The Best Watercolour paper

by Arlene
(Canada)

As my experience grows with watercolour painting, I have found two things which surprised me by how much better my painting would become using them.

The first, which I will dwell more on in another article is brushes made from Kolinsky sable.

The second yet just as important tool is the type of watercolour paper you choose. I painted a lot of 140 lb. papers and started to notice a difference in brand names.

Arches and Winsor Newton were easier to work with but Strathmore had so much more sizing on it that my paint behaved differently.

Next I treated myself to 300 lb. paper which is regarded as the best. While I liked it I found it a bit too heavy.

I then discovered Bockingford 200 lb weight paper. Not only did it give me a better weight and amount of sizing - it also turned out to be very affordable - at least in my art supply store. Not all stores carry it but my store charges $6.00 a sheet.

I have only used cold pressed paper but one day soon I'd like to see what hot pressed is like.

(Great tips Arlene...
- this just shows how you can benefit from trying one thing at a time with art supplies. Like Arlene, you get to know the properties of each and what works best for you.

Hot pressed paper is much smoother and ideal for use with pen and wash, though the watercolour paint can be a bit more fun to control...!

Think about Rough paper as well, for textured and looser effects. You can get Bockingford Extra Rough paper in 200lb weight, though the 'Extra Rough' tag is a bit misleading - it's about as rough as other 'Rough' papers...Bob)