What is an 'Artist's board?

What do you call the board that artists use paint on..?

• I'm having a major blonde moment. :p

• Answer:

  Well, I would say that there are at least two possible answers depending on the nature of the question. A palette(proper spelling) is a generally a piece of shaped wood or glass on which a painter mixes his or her colors. They come in a huge range of shapes and sizes depending on the nature of the artwork being constructed. If by "paint on" you mean where an actual work of art is being created then the answer would be a bit different. Painters typically paint on canvas that is made of cotton or linen. The canvas is stretched and stapled or nailed to a wood or aluminum support called a "stretcher." But sometimes artists do not even use canvas and opt to paint directly onto a firm wooden support!! Most common is plywood or a thinner panel that is composed of highly compressed wood pulp called masonite. A variant of masonite called MDF, or medium-density fiber board, is also used. And, of course, an easel is a stand on which an artist rests his or her work while it is progress.