Explore New Surfaces - Mixed Media Tutorial by Sandra Duran Wilson

Break free from canvas and explore three different panel painting surfaces that will change the way you play with paint. Explore Pastelbord, Encausticbord and Scratchbord surfaces from Ampersand art panels.

SUPPLY LIST
Pastelbord: https://amzn.to/43RtJ3J
Stabilo Chalk Pastel Pencils: https://amzn.to/3J2B4E0
Amsterdam Greenish Blue Acrylic paint: https://amzn.to/4aXNgSD
Krylon Workable fixative Spray: https://amzn.to/3U3nxT6
Encausticbord: https://amzn.to/3TIB1lQ
Encaustic sticks: https://amzn.to/3VKFl6D
Wax Pencils: https://amzn.to/3J09Td7
Heat Tool :https://amzn.to/43Ilffi
Scratchbord: https://amzn.to/3PPIDlf
Holbein White: https://amzn.to/4aCsrf8
Holbein Naples Yellow: https://amzn.to/4aG9Oag
Golden Green Gold: https://amzn.to/3vF77XA

I love the prepared surfaces of Ampersand panels. They allow you to move paint in some unusual ways.

One of the first things you want to assure in acrylic painting, or any painting, is the adhesion of paint to surface. You might have heard that if you dilute your acrylic paint with water it won’t last. Not true. Just be sure you have an absorbent surface. I love to dilute my acrylic paints and inks with water in order to move them. I can be assured that the paint will grab onto and stay on the Ampersand surfaces.

Pastelbords are very absorbent, and they have a nice tooth to grab the pastels. I can paint a diluted layer of paint onto the surface, and it will retain a tooth so I can use pastel on top. The surface holds a very diluted paint. Once the acrylic layer of paint is dry go in using pastels. I am using Stabilo Carbothello but you could use whatever type of pastel you like. The pastels will sit on the surface. After I have finished, I seal the pastel with Krylon workable fixative. Spray outside. I do what I call around the clock. I spray the first light layer, wait for the appropriate time indicated on your spray product, then rotate one quarter and spray again. Continue rotating and spraying until you have gone around the clock. I like to leave it outside to outgas for a time. The spray will darken the pastel somewhat, but it is necessary to seal so it won’t smudge later.

Encausticbord was developed with R&F Encaustics for encaustic painting, but it is also a wonderful mixed media panel. It has a nice tooth but is slightly smoother than the Pastelbord. You can use diluted acrylics to begin your painting, add collage, build up textures and keep going with mixed media. I use this panel often for my paintings without adding any wax. As I said, they are a great painting and mixed media panel. It can take sanding, scraping and building up thick textures. Once the wax is on the surface you want to use the heat gun to fuse the wax to the surface and to fuse the colored layers to each other. You can scrape or cut back into the encaustic.

Scratchbord is a Claybord that is coated with black ink. Traditionally scratchboard is used with a stylus to draw into and remove the ink. We are going to use it with acrylic paint and inks and utilize the properties of the clay surface. Claybord is very absorbent and exceptionally smooth, no tooth; however, the diluted paints will stay on this smooth surface because of its absorbency. You will need to work in thin layers of paint. If you initially apply thick layers of paint it won’t consolidate with the clay. I like to use a thin paint and then use alcohol drops to reveal the underlying layers. Alcohol is also used to lift paint easily from the surface.

What did you discover working with these surfaces?

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