Which paper/board to use?

[Troyster]

Hi yawl, first time on the forum and I,m really In need of some advise.
For some reason, art supply shops in the uk seem to treat airbrushing as some kind of dark art, meaning that even some of the best and biggest don,t have a clue about it!
So here is the question that thus far nobody seems to be able to answer, what kind of paper or board is used when creating fur texture with the paint scratching, scalpel method?, regular paper soaks up paint so that's no good.
Really want to find out so I can tackle the 'meow' project.

 

[WhiteKnight]

Welcome from Canada, I'm sure someone will be along shortly to answer your question.

 

[Madbrush]

Hi yawl, first time on the forum and I,m really In need of some advise.
For some reason, art supply shops in the uk seem to treat airbrushing as some kind of dark art, meaning that even some of the best and biggest don,t have a clue about it!
So here is the question that thus far nobody seems to be able to answer, what kind of paper or board is used when creating fur texture with the paint scratching, scalpel method?, regular paper soaks up paint so that's no good.
Really want to find out so I can tackle the 'meow' project.

Welcome Troyster, most of us use Schoelershammer 4G or Bristol Board, :just Google those.

How hard or easy it will be also depends on the paints you use, tell us about gear so we can help you more efficiently in the future.

 

[haasje dutchairbrush]

As you indicated you don't want a paper/board that is too absorband as this will make erasing more difficult.

Schoellershammer airbrush board 4g lends itself pretty wel for erasing and scratching, though scratching (for me ) is a tad of a hassle on it. The problem here is that there realy is no definetive answer. Where one surface will lend itself well for erasing it might be harder to scratch like the formentioned, canvas with gesso is verry easy to scratch but a bit harder on erasing as it soaks paint.

Each surface has its own properties and it is just a question of trying some and figure out which suits your style of working best. For scratching you would probably like some kind of board though as paper is easily damaged by that technique.

Also when you just start with this technique don't imidiately blame the surface when it doesn't work, like airbrushing it self erasing and scratching are techniques one needs to practice and learn.

ps as madbrush mentions, it's not only the surface you are working on that determines the "scratchability", some paints lend themselves better for it than others also.

 

[beanpoleuk]

@Troyster , here in the UK I started off exclusively with Bristol Board paper (250gsm) from hobby craft or most local art supplies, the 4G is quite expensive in comparison , especially to start off with.

When I did the Meow tutorial I used ETAC paints on the 4G paper and an electric eraser rather than scratching with a scalpel, hove a look in my album and I think the result looks quite good and would have been the same on Bristol Board.

 

[Troyster]

Welcome Troyster, most of us use Schoelershammer 4G or Bristol Board, :just Google those.

How hard or easy it will be also depends on the paints you use, tell us about gear so we can help you more efficiently in the future.

Thanks for the speedy reply!, I generally use com art transparents. Are these recommended when erasing or are there paint you would say are easier to work with?, I also use createx (pain in the ass mostly!)

 

[Madbrush]

Thanks for the speedy reply!, I generally use com art transparents. Are these recommended when erasing or are there paint you would say are easier to work with?, I also use createx (pain in the ass mostly!)

Yes, highly recommended, but you can also use etac Marissa colours which are supposed to be even better, I haven't used yet but here good things from the guys here, they more expensive though.

The tutors meow tut is done on ampersand clay board, ive no idea where you can find it in the UK but im sure somebody will chip on there.

 

[Troyster]

Yes, highly recommended, but you can also use etac Marissa colours which are supposed to be even better, I haven't used yet but here good things from the guys here, they more expensive though.

The tutors meow tut is done on ampersand clay board, ive no idea where you can find it in the UK but im sure somebody will chip on there.

That,s interesting, i,ve heard about and read about ETAC paints, although I,ve never actually bought them in the past, I,ve heard only good things but I must admit I,ve never seen anywhere that sells them!

 

[Madbrush]

That,s interesting, i,ve heard about and read about ETAC paints, although I,ve never actually bought them in the past, I,ve heard only good things but I must admit I,ve never seen anywhere that sells them!

@beanpoleuk will tell you where he buys them, he is also in the UK and he even has half an idea how to use them,

 

[AndreZA]

I'm playing a bit with paints now and and I manage to scratch and erase on normal 90gsm photo copy paper. The trick is you must not reduce the paint too much. I'm not talking about transparency but viscosity. When it's too watery it soaks into the paper fibers. If you need paint to be more transparent, you mix it with medium or a transparent base. Com-art does have one. It's product number is 1000. Not all stockists has it on their list, but it does exist.

 

[beanpoleuk]

@beanpoleuk will tell you where he buys them, he is also in the UK and he even has half an idea how to use them,

In the UK I get ETAC paints from airbrush and paint located in Great Yarmouth , make sure you ring though and ask for the cheaper delivery costs otherwise you get an standard (and high) delivery cost.

I started with ComArt and then tried Daler and Rowney FW inks (also available from hobby craft), but once I tried ETAC there was no going back, its all I use now.

 

[Troyster]

I'm playing a bit with paints now and and I manage to scratch and erase on normal 90gsm photo copy paper. The trick is you must not reduce the paint too much. I'm not talking about transparency but viscosity. When it's too watery it soaks into the paper fibers. If you need paint to be more transparent, you mix it with medium or a transparent base. Com-art does have one. It's product number is 1000. Not all stockists has it on their list, but it does exist.

Thanks for the advise, glossy photo paper didn,t cross my mind, but I think I,ll have a practice with that!, I do have some com art base so I,ll have a play with that too.

 

[matty171]

Welcome to the forum looks like your question has been answered but ill add my two pence worth aswel, i only use com-art and can vouch for the erasability of them, i also used 4G board fpr the first time on my last painting and its terrific, altho it is expensive. I also have a pad of bristol board paper 280 gsm which is great aswel

 

[Madbrush]

Welcome to the forum looks like your question has been answered but ill add my two pence worth aswel, i only use com-art and can vouch for the erasability of them, i also used 4G board fpr the first time on my last painting and its terrific, altho it is expensive. I also have a pad of bristol board paper 280 gsm which is great aswel

But now you have no nozzle you dumpling

 

[matty171]

But now you have no nozzle you dumpling

i no mate im fecking raging i only replaced it not long before crimbo fs

 

[Melbee]

Hi Troyster, I'm gonna agree about the Schoellershammer 4G board which I'm also using at the moment and I find it is great for erasing but I'm not so pleased with the scratching. I do really like it for erasing though and I've used a slightly wet paint brush to remove some paint instead of scratching. If I scratch I use a small rounded blade nr:15 and that works better than a pointed blade.

However I've read that if you first coat the board with a gloss varnish before you paint then it makes scratching a lot easier. This makes me think you could use other cheaper boards like Bristol Board or Illustration Board varnished rather than the expensive Schoellers 4G. However I have not tried that yet. At the end of the day the only way to find out what works for you is to experiment.

I do like to work on a thicker board around 1000gram rather than card of 250gram up.
Cheers Mel

 

[ad fez]

Yes pete at airbrush and paint does sell etac, in fact he is i believe the only UK supplier and who I get my paint from, you may have a bit of an issue getting Schoellershammer now though, yupo is perfect for scratching but not alot else..... The scratching properties is why dru uses it, (that and he's exhausted his supply of crescent board now) Schoellershammer isn't great for scratching but you can still use it just don't go to heavy and use a nice new curved blade

 

[matty171]

I did do some scratching on the 4G and gave a couple of coats of varnish before i started to paint on it but as @Melbee has said a pointed blade isnt much good in that it can cut up the surface a bit, i didnt have any rounded blades at the time but will def get some before i do any more scratching. Just as Mel has also said you could try the bristol board and coat it first, you could also stick it to some sort of cheap board to give it some sturdiness. Its all trial and error and what works best for you may not be best for anyone else.

 

[jagardn]

once I tried ETAC there was no going back, its all I use now.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. Nothing else I've tried works like ETAC EFX for me.

 

[littlerick]

If you get some conti-board its ideal... the whit stuff on the back of wardrobes!