Testing Surfaces

I needed something that would accept light acrylic washes and smooth, firm enough to stand up to pencil work.

I bought some Claybord by Ampersand. The surface is very smooth and the color washes looked nice. However, using a sharp pencil was like using an Exact-o knife. The pencil carved into the board. Maybe I didn't let the surface dry and harden up enough after laying down the acrylic washes. The Claybord is a really neat surface to work with; it just wasn't what I wanted.

After throwing the board a bit of frustration , I dug up some illustration board from my stash of leftover college materials.

Surprise! This simple surface was what I needed.

This study was done on Crescent Cold Press Illustration Board. The surface allowed for light washes. It also accepted the pencil work nicely. I was able to make nice dark marks.

Fellow artists....I want to try hot-press illustration board (haven't worked with it in years), too. Does it stand up well to pencil and acrylic washes?