Gator Board Foam - Tips on the Wet Wash Method

I am an avid artist who tends to see watercolor works as one of the more difficult mediums to paint with. I beleive that many artists who have never used watercolor to paint with dismiss the difficulty involved with your paper buckling when a wash is placed. I also think that watercolor is one of the only mediums that mistakes are nearly impossible to hide. Having stated two of the items that make watercolor painting very difficult let me offer reasons why gator board foam can help to ease the difficulty of the process.

First, the use of gator board foam to stretch the paper allows the artist to concentrate on the painting process instead of the concern of buckling paper. If you place a wash on the paper and start to worry that it will buckle you will lose concentration on the work itself.

Second, by having your watercolor paper stretched tight you will be able to use a scrubber or a stiff bristled brush to "correct" items you dislike. I have actually started to employ the technique of scrubbing out color that I have previously painted in order to provide some amazing detail and effects. I owe this new development to the use of gator board foam.

I hope I have convinced you to look into using gator board foam to stretch all of your watercolor paper prior to starting your painting process.

To see my artworks and passion for watercolors, fly fishing and fly tying visit my website: http://www.dryflywaters.com/

Gator Board Foam for Watercolor Paper - White Background

I am a huge fan of gator foam board for stretching my watercolor paper prior to laying down any washes. There is one major bonus to the use of the gator board that is available for purchase on this site. The main bonus is the pure white color. If you ever look at watercolor works displayed in a contest or a gallery you will notice that the mat board is almost always a white. This allows the art work to stand for itself and also provides a measuring stick by which the true values of the colors in the art work will be measured allowing the artist to see exactly where their work stands. I have found that when I paint a watercolor art work on standard board I am always hunting for a white mat to use to temporarily see how the work looks.

By using the gator board foam core method of stretching watercolor paper you will always have a wonderful white background to use as a color reference for your work. It is just one more inherently wonderful advantages of using gator board foam as a tool for painting with watercolors.

Gator Board Foam - Stretch Watercolor Paper without Tools

If you have a household stapler or some push pins then you have the required items to stretch watercolor paper properly with gator board foam. All that is required is to adequately wet the paper and allow it to soak for about 5 minutes. This allows the paper to expand without removing the sizing from the fibers. Once the paper has soaked just drain off the excess water and place it on the gator board. Staple down one side of the paper and then pull the opposite side gently and staple it to the board. Then turn the board and staple another side completely down. Turn the board one last time and gently pull the unstapled side tight and staple.

This allows the watercolor paper to be pulled gently tight. As the paper dries the moisture leaves the paper and it will tighten. The gator board foam then acts as a stable force in keeping the paper tight. Gator board foam is a great way to stretch watercolor paper.

Gator Board Foam - The Advantage of Light Weight Watercolor Stretching Board

During my youth I started to become seriously committed to art as a passion and a hobby. I am one of those who tends to dabble in multiple mediums during certain periods of time. I will use Charcoals for a while then switch to pencils and then spend seven months painting. My true passion has always been watercolor painting. The discovery of gator board foam is one of the best things that has happened to my artistic experience.

I enjoy painting on location or outdoors when possible. I even enjoy being able to bring my watercolor painting stretched on gator board foam to the kitchen table for detail work.

The use of gator board foam for watercolor paper stretching has made the watercolor painting process so portable and enjoyable I find myself focusing mainly on watercolors. The gator board foam that I use and sell is 1/2" thick which provides enough rigidity to properly stretch the paper. However, the gator board foam is unbelievabley light weight allowing the artist to take the painting anywhere without the weight of a wood board or a watercolor block.

Please take the time to look at the artists pack of gator board foam available for purchse. You will love the smooth wrinkle free paintings you can produce.

5 reasons to use Gator Board Foam for Stretching Watercolor Paper

Gator board foam has many advantages over using solid wood as a material to stretch watercolor paper. The following is a list of the advantages of using gatorfoam board for stretching watercolor paper:

1. No tools required other than a normal office stapler.
2. Allows the use of inexpensive 140 lb paper instead of 300 lb paper.
3. Creates a white border to use for color reference.
4. Very light weight compared to wood
5. Non-absorbent material.

Keeping these 5 items in mind it becomes clear that gatorboard is the best option on the market for stretching watercolor paper. Check out the artists pack which includes 3 sizes so you can have multiple works going at the same time.

Gator Board Foam - Anyone Can Stretch Watercolor Paper

I have used many of the commercial stretchers on the market and find that most of them are quite difficult to use. Many involve the use of a hammer, a screwdriver or a special wrench.

I can tell you now that using gator board foam is the simplest way to stretch watercolor paper. Stretching watercolor paper should not be a task that may or may not work. The use of Gator Board Foam is the sure way to have perfectly stretched paper every time.

In order to tack the paper to the gator foam board you must have one key item. A household stapler. That is the only tool required.

Gator Board Foam now offered for sale by Watercolor Artist - Custom Cut for Watercolor Paper

I have spent tons of money and time researching the best way to stretch watercolor paper. I started painting and drawing as a very young child and always loved the way that watercolors interacted with each other and the paper. I think the fluidity and the transparency of the medium allow for amazing results.

One result that I could not stand was buckled watercolor paper. I would be half way through a work and realize that the paper was shifting and not settling flat. I had to find a way to keep my watercolor paper flat. That was when I discovered Gator Board Foam.

The next problem was that no one carried the 1/2" gator foam board that is perfect for stretching watercolor paper. It was then that I decided to start stocking and distributing custom sized Gator Board Foam cut to standard water color paper sizes.

Please take some time to check out the products available and my latest art works at: http://dryflywaters.com/