Tip of the day...Painting Surfaces (Canvas vs. "Artboard")

With each new painting that I post on Facebook, I try to list the size, the medium (Oils, Acrylic, Graphite, etc...) and the surface it is on. With most of my more recent paintings, I have painted on "Artboard" and I invariably get the question, "What is Artboard?" Well, here's a little lesson in surfaces, and why I no longer use canvas.

"Artboard" can refer to any type of hard wood-composite surface. Similar to masonite, the surface that I prefer is also called MDF, an abbreviation for Medium Density Fiberboard. No, it is not available at your local arts & crafts store, but rather at your local lumber yard. It is widely used in the construction industry for anything from making fine cabinetry to creating custom furniture. I purchase mine at the Home Depot for around $15 per sheet (4 foot x 8 foot) and have them cut it down for me into whatever sizes that I need. I can get 24 @ 11" x 14" and 5 @ 9" x 12" out of a single sheet of MDF, and when you factor in the cost of the sheet...that makes the cost of each panel somewhere less than 50 cents each!  Compare that to canvas!!!

Once home, I first spray the MDF panels with "Kilz" White Primer (also purchased at Home Depot, or even Wal-Mart! Approx $4.50 per can) and let it dry for an hour or so. Then, after lightly sanding, I give it another coat of Kilz. Finally, after letting it dry overnight and another light sanding, I give it a coat of Acrylic Gesso, applied with a sponge roller, to prevent brush marks. Now, I have a panel that is smooth as glass to paint on, and the oil paints will not soak in.

I use MDF artboard because I need to put a LOT of detail into each painting that I work on...it's just my nature. I stopped using canvas because the less that I have to fight the "weave" of canvas and the rough surface texture, the better off the finished details look. MDF, or artboard, gives me a perfectly smooth surface, with no texture to distort my very fine lines, and I am able to put in all the intricate details that make my paintings stand out from my contemporaries.

That small difference could be what makes your next painting stand out from everyone else's...go ahead and give it a try. Let me know how it works for you!