Removing painting from Gator Board

Hi Everyone. I am often asked how to remove paintings from Gator Board.

You will know by now that I used a 1 inch brown gummed tape that is made especially for stretching watercolour paper. The gum is activated by water.

Gator Board is a brilliant product. I have tried many many many other products, but nothing comes close to the advantages of Gator Board.

How to remove your painting from the Gator Board.
Once your painting has dried, take a thin knife with a sharp point and pierce a hole in the gummed tape near one of the corners of your paper. (You should be able to see the rise in the surface of the gummed tape which indicates the edge of the stretched paper.

To do this you are best to lay the knife horozonatally. You do not want to pierce your Gator Board. Once you are able to slide the thin knife underneath your painting (including the gummed tape that is on top of the paper) then you simply slide the knife (horozontally) along the lengths and breadth of the paper. This will lift your painting and you will find you still have the gummed tape attached.

The gummed tape is archival and can stay on your painting forever. It also keeps the paper edges stable. The gummed tape cannot be removed without wetting the paper. Obviously it is not a good idea to rewet your paper to remove the gummed tape - as you will undo the value of stretching the paper in the first place.

I neaten the edges of the gummed tape and paper and then frame the painting.

If you have left a wide white margin around your painting, you may prefer to cut the brown gummed tape off. It is your call. I leave mine on.

You can easily clean the remaining gummed tape off your Gator Board - once your painting has been removed - by throwing the board in the bath or soaking it with a sponge. It is just a matter of getting it wet enough that you can pull or ease the last of it off. You are now ready to begin stretching paper for your next masterpiece!

have fun!

I will write to Cheap Joes now. I will also chat with them about the brown gummed tape.

Susan