A New Mounted Surface from UART!

'Dancing with the Stars'            9x12           pastel          ©Karen Margulis
available $165

It was perfect timing! My new Uart boards arrived on the same day that Uart announced this great new product. Of course I had to drop everything and try the new board. Working on this surface was a pleasure and I am looking forward to using them more often!

side view of the new Uart Premium Mounted Boards

What are they? Here is some information from the Uart website:

 "UART’s newest mounted boards are made from a strong PVC material that is the perfect solution for plein air artists or artists alike that are looking for the convenience of UART’s sanded pastel paper pre-mounted on what we believe is the most durable and dent resistant board on the market.

UART’s borderless mounted boards are only 1/8” thick and lightweight making it the right choice for artists on the go. Each board is mounted to the edge with UART Premium Sanded Pastel Paper allowing a consistent texture every time for pastel, charcoal and pencil, and is pH neutral, acid free and capable of handling any type of wet media including watercolor, alcohol and oil washes.

Premium Mounted Boards – (all sizes in inches)

• 9 x 12
• 12 x 16
• 18 x 24

Available in different grades ensuring you can create with confidence, knowing that your paper has the same grade from corner to corner every time you sketch or paint.
Grades: • 240 • 280 • 320 • 400 • 500 • 600 • 800"

wet wash with oil paint and turpenoid

 So how did the boards perform? Here are my thoughts:

• The most important thing to me is that the mounted Uart paper perform exactly like the unmounted paper. The new board passed this test with flying colors! I depend on the consistent nature of the paper and found that sometimes mounted paper doesn't always perform in the way that I expect. Not so with the new premium mounted boards. The pastel went on the same way it does on unmounted boards. No strange texture was present and I was able to layer as usual.

• I put the board to the test using a wet a drippy wash with oil paint and turpenoid. It was a complete joy to do the wash without worry of buckling or bumpy paper. The board took all of this wet abuse and held up beautifully.

• I didn't count but I was able to get quite a few layers on the board even with the oil stain. I used some very soft pastels including some super soft Senneliers. I still didn't fill the tooth of the paper.

• I had fun with scraping pastel with a pin. The firm surface of the board allowed me to scrape without any issues.

• I love that the paper is flush with the edges of the board. I always paint to the edges of my paper so I don't like having a border. I still taped the board to a bigger piece of foamcore using white artist tape hinges. This allowed me to paint to the edges with out the easel getting in the way.

• The board is very lightweight which will make it good for travel and plein air excursions. I like that each board is individually packaged in a resealable clear bag. This bag will come in handy to carry a finished painting home from a trip or from workshops and classes.

close up detail

OK I'm convinced! Where can I get the new boards?

They are available online at Blicks and Fine Art Store. Here are the links:
http://www.dickblick.com/.../uart-premium-sanded-pastel.../ & and Rochester: http://www.fineartstore.com/p-11314-uart-premium-mounted...