Ampersand Art Supply Claybord | 8" x 10" | 1-1/2" Cradled Profile | Kaolin Clay Painting Panel for Acrylic, Ink, Watercolor & Mixed Media | Canvas & Paper Alternative

Ampersand’s Museum Series Claybord is the only professional painting panel made with a true kaolin clay ground—a smooth, absorbent, clay-coated painting surface inspired by the clay-gesso panels used by Renaissance artists. This ultra-refined ground offers crisp detail, clean color, and exceptional control for fine artwork on panel, mixed media, and experimental techniques. Unlike other art surfaces, Claybord supports both additive and subtractive approaches—its kaolin clay coating absorbs color beautifully while allowing artists to use scratchboard tools to etch and scratch in fine detail, or to lighten, refine, or even erase areas using oil-free steel wool or fine sandpaper.This flexibility gives artists a unique level of control across a wide range of media, including acrylics, inks, alcohol inks, gouache, egg tempera, casein, watercolor, graphite, airbrush, collage, image transfers, printmaking, and mixed media. The smooth, archival surface also supports mounting photographs, art prints, and other paper artwork, making it an exceptionally versatile rigid painting surface. Every Claybord panel is built on Ampersand’s premium, warp-resistant Hardbord™ core, the most stable wood substrate on the market, and sealed with Archiva-Seal™ to protect against Support-Induced Discoloration (SID). The result is an archival, durable surface suitable for professional work, detailed illustration, painting on panel, and complex mixed media techniques. Claybord is available in a 1/8"" flat profile and in 13-ply birch plywood cradled profiles at 7/8"", 1½"", and 2"" depths. For elegant display options, Ampersand’s 7/8"" Floaterframe is designed to accommodate both the 1/8"" flat and 7/8"" cradled Claybord panels, while the 1½"" Floaterframe is a perfect fit for the 1½"" cradle. The 2"" cradle features an elegant, substantial profile that stands on its own as a statement piece without a frame. Handcrafted in the USA using FSC-certified materials.

• Unique Kaolin Clay Surface: The only professional painting panel with a true kaolin clay ground. Claybord’s ultra-smooth, absorbent surface delivers crisp detail, clean color, and a painting experience unmatched by canvas, paper, or traditional gessoed panels.
• Etch, Erase & Refine: The clay coating allows artists to etch into the surface using scratchboard tools, knives, or craft blades to create sharp contrast, texture, and fine detail. You can also lighten, refine, or erase areas with oil-free steel wool or fine sandpaper for a level of control not possible on other painting surfaces.
• Versatile Surface: Ideal for acrylics, inks, alcohol inks, gouache, egg tempera, casein, graphite, airbrush, collage, image transfers, and printmaking. The smooth, acid-free, archival clay surface also works beautifully for mounting photographs, art prints, and other paper artwork.
• Go Beyond Canvas or Paper: Claybord supports creative possibilities other surfaces can’t, bringing mixed media, layering, etching, erasing, and subtractive techniques together on a single panel. A smooth, responsive surface for artists who want greater control and sharper detail.
• Made in the USA: Constructed on Ampersand’s premium Hardbord and sealed with Archiva-Seal to protect against Support-Induced Discoloration (SID). The panel is archival, warp-resistant, and engineered to provide a stable, long-lasting painting surface. Proudly handcrafted in the USA using FSC-Certified materials.