Firstly, to echo what some other reviewers have pointed out, you absolutely must wet your surface thoroughly before you begin. Wet on dry will NOT work on this surface.Another note is that you're not going to be able to do multiple layered washes. There is no building on layers with this. You get one layer, so make it a good one. That being said, you can pretty much wash the paint right off if you mess up and start over. There might be a little staining but it comes off pretty cleanly. You can use masking fluid and it works well.These boards are great for heavy water techniques where you want to allow the pigment and water to move and settle without much intervention. The board doesnt warp or buckle so you can paint with a smooth flat surface from start to finish.These canvases are decent quality, but I will say that I found the watercolor canvases at hobby lobby to be a bit better quality for about the same price.Ultimately, once you learn how to work with them these provide a unique surface for new techniques. If you're looking for a more traditional Watercolor paper style with the benefits of a board, I recommend splurging Aquabord, which absorbs water and paint much more similarly to paper.
