, however I had the exact opposite expertise. The clay floor caught my pencils superbly, producing deep tones and robust colors with out having to use a lot of strain or construct up a number of layers. I labored with a Jackson’s 3B Graphite Pencil to attract the jar on the left, discovering it very straightforward to mix the pencil with my finger, too. You may see examples of two graphite gradients on the highest left: the primary with out finger mixing, and the opposite smudged out.

Subsequent, I used an assortment of colored pencils for the smaller jar on the best – Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle Pencil in Gentle Cadmium Purple, Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencil in Deep Cobalt Inexperienced, Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencil in Apricot, and two Derwent Procolour Pencils in Midnight Blue and Center Ultramarine.

Identical to drawing with colored pencils on paper, it was not possible to smudge them with my finger. Though I did discover that it was doable to construct up gentle blends of colors collectively, and located it satisfying to have the ability to press arduous in some areas with the pencils with out worry of damaging the floor, like I might on paper.

Lastly, I utilized a number of marker pens to the floor – two Kuretake Kurecolor Twin WS Markers in Gentle Brown and Daybreak Gray, and a Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pen in Prussian Blue. I discovered that the Kuretake pens utilized barely inconsistently, and I may by accident rub the earlier layer off when drawing over the identical spot. The Ecoline Brush Pen utilized far more evenly. I feel it’s because the Ecoline pens include a watercolour paint relatively than an alcohol ink. On your personal work, it’s price testing some pens on a small Claybord earlier than committing to a bigger paintings, to examine that they distribute the best way you’d like. After finishing this drawing stage, you would simply layer watercolour, oil, or acrylic paint on prime of your drawing with out the concern of engaged on an unsuitable floor. It’s arduous to think about a comparable help that works so properly for thus many mediums.

There’s no better reassurance for artists than discovering a floor which you can assure will work with just about all your supplies, with none further prep work. The Ampersand Claybord is so liberating to make use of with the data that all your experimentation is preserved on an archival, warp-proof, and acid-free floor that can also be prepared to hold straight on the wall with a cradle. As well as, even with graphite, ink, or watercolour, you need to use a fixative and show paintings with out the necessity for glass. The color vibrancy and texture supported by the floor is good to behold, and provides you with a brand new appreciation in your palette. For painters, draftsmen and combined media artists alike, the Claybord is an important floor to expertise.