Kelmvas review from Shevaun Doherty
I have finished the little Kelmvas painting and am attaching it here.
Here are my thoughts, some of which I have already mentioned on the phone-
I really enjoyed painting on this! I decided to paint Ribes rubrum, Red currants because they require smooth washes and layers of translucent colour.
I was curious to see how the weave of the canvas would affect the way that the paint is laid, but the kelmscott coating allowed me to apply very even smooth washes. I had no trouble building up the layers of paint either I was able to lift and move the paint around very easily, which was useful for those glossy highlights and colour transitions. The colours were very vibrant on the surface.
I added a little honey bee, so that I could see how the surface behaved with fine details. If the surface is in anyway rough or ‘fluffy’, then it is really difficult to control the lines. The Kelmvas was perfect! I was able to get really fine details onto the surface and the lines remained crisp! I also liked that I could use the tip of a craft knife to clean up edges and pick out tiny highlights.
I am very impressed with the Kelmvas.
Another benefit was that the board didn’t react to the heat in my studio. I didn’t tape it down completely and it remained perfectly flat. Sometimes vellum will curl up whilst I am painting, so this was a big plus.
Red currants Ribes rubrum and Honey bee
First washes going on very smoothly
Easy to build up many layers of vibrant translucent colour
Honey bee details- the surface allowed for great control of the lines