Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

Uneven surface with ridges and bubbles. Feathering on edges. Seams uneven.

Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

I was excited to try these panels, as they are relatively light and have nice clear, smooth wood, both for the painting surface and the cradling. However, there were a few challenges. These were not pre-primed panels, so I rolled on a light coat of acrylic gesso, to be followed by three more coats after it dried. There was some rising of the grain with and hairline cracking when the gesso and wood surface dried. In once case the veneer separated from the layer below causing multiple blisters up to a couple inches long. I tried sealing the cracks, all of which followed the wood grain, with Golden GAC-100, before recoating with gesso after drying overnight. That helped - but didn't completely solved the cracking. My concern about the cracking is that even if I can cover the cracks with my painting, the wood below has not been completely sealed from my art above, so there could be migration of lignin acids over time. Cracks and separation also developed between cradling boards and top surface on some of the six panels, which I sealed again with GAC-100 and clamped during drying. I've had these types of problems on other plywood and masonite surfaces, because wood based products do absorb water from acrylic paints, but they could be avoided by using more-waterproof glues during manufacture and by prepriming the panels. Still, these panels are nicely priced and may work better when not using water-based products.

Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

These are the best value I've found and I use them a lot for my multimedia art.

Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

For the price you pay, these are extremely useful and practical for many painting applications. You are guaranteed to receive a good board, so there's no risk with this product. You can create some beautiful surfaces and pictures, as I tend to prefer these over most canvases that are out. Give it a shot!

Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

this "solid birch wood" delaminated when I gessoed it revealing cheap plywood. 3 out of 9 delaminated already. The rest - I'm hoping I can return...

Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

Upon priming with gesso, the laminated surface bubbled. This happened to 3 out of 6 panels primed. I will not use any of these China made panels. Also, the panels are not square and the corners are not glued or reinforced.

Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

I bought the package of 2 30x60 deep cradled birch wood panels. I painted the first with no visible problems, yet. Immediately upon gessoing the second, long horizontal bubbles appeared on the surface. I called Blick and they offered to refund or send a new panel. They acknowledged that the problem had occurred with others with the laminated surface, but said that the problem has been corrected. Nowhere in the materials did I see mention of the fact that there was a laminate on the surface, just "ultra-smooth 3 mm birch surface." I've agreed to a replacement, and will withhold final judgment until I see whether the problem has been solved.

Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

I just ordered these panels because I was looking for a smooth-surface alternative to Blick's textured gessoed panels (which I like, but the texture is not for me).
They are great - solid construction, smooth and perfect surface. I'd love to see these panels come in circles as well!

The only thing I'd be wary of is getting these panels in a size over 24" in any direction unless you want to add extra bracing.

Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

I bought a 24" x 30" deep panel and could not believe that there was no additional bracing on the cradle. This size panel truely needs an extra brace in the back. I'm concerned that after i spend time painting on it it will warp. I will probably return this one and look for one that has additional bracing.

Comments about Blick Studio Artists' Wood Panels:

I purchased a 12 x 12 panel to try out. I was disappointed to see that these panels lacked the quality I was expecting. The plywood face has a weird greenish tint to it and they use a salmon colored putty on the edges. The face was very smooth, but the edges could use a better finish.