Painting Hardboards or Panels are a good choice for beginners and advanced artists and make excellent painting surfaces for acrylics, watercolours and more.  They are inexpensive but durable. Some professional artists even prefer these over canvas.

For oils, You need to check the board for an oil residue and seal it with a primer or an acrylic medium before using it. Untempered hardboard is looser and more fibrous and makes a good surface for painting because of its absorbency.