Dibond Painting Substrate: The Ideal Art Surface? | Cut Plastic Sheeting

Dibond Painting Substrate: The Ideal Art Surface?

A poor painter should never blame their tools, however only with the right materials can an artist truly realise their vision. For artists looking for a new surface to work on, Dibond painting substrate is quickly becoming a popular choice, not only for its stiffness, but also due to its supreme smoothness and the superb results of its graphic finish. Available on Cut Plastic Sheeting in various colours, we’ve explained the benefits of printing on aluminium composite sheets before, but in this blog post we’re covering the fairly recent phenomenon of those using Dibond as a painting substrate.

What is Dibond?

As we covered in depth in our blog ‘What Is Dibond & How Can It Be Used?’, Dibond substrate is an extremely rigid yet lightweight material; a layer of polyethylene sandwiched firmly in between two thin veneers of aluminium. Thanks to the inherent attributes of these two materials, such as being lightweight, high strength and non-corrosive, Dibond succeeds in situations and environments that neither one would individually be suitable for – including painting!

Why is Painting on Dibond Substrate so Effective?

Though painting on aluminium composite is not widely practised among the artistic community, several individuals skilled with oil paints have found the material’s properties to be a unique compliment to their craft. Scott Naismith (a Scottish landscape artist with a huge online following) notes that the smooth surface of Dibond means it requires very little paint, and when primed with a matte, glossy or mirrored finish, it retains a smooth slick final result. Meanwhile, Aaron Negal (a figurative oil painter from California), calls Dibond painting substrate the “plastic metal of the future”, having experimented with using its durable surface as a platform for his ultra-realistic form.

In the past we’ve mentioned how the waterproof and damage resistant qualities of Dibond make it so handy for use in signs, lettering and temporary outside installations. Along with these significant attributes, the material is inherently solid, making it perfect for a steady hand. In fact, many talented individuals who’ve visited Cut Plastic Sheeting have been able to thoroughly explore the illustrative qualities of Dibond painting substrate, as you can see by our little gallery below:

 DSC04740 Aluminium
 _DSC0795 _DSC0793
 IMG_0907 IMG_0871

All these fantastic works of art were all created from Dibond boards ordered from Cut Plastic Sheeting. Each has been sent in a size and thickness exactly to the customer’s specifications, upon which they have carefully applied their artistic skill and imagination with mind-blowing results. Whilst it certainly takes experience and a mastery of one’s craft to create such fine work, having a material with the strength, lightweight and rigidity of Dibond Aluminium Composite sheeting is a huge help.

If you’re also an accomplished artist looking for a new painting substrate to try out, we thoroughly recommend giving Dibond a try, but we’d also love for you to share the results! You can do so through the Cut Plastic Sheeting Facebook page, on Twitter or via Google+.

For more information on Acrylic, Perspex, MDF, Dibond and Polycarbonate please visit our Guide and Blog sections of the website.

 

Cut Plastic Sheeting are based on the south Coast in Ivybridge, Devon UK. We have a full manufacturing facility which enables us to offer Cut To Size Acrylic as well as Cut To Size MDF. Shop our full range of products, including our Clear Acrylic, coloured acrylic and more recent MDF Wood Sheet ranges.

 

Our Team are always here to help with any enquiry, please send us an email or for more urgent needs give us a call – Contact Us

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