Ampersand Panels reach the UK - at long last!

Virtually the complete range of Ampersand panels are now available in the UK - from Jackson's Art Supplies.  

They are the business!  There are surfaces for every type of art medium (see below) and some work work well with more than one media.

These are the ones which are now going to be available in the UK:

• Aquabord - for watercolour. Check out 
• Painting in Watercolor: An Exercise using Aquabord™ with Karen Vernon
• Aquabord 2.0 Revisited
• Artist Panel - which comes in three different surfaces: Canvas, Basswood and Smooth
• Claybord - for ink and egg tempera (and a variety of other media). Check out 
• Graphic Media: Pen and Ink on Claybord™ and 
• Claybord used as Scratchboard
• Acrylic Painting on Claybord by Rock Newcomb
• Encausticbord - a new product for use with hot wax
• Gessobord - for those who like their boards with gesso already applied
• Pastelbord - for artists working in dry media who like a sanded surface eg pastel and coloured pencil artists. Check out 
• Innovative Pastel Methods on Pastelbord
• Scratchbord - for those who like to scratch at the surface to produce an image

I've imported Pastelbord in the past from the USA. It's a great surface to work on and I love the fact you can prder it in different sizes and colours. However what is so very impressive is the rigidity of the board and the fact it does not warp in any way and they can be framed without glass so long as the surface is robust (eg oil and acrylics) or sealed with a varnish (e.g. watercolour and coloured pencils).  Plus all the boards are eco-friendly and safe for artists to use.

For your further information on the Ampersand website there is

• a great FAQs page
• plus a Technical page gives you a summary of what art media works with which board. Just in case you miss it, this is their summary of how to choose the best board for the media you prefer to use
• plus the AmpersandArtsSupply Blog for features on what artists have produced using the different panels and lots of useful tips eg Resources for Framing Panels

Media	Product	Discussion
ACRYLICS	Claybord Gessobord Pastelbord	We highly recommend using thin washes of acrylics on Claybord. Or, try Gessobord for a less absorbent panel or Pastelbord for a surface with more texture and a toned ground.
AIRBRUSH	Claybord	Claybord is ideal for airbrush.
CALLIGRAPHY	Claybord	Ampersand recommends Claybord with this medium.
CASEIN	Claybord Gessobord	Claybord and Gessbord are both appropriate for use with casein.
EGG TEMPERA	Claybord	Use egg tempera on Claybord. Compare with panels you are preparing yourself.
ENCAUSTIC	Encausticbord	Encausticbord is made for the unique demands of encaustic painting.
GOUACHE	Aquabord	We recommend Aquabord for use with gouache.
GRAPHITE AND COLORED PENCILS	Claybord	Use graphite and colored pencils withClaybord.
INKS, INDIA INK, COLORED INKS	Claybord Scratchbord	We recommend Claybord with inks because they can be easily erased and manipulated.
MARKERS	Claybord	Use Claybord with markers and frame without glass.
OILS AND OIL STICKS	Claybord Gessobord	We recommend Gessobord for use with oils. Claybord may also be used but is very absorbent..
PASTELS	Pastelbord	We recommend Pastelbord for working with all types of pastels.
SCRATCHBOARD	Scratchbord	Use Scratchbord as a professional alternative to scratchboard paper.
WATERCOLORS	Aquabord	Use Aquabord, similar to cold press paper, for very wet watercolor washes.

 Summary of how different media work with Ampersand Products

Do also:

• read this blog post on the Jackson's Art Blog - Ampersand Painting Panels are Extraordinary Surfaces for Your Art - which explains all the different surfaces in detail.
• check out the new Ampersand page on the Jacksons website

Ampersand Panels are  hugely impressive - and I'm sure a lot of artists are going to want to try them for themselves.

NOTE: A more limited range of Ampersand Panels are also available from Ken Bromley Art Supplies.

Arches Huile Oil Paper, Paper Rolls and Paper Pads - reviews and prices

Arches Oil Paper Pad (140 lb x 12 sheets)

Below you can find

• a video by Professor Steve Levin and Canson about the Arches® Oil paper: A new paper for oil painting
• links to reviews of the Oil Paper and Oil Paper Pads introduced by Arches.
• details of suppliers and the prices they've got for the different types of Arches oil paper on their websites as of today's post. It includes both UK (£sterling) and USA ($American) so be careful which one you're looking at

Noted characteristics of the paper are:

• 100% cotton paper - thus much lighter than all normal supports for plein air painting
• paper is deckle edged 
• NOT-type surface 
• range of alternative sizes - from pads to paper to rolls
• ready to use

Comments about performance include

• eliminates the need for preparation
• easy to cut to different sizes
• easily rolled for transport
• strong paper - does not degrade when scrubbed
• capable of taking oil paint without medium or thinners; paint and pigment stay on the surface of the paper and do not sink into the paper - hence no need to prime with gesso
• can take a lot of solvent - which doesn't leak through paper or under tape - plus paper does not buckle when wet
• absorbent - but views as to how absorbent it is very much depend on what people usually paint on; experience seems to be generally similar to painting on primed canvas
• paint takes the same time to dry as other surfaces
• possible to combine oil paint with other drawing media
• oil paper pads provide a backing which means no need for a board to paint on 'en plein air'
• great for oil sketches
• needs to be framed under glass (that's because framing relates to the nature of the support as much as the media used)

Jerry's Artarama provides an instruction sheet - which includes guidance on how to frame

Reviews of Arches Huile Oil Painting Pads

• This is a link to a review of the oil paper pads by Haidee-Jo Summers for The Artist
• This is a review by artist Ian Price who did a 2hr Oil sketch portrait on Arches Huile paper
• This is a forum discussion on Wet Canvas about the new oil painting paper
• Other reviews can be found on art supplier sites - links to which are contained in the table below

Suppliers

These are the art supplies people who have it in stock - and the prices they're charging

	PADS 9 inches x 12inches	PADS 12 inches x 16 inches	PAPER 22 inches x 30 inches 1.3 x 9.15 metres	PAPER 51 inches x 10 yards	No. of reviews on site
UK
Ken Bromley Art Supplies	£11.05	£17.45			4 reviews
Heaton Cooper	£13.50	£20.50
Jackson’s Art Supplies	£11.10	£17.50	£5.10	£111.00	4 reviews
USA
Dick Blick - Arches Oil Paper				$156.65	rated 4.7 (3 reviews)
Dick Blick - Arches Oil Paper Pads	$9.77	$17.19			rated 5.0 (3 reviews)
Jerry’s Artarama	$12.31	$21.58	(pack of 10 sheets) $74.06	$201.35
The Paint Spot	$19.16	$23.96

Remember to check out the cost of shipping goods to you. (Not included above as it depends where you live and how big your order is)

The Best Art Supplies Stores in New York

Yesterday, I added a new section The Best Art Supplies Stores in New York to my 'resoources for artists' website USA: Art Supply Stores & Online Art Supplies

Pearl Paint, 308 Canal Street, TriBeCa, New York NY 10013

I've constructed the section by reviewing what I can find online.  

The thing is - I KNOW I've read excellent reviews by art bloggers in the past about different art materials stores in New York - but I simply can't find them!  It's driving me potty!

Have people stopped writing reviews of art supplies stores in New York or has Google stopped identifying them?  The only ones I've found so far are the Handprint reviews of retailers which include three reviews of stores in NYC.

Anyway I'd like to develop this section to include a poll, links to reviews and a map on the website to help people visiting New York.  However first I'd like to be clearer as to the relative ranking of the top ten stores - so I can construct my top 10 poll!   My initial conclusions to date are:

• Pearl Paint in Lower Manhattan, between Tribeca, SoHo and Chinatown probably gets the most visitors and certainly gets the most reviews - but it also gets quite a lot of dissatisfied customers.  
• Dick Blick in NoHo, Manhattan gets the most favourable reviews and is actually the top art materials store on Yelp.  Plus points are well laid out store makes it easy to find what you want and helpful staff
• New York Central Art Supply between Green Village and the East Village is very much the "go to" store for fine art paper

So I'd like to ask you two questions:

• Which are your top three art supplies stores in New York? Please leave the names and locations of your top three as a comment
• Have you written a review of any of them?  If so please leave a comment with the URL of your blog post and I'll link to it or reference it.

I'll then add in a poll to the website and more links to reviews of the different recommended stores.

Creating and Mounting Pastel Supports

Two new sections have been added into my 'resources for artists' website dedicated to sharing information about Pastel Paper and Pastel Boards.

In addition to:

• Which is the best pastel ground?
• Comparative Reviews of Pastel Papers and Other Supports
• Brands of Pastel Paper / Supports

it now also includes

• Pastel Grounds - creating your own support - looking at the process and materials required to create your own support. I'd really like to know if there is anybody out there who has produced their own recipe for their own approach which I've not yet found.
• Mounting Boards for Pastel Artworks | How to Mount Pastel Papers and Supports - the different approaches used by different professional artists to mounting pastel paper or a pastel support onto a board prior to commencing the artwork
• VIDEO: Mounting Surfaces with Pastel Painting - plus a video which shows you how one artist creates a mounted support ready for plein air painting

I've included links to all the information that I could find online

However, if you know of any article or online website which provides information which would be useful to share with pastel artists please leave a comment below.

Which is the best pastel ground?

There are a wide variety of pastel grounds - and I've finally got round to listing them all out in a poll to find out from pastel artists which pastel papers or pastel boards they like the best.

You can find the poll in a new "resources for artists" site I've created - Pastel Papers and Pastel Grounds

This is the link POLL: Which pastel paper or other support do you like best for pastels?

These are the options:

• Ampersand Pastelbord
• Art Spectrum Colourfix Paper
• Art Spectrum Plein Air Painting Board
• Art Spectrum Suede
• Art Spectrum Supertooth
• Canford Black Pastel Paper
• Canson Mi Teintes Pastel Paper
• Canson Mi-Teintes Touch - sanded texture board
• Clairefontaine Pastelmat
• Daler Rowney Murano Pastel Paper
• Fabriano Tiziano Paper
• Fisher 400 Paper
• Hahnemuhle Bugra Paper
• Hahnemuhle Velour Pastel Papers
• Ingres Paper (various)
• Richeson Pastel Paper
• Saint-Armand Sabretooth paper
• Schminke Sansfix
• Sennelier La Carte
• St Cuthberts Mill - Somerset Pastel Paper
• Townsend Pastel Paper
• UART Archival Sanded Pastel Paper
• Wallis Archival Sanded Pastel Paper - Museum Grade
• Wallis Archival Sanded Pastel Paper - Professional Grade
• Watercolour Paper (various)
• Winsor & Newton Tints Pastel Paper
• Other (please comment below)

I'm developing a systematic analysis of the range of pastel grounds on the website according to:

• characteristics
• made of
• colours
• size
• consumer opinion

This should make it easier for people wanting to consult the site to find out which pastel ground might suit them best.

If you are a pastel artist could you please:

• vote in the poll 
• share your personal views as to the pastel ground you like the best - lave a comment below or on the website
• let me know if you've ever reviewed a pastel ground - and let me have a link to the review
• let me know if I've omitted a pastel ground which should be included in the poll!

You can find out more about pastels and other papers and supports in two related websites:

• Pastels - Resources for Artists
• Fine Art Paper and Non-Canvas Supports for Artists

Studio Product: IKEA ALEX Drawer unit with 9 drawers

This is what the IKEA ALEX Drawer unit with 9 drawers looks like for those reading the comments on my Review: IKEA Alex Drawer Unit for paper storage.  This item has already found a useful place in artists' studios.

ALEX Drawer unit with 9 drawers, white 
UK - Article Number 501.928.22 £81.99
USA - Article Number 501.928.22 $119.00

Specification

It's made in the same way as the Alex Drawer Unit on castors (which I've reviewed) - except it's not mobile.  The dimensions when assembled are

• Width: 36 cm (14.1 inches)
• Depth: 48 cm (18.9 inches)
• Height: 115 cm (45.2 inches)

Looking at it online, here are the pros and cons from my perspective

Pros

• a very useful item for any studio given the size of the drawers.  
• looks ideal for storing pencils, pastels, paints, other media and smaller sizes of paper
• Also has space for all those odds and sods of equipment we have to keep on hand for matting, framing etc.
• small footprint - ideal for studio areas where there are space constraints
• scope to match the Alex Drawer Unit - same depth and same design.

Cons

• deep - deeper than most bookcases (35-40cm) but not as deep as many standard kitchen items (60cm)
• very vertical - which means it will need fixing to the wall to be safe, especially if young children are around 
• no castors and not mobile - which means you need to find a spot and keep it there.

We recommend you secure this furniture to the wall with the enclosed safety strap to prevent it from tipping over. Different wall materials require different types of fasteners. Use fasteners suitable for the walls in your home (not included).IKEA

Review: IKEA Alex Drawer Unit for paper storage

IKEA - Alex Drawer Unit on castors (white) 
Article Number : 401.962.41

This is a review of the IKEA Alex Drawer Unit on Castors - which is my second IKEA purchase as part of the "let's try and store everything better than hitherto" campaign.

I've been storing paper for artwork and works on paper in portfolios for ages and frankly, the number of portfolios was getting very difficult to manage both comfortably and aesthetically!

I have long wanted a plan chest in theory however:

• they mostly tend to be size A0 or A1 and that's much bigger than I want to house and much bigger than I actually need
• if big they become incredibly heavy to move when full - plus you need to start thinking about floor strength!
• they're not that easy to find
• most would look good in an office but less good in a home
• if you do find them, they're very often fairly expensive

Which is why, when I spotted the IKEA Alex Drawer Unit on castors in IKEA, I was so very pleased that at long last it looked like I might have solved the problem of what to do with all that paper.

The bottom line - I was right.  With one caveat - I actually need two!  Here's the review.

• If you want to check paper sizes - take a look at the chart at the end
• If you've created paper storage or reviewed another purchased product providing storage for art paper please leave a comment and a link to your review

Product: IKEA: Alex Drawer Unit on castors (white)

SUMMARY REVIEW: Ease of Assembly: Not overly complicated however you do need 2-3 hours and to be very focused on what you’re doing while assembling it.  Quality / Robustness: It’s particle board not wood. That said it’s good quality and the unit feels robust when finished Functionality: The drawers take large quantities of paper and all move really easily even when full. The castors work well on carpet and the whole unit can be moved easily. This enables the unit to be placed it in front of items you use only occasionally  Value for Money: Very reasonable compared to alternatives - UK Cost £85 plus delivery charge. (USA $119)

Technical Details: size:  Width: 67 cm / 26 3/8 "  Depth: 48 cm/ 18 7/8 "  Height: 66 cm / 26 "  drawers are designed to take paper up to size A2 with space to spare  material:  Basematerial / Drawer front: Particleboard, Acrylic paint, Melamine foil, ABS plastic  Bottom panel: Particleboard, Melamine foil, ABS plastic  Back panel: Particleboard, Melamine foil, Melamine foil  Drawer back / Drawer side: Particleboard, Foil  Drawer bottom: Fibreboard, Acrylic paint colours: available in white and blackweight: 32.4 kg weight: 32.4kg

Who should buy this? artists who work on paper  artists wanting to increase their flat storage capacity for paper, mountboard and completed artwork  pencil artists needing a neat storage solution for the home

Who should not buy this? people wanting flat storage for whole sheets of watercolour paper and mountboard

Highlights: large capacity  draw width enables storage of smaller paper/works in two stacks side by side  drawer mechanism makes drawers run very smoothy  castors make it easy to move around  visual instructions are very helpful - and you can download the Alex Unit instructions before you buy  easy to make up - one person can do it - but you do need to concentrate during assembly. It took me about 3 hours working slowly and carefully (I only made one mistake and that was easy to undo!)

Think Again? if you want to store full size sheets of watercolour paper or mountboard you’ll need something bigger  if you’re not good at using a screwdriver or DIY find a relative or friend who is - and be nice to them!  The USA version indicates the drawers are designed for letter size papers. They are in fact much bigger than this - see paper sizes chart at end

Manufacturer / Distributor: IKEA - their website http://www.ikea.com/ helps you find a store near you.  Plus you can order online (but will need to pay a delivery charge)

Suppliers: only available new from IKEA

A series paper sizes compared to Letter and Legal Sizes