Watercolor Painting On Mat Board

While unpacking my new studio i found a stack of matboard scraps that had been in storage for nearly four years.

Watercolor painting on mat board.

Note that in many watercolor competitions they require a white mat so it is better to double mat in white. Mats are made from mat board which should be made from all cotton acid free fiber. Archival materials include acid free mats mounting boards and frame backs. Use artist s tape bull dog clips or staples to secure the watercolor paper to the surface of the board.

Paint the front of a mat board frame with watercolor gouache or acrylic paint. Award winning maritime artist annie strack demonstrates how to use cradled art boards to mak. It s also recommended that you hang artwork away from direct sunlight. You may want to give the glass on the inside another quick clean in case any dust has settled on it.

Watercolor paintings are light sensitive so uv glass is used to protect them from fading. Wait for the paint to dry thoroughly before framing the artwork. Since these paints are chemically stable there is no chance of the paint reacting negatively with the framed artwork. When dry it can be protected with the wax polyurethane method described above.

One option for oil painters especially if you re looking for a good surface to sketch on is acid free matboard with a couple of layers of acrylic gesso. Matting your watercolors protects and enhances the look of your paintings by cleanly defining the image edges and isolating your image in a uniform neutral or complementary background. D fantix water doodle mat extra large water drawing mat kids magic doodle board painting writing pad with 4 magic pen educational toy gift for toddlers boys girls 4 colors 38 5 x 30 4 0 out of 5 stars 291. Currently there are several types of matting material.

Watercolorists use these boards to provide a hard surface on which to mount watercolor paper before beginning a painting. Cheap joe s art stuff offers a variety of watercolor backing boards. Using a lighter mat on the outside and the darker on inside will help to direct the eye to the painting. An alternative method is to mount the watercolour painting onto a flat mdf board without the boxed sides.

Learn how to mount a watercolor painting on a cradled art board. Cut the mdf to the required size and paste the painting to it.