Orb Crashes (and a New Obsession with Claybord)

I recently rediscovered four small 6" x 6" Clayboard panels I must have picked up at some point and completely forgotten about. You know the kind of find—like a little gift from your past self.

At the same time, I’d been playing around in my sketchbook with a concept I started calling Crashing Orbs—soft, washy blobs that drift, collide, and sort of “kiss” each other. Mostly watercolor and acrylic ink, letting things bleed and interact without too much control.

Trying this on Claybord was a turning point.

The surface is absorbent in this really satisfying way—it grabs the pigment just enough to create these soft, mottled, almost atmospheric effects. You could control it more if you wanted to, but honestly, I was way more interested in what happened when I didn’t.

It also handled mark-making beautifully. Calligraphy pen, charcoal, loose lines—everything sat on top in this really responsive way.

But the best part came after.

I pulled out my linocut tools (the interchangeable blade kind) and started carving directly into the surface. That’s when clayboard really shows off. Because it’s white underneath, every cut reveals this crisp, bright line. Thin scratches, wider grooves, curves—it all pops instantly.

Using a linocut tool for the magic

Most surfaces just don’t do that.

And the material held up to everything I threw at it—delicate lines, heavier cuts, even some tighter curves (within reason—I wasn’t exactly going for precision here).

The result is this series: Orb Crashes 1–4.

Loose, a little chaotic, layered, carved, and very much about interaction—between shapes, between materials, between control and letting go.

Safe to say, I’m officially in the clayboard fan club.

This definitely won’t be the last time I use it.