Illustration Board: Plenty of Things You Didn’t Know

1. What is illustration board?
2. Properties of illustration board
3. Application of illustration board
4. Types of illustration boards
5. How to make illustration board?
6. Must-follow illustration boards
7. Illustration boards producers and sellers
8. Where to get illustration board
9. To sum up

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What is illustration board?

Contemporary types of media are greatly intertwined. Printed or painted forms of art, watercolor or ink illustrations, graphics, design, and various types of covers, cards, and others all exist in close correlation. To gain this form of connection, modern art and media use a variety of techniques and tools. Among such tools with multiple applications in various spheres is an illustration board, a term referring to art, design, and media.

One who is familiar with the listed spheres should definitely know what an illustration board is. The latter one represents a surface made of paper pasted on both sides of the cardboard or poster board. Most often, it is utilized by craftsmen creating 2-dimensional visuals. Illustration boards can be called a medium for renderings and illustrations like this one. Despite the provided illustration board definition, the tool can be applied for other purposes as well, such as models for 3-dimensional or architectural projects. Illustration boards have plenty of properties, types, applications, proven producers, and sellers, all of which will be discussed in the article.

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Properties of illustration board

Illustration boards can use various types of paper. Some of them include paper used for watercolors, such as Arches paper, Mermaid paper, etc. Illustration board watercolor is among the most frequent applications of the tool. Also, boards such as Crescent illustration board, Kent paper, etc. can be utilized for drawings. What is more, the types of paper include canvas, graph, and pastel paper.

The thickness of the paper can range from 1 to 3 mm, while illustration board thickness differs greatly depending on the producer and its main purpose. The most common illustration board sizes are 10x15, 15x20, 20x30, 30x20, and 30x40 inches. However, 15x20 illustration board and 20x30 illustration board are the most demanded sizes and are widely used by the different types of media.

To imagine the average sizes, 15 x 20 illustration board is around the size of A2 paper format. Any illustration board has more advantages in practical use by artists than any other type of paper due to its properties. First, illustration boards are more resistant to any deformation than usual paper sheets. Secondly, they don't need any additional board as they are already strong enough for different artist's manipulations.

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Application of illustration board

An illustration board provides many benefits to artists. It is affordable, disposable, and can be applied in a number of ways. Namely, it is the best tool for artistic techniques that involve airbrush, watercolor, pencil, ink, and pen. Watercolor on illustration board is the best thing that an artist who likes this form of painting can imagine.

However, there are some alternative forms of usage for this universal tool. For instance, an illustration board can be applied in photography as a background. For instance, a black illustration board can be used as a great background for product photography. Meanwhile, a white illustration board can be utilized for the control of light during the process of photo creation. As you see, the application of illustration boards is versatile and depends only on the artist's needs and imagination.

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Types of illustration boards

For different purposes, there are varying types of illustration boards. There are two main types and they are the most popular kinds of material can be found on the market, cold and hot press boards. Thus, a cold press illustration board is rough, while a hot press illustration board is smooth. A hot pressed illustration board is mainly used for artistic interpretations utilizing marker, pen, ink techniques, and a cold pressed illustration board is applied basically for illustrations in different media.

For instance, a variety of illustration themes can be found on TemplateMonster. One of the most popular types for the media is Crescent cold press illustration board. Notably, various media may find benefits from the usage of illustration boards and themes. Among the types of media using the illustrations can also be the game industry.

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These illustrations will suit perfectly on an illustration board cold press.

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How to make illustration board?

Illustration boards can be made by hand, but their price is not high, so it is reasonable to buy the high-quality product from trustworthy manufacturers. In fact, if you buy all the materials for the making of an illustration board and evaluate the time spent on it, the price will be equal to the one already offered by the manufacturers. So, buying a good product is better and time-consuming. However, there may be a necessity to cut the illustration board in order to fit the preferred style of art.

And this may be a bit challenging as the board is rather strong material. For this, you will need a sturdy table, cutting mat, box cutter, and the board itself. First, you should mark the desired cut and then cut along this marked line with a box cutter. Lastly, use sandpaper to make the edges smooth.

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Must-follow illustration boards

If you are engaged in creative work, then you definitely know that this type of activity depends greatly on inspiration. One would say that there is no inspiration and it only visits when you begin working. While that is also true, artists may still need some muse for better and break-through work. Some pieces of inspiration can be found with several methods, such as visiting new places, meeting new people, attending interesting events, listening to inspiring music and also following several inspirational channels on the web.

When talking about illustration boards, there are certain must-follow design boards on Pinterest. They are not only inspirational but also provide up-to-date design trends that you should know. Among them is Web Design Inspiration I UI I UX by Awwwards, which is a great source of new ideas for all who adore web design. The other is Business Card Designs by Canva, which is an essential inspiration point for every designer as making business cards is what almost all of us need one day or another. The other must-follow design board, For the Love of Type by Laura Morgan, is about stylish typography, which is also critical for creating designs.

Media is often connected with packages, and their design can represent plenty of great creative ideas; the source collecting such ideas is Packaging Pick of the Day by Packaging Diva. When you just need design ideas of all kinds, you may want to visit Design Ideas by Andrew Walbridge. For more new ideas and inspiration, you may also follow Erik Hageman, which is a great source. The extensive collection of wonderful patterns can be found in Patterns by Milele Design. If you have a special occasion and need some original greeting card design, you might look for ideas in Greeting Cards by Sanqunetti Design.

Photographers should definitely visit Photo Finish Ideas by P as it has a great gathering of photo after-effects. Those who love and find art in advertising will like ADS by Kevin Reis. More must-follow illustration boards can be found in GraphicMama's blog post.

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Illustration boards producers and sellers

The market for illustration boards is rather extensive. However, there are certain producers and sellers that have gained the trust of their buyers. For instance, Strathmore illustration boards are very popular among artists, as well as Canson illustration boards. All these providers have their own special benefits for buyers. Strathmore 500 series illustration board is mounted on both sides of an archival, white, lignin-free board and is very resistant to warping.

Strathmore 500 illustration board is mostly used for wet media. Furthermore, Schoellershammer’s 4g illustration board is popular among those who prefer using ink, pencils, or brushes. Crescent illustration board cold press 300 suits greatly for acrylic techniques, casein, tempera, and wash drawing. The most popular brands and sellers include Crescent illustration boards, Bienfang illustration boards, cold press illustration board Michaels, etc.

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Where to get illustration board

You can buy the product online or in an art shop. The simplest way is to put in Google search 'illustration board walmart', 'illustration board michaels' or 'illustration board hobby lobby', and you'll see a variety of offerings from these well-known and trusted retailers. Also, you can buy directly from the aforementioned manufacturers.

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To sum up

As you can see, such a universal and simple thing as an illustration board has so many applications, features, types, and connected techniques. Illustrations are widely used in media, web design, art, and other modern forms of human creation. In this way, an illustration board is a necessary tool for each artist as it is easy to get and use. It has a variety of advantageous properties, and a number of manufacturers offer high-quality products that can satisfy all high-demanding customers. What about you? Do you use illustration boards or illustrations in your art?

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