Personal review of Jackson's Art gesso board

Jackons's Uncradled Gesso Panel provides artists with a pre-prepared fine tooth surface that’s ideal for all painting styles, including oil paints, acrylics and mixed media. It features a professional acid-free gesso ground that is lightly textured, professionally applied to warp resistant, sturdy, tempered panels.
Jackson's Uncradled Gesso Panel's are available in Grey and Umber in sizes from 4 x 4 in to 24 x 36 in

I have been working with acrylics for over 10 years and found that canvas just did not suit my needs very early on in my journey. I like to create fine detail in my work and the weave of the canvas does not allow me to do this. I found the Ampersand boards back in 2017 and their smoother surface were far more ideal, and the rigid nature of the board was more supportive. After researching the different surfaces available, I began with the Gessobord, followed by the Pastelbord because I was able to buy this in other colours other than white, which are grey, tan and green. I can only purchase the white and grey in the UK however at the time of writing this article. I have always worked exclusively on tonal bases, as it offered me a mid-ground for which to build my layers on. As the Gessobord is only available in white, I had to apply a colour wash before I began, so when I came across Jackson's Art Gesso panels back in 2019, they looked ideal. My preferred base colours have always been grey and tan, so the fact that the Jackson’s Art Gesso panels provided both these tones were perfect. As the panels are already treated with a gesso ground, I could get straight into the painting without initial preparation.

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Comparing Ampersand Gessobord and Jacksons Art gesso board

The surface appears almost identical in texture, but the Ampersand boards are treated with a gesso ground that do not contain any animal derivatives. The latter is also archival and made from renewable sources. I have emailed Jackson’s Art to check this information for their gesso board, and am awaiting a reply. Once I receive it I will add it here.

The Jackson’s Art Gesso board is 3mm thick, as are the Ampersand boards. The edging around the board is flat with square corners and hard edges, the Ampersand boards have curved edges and corners making them smoother to the touch. Once framed though, it does not make a difference. When viewing the back of the board, they are almost identical. The only difference between the two is the Ampersand one has the board name stamped on the back, the Jackson’s Art brand is plain.

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Sizes available

4" x 4"	5" x 5"	6" x 6"	5" x 7"
6" x 9"	8" x 8"	6" x 12"	8" x 10"
9" x 12"	10" x 10"	11" x 14"	12" x 12"
12" x 16"	12" x 24"	14" x 18"	16" x 20"
18" x 24"	18" x 36"	24" x 36"	Value

The Gesso board is available in various sizes and shapes from square, rectangular and panoramic sizing. Prices vary from £3.00 to £43.00 (prices correct as of March 2021)
Click the link below to find out more about this product at Jackson's Art (Local, national and international deliveries available)

Click here to visit the Jackson’s Art website and view this product

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This is an independent review. I have not received a commission for this article.