Watermedia Artworks on Paper & Aquabord: March 30, 2013

02 Apr Watermedia Artworks on Paper & Aquabord: March 30, 2013

Watermedia Artworks on Paper & Aquabord,
with Jeanne Hyland!

Demo in Review

Artist and instructor, Jeanne Hyland, explained new materials and showed samples of the myriad possibilities available to artists working in water-based media so that they can easily create and prepare artwork for display without traditional matting and glass framing. She followed that with a short demonstration of working directly on Aquabord. She contends that displaying your work without plexi-glass opens doors to lots of creativity and that collectors and galleries love the results (along with the artists)!

Here are some Demo highlights:

1. Aquabord®: don’t be shy, just go for it. If the painting “fails” you can wash it off and try another. I start with mid-tones since you can easily lift back to white. And use much less water in your brush on subsequent layers. This is a prepared surface already on a support!
2. Painting surface: choose your painting surface (paper, YUPO, watercolor boards) and work a little oversized to allow for aligning to your support with affixing. Crop your painting and mark on the backside before mounting.
3. Sealing: seal the front surface of the painting with acryic varnishes (or other archival products) such as Golden MSA varnish. Always start with gloss to build up protection. Finish with 2 coats of spray matte (or satin).
4. Mounting surface: choose a support (Hardbord, GessoBord, Encausticbord, MDF panels, Gatorboard, manufactured wood panels and prepare the receiving surface (gesso, Golden GAC 500). Stain and seal the sides if using a cradled panel that can be the final gallery look. Cover the sides of cradle with blue painters tape once dry if you intend as finished surface to protect for the next steps.
5. Gluing: coat both sides—painting and panel—with soft gel medium/PVA glue. Place panel on back of painting and line up with marks. Weight down with coffee table art books  😉   until dry.
6. Trim & glue: carefully trim the overhanging sheet of artwork to the edge of the board from the backside.
7. Finishing/framing: drop into a traditional “oil painting frame” appropriate to the panel depth or, if on cradled panel use a “float” frame or just stain the wood of a cradled panel. Attach hanging hardware.
8. Voilá! Your artwork ready to show!