Claybord's smooth absorbent surface and rigid hardboard backing makes it ideal for airbrush. The clay coating allows manipulation of the surface without affecting its integrity. Instead of using frisket, scratch in your details and glaze over for a whole new dimension.You'll be amazed at the jewel-tone quality of your colors and you’ll never experience drips from spraying too much. Claybord shines through your airbrush colors and allows you to take your artwork to a whole new level. When finished with your piece, seal it with spray fixative like Krylon® UV Resistant Clear Coating #1309 (Matte) or #1305 (Gloss), and frame without glass!

The ability to cut into the surface to create textures and fine detail saves hours of time usually devoted to masking and spraying. To create gradual tonal or textural values, use Ampersand's Claybord tools or use Ampersand's fine grade oil free steel wool and gradually pull pigment away from the board. The white clay underneath will show through, ready for another color to be airbrushed on top. By adding and removing color in several layers, you can create a wide range of textures previously unattainable in airbrushing. Human hair, animal fur and feathers come to life using this technique.

Create details, highlights and textures by using our scratch knives and tools to pull out sharp white highlights within the painting. You no longer need to add fine lines of white paint or go through the painstaking process of cutting your frisket for detailed highlights -just scratch them out. For larger areas of removal, use extra-fine steel wool or fine sand paper (300 + grit) to remove pigment or repair an area. Sanding will not change the surface texture of the Claybord making changes unnoticeable.

Claybord is excellent for frisket work because the paint will not bleed under gaps. One of the advantages of Claybord is that the paint stays on the top layer. Paint may be completely removed without affecting the integrity of the surface. However, this means that sometimes the paint will be pulled off when the frisket is removed, so use some caution. If you need to lay frisket on a painted area, prior to using frisket, spray on a workable fixative over the area to prevent the paint from pulling. Use a low-tack frisket film or make your own by using mylar and 3M adhesive. If you make your own frisket with adhesive, be careful not to spray the adhesive on too heavily. Any extra stickiness can be easily removed from the surface with the 0000 oil free steel wool. Use a sharp razor knife and slight pressure to cut your masks or lines may be left etched into the clay surface.