Graphic Recording on Foam Board: No, and Yes.

by Angelique McAlpine

Above: paper hung on boards (color corrected so the background is pure white), details on upper left and right corners are "blown out". This happens when photographing in a non-studio environment. I always recommend scanning if you need a crisp, color correct version on a bright white background. See the 3rd photo for a scanned example of this same Graphic Recording.

Here is the same Graphic Recording with no color correction. The camera catches every little shadow, although in person you would swear it all looked pure white. Shadows are an issue whether you are photographing paper or board.

This is the *scanned* version of the Graphic Recording. Note the pure white background, subtle colors are visible, and darker colors retain their vibrancy. Your marketing and comms team will love it!

---

​Foam boards are akin to that oversized teddy bear you won at a fair - grand and impressive at first glance (with 60" x 40" and 96" x 48" usually being the go-to sizes), but soon you realize they're somewhat of a logistical and financial challenge to store and transport. Plus, foam boards are not considered a green product to make or dispose of.

When it's time to digitize the Graphic Recordings, foam boards prefer an old-fashioned photoshoot, usually resulting in shadows and color shifts when taken without professional lighting.

While foam boards do a decent job with color vibrancy of the marker ink, they don't absorb ink as well as carefully selected paper.

So, why use boards then? The fact is, they're often a necessary part of the Graphic Recording process. I personally prefer paper hung on the board, which allows me to keep a stack of paper at the ready instead of needing a separate board for each drawing. Other potential surfaces for hanging paper include rolling whiteboards, walls, scientific poster displays, and even chalkboards (no, they aren't extinct yet!).

If your event requires the display of multiple drawings simultaneously, or multiple Graphic Recording locations, you may need additional boards.  

Once an event concludes, I capture quick digital images for client review. Then, the drawings head off to be scanned, resulting in a crisp, consistent, and color correct digital version. The original drawings are then returned to you, neatly rolled in a tube, making them easy to store and redisplay.