Review: My Watercolor Painting Experience with Aquabord

I love to paint with watercolor. The only drawback is that watercolor paintings are usually small to medium in size. The largest watercolor paper I’ve painted on is 12×16 inches. That’s because wet paper buckles, and the larger the paper, the more the buckling. Watercolor paper manufacturers make larger paper sizes and even paper rolls, but these sheets have to be stretched, a time consuming process. Even then, the possibility of buckling still exists. So I thought I’d try Aquabord, an alternative to watercolor paper. Here’s a review of my watercolor painting experience with Aquabord.

What is Aquabord?

Aquabord is a unique painting surface specifically designed for watercolor artists. It’s a panel made from a specially coated, absorbent clay, producing vibrant colors and easy color lifting. Unlike traditional watercolor paper, Aquabord maintains its shape and integrity even under heavy washes. Aquabord’s textured surface is like cold press watercolor paper, allowing for easy color application and layering.

Aquabord panels come in two types: flat and cradled. The flat panels are 1/8 inch thick, suitable for framing without a mat, or just hanging with adhesive from the back. The cradled panels vary in thickness, from 7/8 inch to 2 inches thick. The cradled panels don’t need framing.

My Watercolor Painting Experience with Aquabord

Aquabord Surface Preparation

Unlike a watercolor paper block, where I can just start painting, Aquabord requires a preparation period consisting of wetting the surface, then letting it dry. This initial wetting releases air bubbles trapped beneath the surface during manufacturing. Drying time is a bit longer than paper, so I recommend doing this 24 hours before painting.

I noticed two things when I wetted the Aquabord surface. Some of the water accidentally got on the back of the panel, and when I wiped off the surface, it left a brown stain on my paper towel. In other words, try not to get the back of the panel wet.

Another thing I noticed was that Aquabord has a funny smell. When I put my nose up to the panel, it does smell like clay. It’s more noticeable when wet. When I wiped the back of the board after it got wet, my fingers also smelled like clay. Again, I only noticed it when I got my nose close to the panel. I don’t think it’s a deal breaker, but I thought I’d mention it.

Lifting Paint with Aquabord

Lifting paint with Aquabord is easy. Using a damp stiff brush, I can scrub away the paint down to the white surface of the board. It’s easier doing this when the paint is wet. After the paint dries, scrubbing gets harder, still lifting the paint but not completely. However wet or dry, it’s not just a wipe off with a wet rag or paper towel. To remove color completely, I scrubbed with a stiff brush. This is fine for small areas, but cumbersome when removing all the paint from the surface and starting over.

The nice thing about lifting paint with Aquabord, is that I really get back to the original white of the panel. I also don’t have to worry about tearing the surface like I do with traditional watercolor paper.

The Fluidity of Watercolor Paint on Aquabord

Here’s where I notice a big difference between regular watercolor paper and Aquabord. When I drop paint on heavily wetted paper, the paint flows by itself, extending quite a bit into the paper. With Aquabord, my paint flowed somewhat, but not nearly as much as on paper. However, due to its very fine textured surface, Aquabord is very much suited to painting fine detail, wet on dry.

Pushing colors into each other on Aquabord produced nice effects. I also had success blending wet colors on the board producing different tints and shades.

Colors Lifting Underlaying Colors with Aquabord

When I paint, I like the effect of a color picking up another color from beneath. For example, I’ll brush red paint over blue and get a nice vibrant purple. Or drag yellow over blue for a bright green. Aquabord did this just like paper.

Conclusion: My Watercolor Painting Experience with Aquabord

I have mixed feelings about Aquabord. It’s sort of like painting on watercolor paper, and sort of not. Aquabord is a surface that needs getting used to, as well as adjusting one’s style to accommodate its unique surface. My wet paint didn’t flow as well on Aquabord as on paper. The price point is also something to consider as an Aquabord panel is significantly more than a sheet of watercolor paper.

The big pros of Aquabord is color lifting and panel size. Even after the board was almost dry, I lifted off areas of color with ease. So if my artwork requires a large size, Aquabord is the way to go.

Because the surface is a hard board, a mat isn’t needed. And I can choose whether or not to frame my art.

Give Aquabord a try. It’s always fun trying something new.

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