I now use magnetic whiteboards for drawing boards. They’re sold at nearly all big box stores. They’re lightweight and portable, and I can keep two or three drawings-in-progress on their own boards. (See build-your-own instructions below.)
Each drawing board holds the artwork, hand guard, and cover sheet. It makes a portable package that I can pick up and take with me. I hold the drawing board in my lap or on top of a pillow when I draw.
Buy a board without a frame if you can. I’ve found that the frames are irritating to work around, even if they’re small.
You’ll need stronger magnets than the ones that come with the board, so get some rare earth magnets. If you’ve never used these magnets before, they are very strong. Four or six of the tiny 1/4″ rounds will hold several layers of paper securely on the board.
Before there were magnetic white boards, I built my own lightweight magnetic drawing boards. I’m leaving instructions up for nostalgic reasons. (The prices I mention are from about twenty years ago.) Here they are. Enjoy!
My Original DIY Magnetic Drawing Board Instructions
My portable magnetic drawing boards are made out of foam core board, galvanized flashing, and duct tape! They’re meant to be hand held, so the foam board makes them lightweight. They keep the drawing paper, masks, scrap paper, and a reference photo in place with magnets, so I can draw anywhere and at any angle I happen to be sitting in.
Supply List
- You can find galvanized flashing at hardware stores, and it comes in different widths and lengths. You can buy several feet of the twelve-inch wide variety for about eight dollars. I’ve found that a twelve-inch wide magnetized strip down the middle of any size drawing board is useful, so I use the that size on all my boards.
- Tin snips are found at the hardware store too. You can get a pair for about six dollars.
- Duct tape is pretty easy to find, since people use it for everything.
- You can find foam core board at office supply and department stores. It is usually under two dollars a sheet.
- Small rare earth magnets can securely hold several layers of paper on these boards, and you might be able to raid your refrigerator for some of these. :)
Cut the foam board and flashing as shown in the illustration below.
I make the foam core board larger than the flashing. The foam core board is easily cut with a matte knife and the galvanized flashing cuts fairly easily with tin snips.
Since I hold these drawing boards in my lap, usually resting on one hand, I like to keep them as lightweight as possible. Foam core board makes a stiff yet lightweight base, and galvanized flashing is the thinnest metal I have found.
Keep it all together with Duct Tape!
When I tape the flashing to the board, I wrap the duct tape over the edge of the board for a really secure hold.
The edges of the tape and metal won’t transfer through to your drawing paper when you draw over them if the paper is thick enough. To avoid the possibility of that happening, cut a piece of Bristol Board to size and put it under the drawing paper. The magnets can easily hold several layers of paper in place, even through the layer of duct tape near the edge.
Happy Drawing,
Carol