Painting on Plywood

Plywood (Common) Qualities of plywood vary greatly.  If applying water media on thin plywood.  Cradling or bracing is recommended to avoid warping. Although you can draw or paint directly on the plywood panel with oils, watercolors, or dry drawing media, we recommend a barrier for most applications. When painting with

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Painting on Birch Ply

Unfinished Artist Panel (Maple, Birch, or similar) These products are typically found in art supply stores and are generally a good option; kiln dried, relatively stable, and engineered for this purpose. Acrylics, Oils, Watercolors & Drawing: You can draw or paint directly on wood panel. When painting with any acrylic paint, medium,

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Painting on Watercolor Paper

Paper varies widely. Follow the recommendations for media by the manufacturer. Thicker ones are less prone to buckling with water media. For best results, use the media as recommended by the paper manufacturer and test. When working on these types of papers, acrylics, watercolors, and dry drawing media, a barrier

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Painting on MDO

Medium Density Overlay, MDO Found in hardware stores, this sign painter’s material provides proven stability. Although you can draw or paint directly on the MDO panel with oils, watercolors, or dry drawing media, we recommend a barrier for most applications. When painting with any acrylic paint, medium, gesso, or ground,

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Painting on Acrylic Sheeting

Acrylic Sheeting Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), known by the trade names Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylite, Lucite, and Perspex is among several transparent thermoplastics often used in sheet form as a shatter-resistant alternative to glass.  PMMA is an excellent choice for acrylic painting.  No size or ground is needed. Prepare by cleaning with

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Painting on Leather

Leather Leathers and finishes vary greatly.  So, testing an area or similar materials before beginning is highly recommended. Bend and stretch the test mimicking normal wear.  If cracking appears in testing, then follow the instructions for adding GAC 900 to acrylics for softness as recommended in the article linked below.

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Painting on Hardboard

Hardboard: Wood pulp fibers and binders are formed under extreme pressure and heat.  These products can be susceptible to moisture. Although you can draw or paint directly on the hardboard panel with oils and dry drawing media, we recommend a barrier for most applications. When painting with any acrylic paint,

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Painting on Sketching and Drawing Paper

Sketching and Drawing Paper These papers vary widely. Thicker ones are less prone to buckling with water media. For best results, use the media as recommended by the paper manufacturer and test. When working on these types of papers, acrylics, watercolors, and dry drawing media, a barrier is not required.

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Painting on Unprimed Artist Panel

These products are typically found in art supply stores and are generally a good option; kiln dried, relatively stable, and engineered for this purpose. Although, you can draw or paint directly on the wood panel with oils, watercolors, or dry drawing media, we recommend a barrier for most applications. When

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Painting on Bristol

Bristol This is an uncoated machine finished paperboard popular with illustrators. Bristol varies widely. Thicker ones are less prone to buckling with water media. For best results, use the media as recommended by the paper manufacturer and test. When working on these types of papers, acrylics, watercolors, and dry drawing

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