Painting on Unprimed Artist Panel / Birch Plywood

These products are typically found in art supply stores and are generally a good option. They use wood species with a minimum of tannins or contaminants, “cradle”-type construction for minimal warping, and an overall design engineered toward the needs of artists.

A ground or barrier coating is not required when working on these panels with acrylics, oils, watercolors, or dry media.

When painting with an acrylic paint, medium, gesso, or ground, two or more initial coats of Gloss Medium can be applied to reduce Support Induced Discoloration (SID).

Any of our Gesso & Grounds, Gels & Pastes, and most of our Fluid Mediums can be applied to alter the absorbency, durability, or texture of the surface.

For watercolors, we typically recommend applying Gesso followed by one of our three QoR Watercolor Grounds for a bright white absorptive surface.

For dry media like PanPastel, we recommend applying a textured ground or paste for improved tooth.

Video: Support Induced Discoloration (SID)
Article: Understanding Wood Supports for Art
Tech Page: Support (surface) Preparation