Using Crescent Watercolor Board

CRESCENT WATERCOLOR BOARD

What it is:

Arches used to make a watercolor board, but has discontinued. CRESCENT now makes one. It is cold press watercolor paper that is adhered to a heavy 1/8" thick board. The crescent brand is smoother than most cold press, though. 

Advantages:

There are several reasons you might want to purchase this. One is that it does not need to be stretched or even taped down, since it is rigid and does not warp. There is no real "learning curve" to learn how to use it, because it is so similar to the paper you are accustomed to. It takes most of the techniques we love--salt, masking fluid, Saran wrap, mediums, etc. Like cold press paper, you can glaze without disturbing the bottom layer of paint.

I was pleasantly surprised the first time I used it. The colors seem very vibrant, similar to hot press paper. And the brush seems to glide over the smooth surface. 

It is lightweight to travel with, and you won't need any hard surface to put underneath or any clips to keep the wind from blowing it away. 

I would recommend, however, that you should PLAN the size of your finished product for framing. For example, if I want my frame to be 16 x 20, and want to mat this to a 12 x 16, I will use a 16 x 20 piece of board with a 16x20 mat and an opening of 12x16 (a 2" mat). This makes framing much simpler. Otherwise you have a heavy piece of board you are trying to adhere to a lighter weight mat in order to fit the larger frame. 

Disadvantages:

Cost is more than a sheet of paper. Crescent watercolor board is available from art supply stores such as Dick Blick, Jerry's Artarama, and Cheap Joe's. It costs about $11.50 for a 20 x 16. You can buy 3 packs of 8x10, (about $12) 9x12, (about $17) and 11x14. (22.46). You can purchase singles up to 30 x 40 size.

I bought one 20x16 and made it into 4 8x10's. I wouldn't recommend this, though, because the board is 1/8 thick and difficult to cut. 

I had some trouble lifting the paint. That can be remedied with lifting Prep.

Be careful that what you buy says "Watercolor Board." Crescent makes many kinds of paper AND boards, some for colored pencil, some for illustration, etc. 

Here is a short video with Steve Mitchell testing the watercolor board:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svhn3vnaYno