Ampersand Museum Series Claybord Panels

Museum Series Claybord™ is made using 1/8” Hardbord panels, featuring Ampersand’s simply amazing kaolin clay ground formula.  This ultra-smooth sanded, highly absorbent clay ground is similar in paintability to the clay gesso grounds used during the Renaissance, and allows paint colors to remain true and brilliant! While Claybord allows the use of traditional materials, tools, and techniques, it is also an ideal surface for mixed media and experimentation. Details can be added, highlights created, and mistakes corrected. Apply paint and ink using brushes, sponges, palette knives, paper towels, airbrush, technical pens and painting tools. Claybord is also an excellent printing surface, and can also be used for image transfers.

With Claybord, paints and inks can be manipulated to vary tonal value, create detail and to develop highlights and correct mistakes. Various artist tools can be used such as Ampersand scratchboard tools, hobby knives, razor blades, etching tools, sand paper, oil-free steel wool, and electric erasers. Claybord's clay coating allows for the use of sgraffito techniques to cut into the surface and re-expose the white clay ground. The coating is 7 to 10 dry-mils thick allowing for multiple cut-ins or erasers. The smooth finish and the absorbency of the clay ground allows the use of an abrasive like oil-free steel wool or sand paper to remove pigment without damaging the finish. 

Only Ampersand builds their cradles by hand with premium grade 13-ply birch plywood for maximum stability and a clean, finished look from edge to edge. Claybord is archival, eco-friendly, formaldehyde-free, and made by hand in the USA.

1/8" Flat Panels - ideal for plein air and studio painting— slips easily into pochade boxes. Flat panels allow for standard framing.

3/4" Cradled Panels -  offer more support for using heavier mediums and built up textures.  Depth allows for traditional canvas-style framing or floater frames.

2" Deep Cradle Panels - for maximum support and frameless presentation, all in one.