Incredible Art Board

If you're like me you're always looking for new products to make your job as a watercolor painter easier.

When I first started painting I would soak my paper for 20 minutes to release the sizing and then paste or tape the paper to the watercolor board. Because I tend to glaze repeatedly or in the alternative paint wet in wet, the paper always seems to buckle leaving gullies for the color pigments to collect.

I went so far as to experiment with various surfaces from plexiglass which bows to hardboard whose surface deteriorates with repeated usage. I even created my own board with metal fasteners to hold the paper in place. It turned out to be too cumbersome.

I finally gave up in soaking the paper and started painting on Arches blocks with a modicum of success but still with some buckling for the heavily soaked sections of the painting. However this method still left the sizing in the paper.

I recently purchased "the Incredible Art Board" from Grafix (sold by Jerry's Artarama and probably elsewhere) which doesn't bend, or bow. It takes repeated stapling to hold the paper flat to the board and after limited usage seems to solve the problem of buckling paper even with repeated soaking of the paper. The board comes in two sizes 16x24 and 24x32. I'm working with the smaller of the two boards.

I'd be interested in hearing from others who have used this product.

PS
I'll keep you posted if any problems arise.