Chose the Best Paper You Can Afford


There are a few very well known watercolor paper manufacturers that have been around for hundreds of years. Arches watercolor paper is one very highly regarded watercolor paper manufacturer. They have been making watercolor paper since the 15th century in France. When you are considering your next watercolor painting project, think about getting some Arches Watercolor paper. You will notice a definite difference if you have never used paper of this quality before. You can order quality Arches Watercolor Paper from Dick Blick Art Supplies.

Watercolor Paper: Unlike oil paintings, which are normally done on canvas, watercolor pictures are customarily painted on paper. Watercolor paper  is manufactured especially for the purpose of watercolor painting. The paper must be of exceptional quality.

Although there are a number of good American papers on the market (of a machine-made variety), a majority of discriminating watercolorists prefer, at least for their best work, one of the well-known imported papers, notably those from England, France, and Italy.

In what ways do imported papers excel? Being handmade of the very best rag stock, following methods passed down from father to son for hundreds of years (and apparently not practical in this country), they have properties of toughness, long life, surface texture, etc., which it seems cannot be matched in America’s machine-made products. Therefore, get acquainted with some of these imported papers. They will at least give you a standard for judging others.

arches watercolor paper

Arches Watercolor Paper - Available Online

Watercolor papers vary in size, weight (thickness), and surface. As to size, the “imperial” sheet is a common one; this measures  approximately 22″ x 30″. A slightly smaller sheet, the “royal,” is about 19″ x 24″. The “double-elephant” is 27″ x 40″, while the “antiquarian” is 31″ x 53″. These arc often halved or quartered by the artist or dealer to bring them to suitable picture size, though many paintings are made to the 22″ x 30″ dimension.

As to weight, sheets vary from a rather flimsy 72 Ib. to an extremely thick and heavy 300 Ib., and Arches even has a 400 lb variety of watercolor paper. The lighter papers are of course the cheaper ones; not only are they more likely to become punctured or torn but, in their natural state, they afford a less rigid surface which buckles annoyingly whenever water is  applied. This makes mounting or stretching almost a necessity. Even the 72 Ib. papers will stand considerable abuse if properly stretched or mounted.

Some watercolor papers are smooth “hot-pressed” (HP) is the term. More popular surfaces, however, are ( 1 ) the medium “cold-pressed” ( CP ), having a slight grain and (2) “rough” (R), with a heavier grain. These last two have an indescribably sympathetic texture, excellent to work upon and pleasing to the eye.

Which Side Up? Is there a right and wrong side to handmade paper? Strictly speaking, yes. If you hold a sheet to the light and can discover a watermark (usually the name of the paper) reading in the natural way that is, from left to right the top (working surface) of the paper is facing you. So far as general use is concerned, it apparently makes little difference which side of a handmade sheet you paint on, but some machine-made papers reveal a noticeable difference between front and back, the former being far superior to the latter.

Mounting and Stretching – The heaviest, and consequently most expensive, of the watercolor papers do not buckle badly when wet; they are often used “as is.” These super heavy watercolor paper sheets are sold individually similar to an oil canvas. The lighter watercolor paper, as mentioned above, should be secured. This can be done by either mounting it on a heavy board, or it can be “stretched” in any of several methods. Another method of use for lighter watercolor paper is buying the paper in solid blocks or pads prepared by the manufacturer. Each block or pad contains a specified number of sheets.

Some papers can be purchased already mounted. If you know the brand of watercolor paper you prefer, you can merely ask for it in mounted form at your local art supply store, or you can order it online from a number of suppliers. Such mounted paper has two great advantages; it remains flat throughout the entire painting process, and it is relatively easy to mat or frame. Buying mounted watercolor paper can be quite expensive, however, and, unless you place a high value on your time, it is cheaper to mount your own.

Mounting is not done as much now as it was in the past, but here is a typical method of mounting:
The selected paper is moistened until limp, with a sponge (or by soaking in water), when it is pasted evenly all over the back with some water- soluble adhesive such as drawing board paste, bookbinders’ paste or diluted glue. It is then laid paste-side-clown on heavy mounting board, previously dampened. Next, with a protective sheet of paper over it, it is rolled, scraped or brushed vigorously enough to force all air from between paper and mount, and promote uniform adhesion. It is then weighted down (as between two drawing boards loaded with books) where it can dry flat. This often takes several hours. The mount will buckle if removed before thoroughly dry.

Stretching:
Stretching has become the preferred method among serious watercolor artists when working with lighter watercolor papers. In stretching, only the edges of the paper are fastened down. There are several methods of going about this; every painter should master at least one. In what is perhaps the simplest of these, the initial move is to assemble a wooden frame of the desired size, using for the purpose four of the stretcher strips sold for stretching canvas. This frame should be at least two niches smaller than the paper in both length and width. The next move is to saturate the paper until it has absorbed all the water it can hold. It is then laid flat on some clean., level, surface and the frame placed upon it, centered to leave a uniform margin of paper all around. Working one edge at a time, this paper margin can now be turned up at right angles to the main surface of the paper and thumbtacked to the edges of the wooden frame, using tacks every two or three inches. Any extra paper can be trimmed away or folded onto the back of the frame and tacked. (When the paper is large enough in relation to the frame, it is sometimes folded to the back of the frame all around and thumbtacked there instead of along the edges. This practice insures a stronger job and is almost imperative when stretching large sheets, as they exert such a tension when drying that they may otherwise split or work loose, or pull the stretcher frame out of shape, thus slacking the paper.) As the paper dries, it gradually shrinks to drumhead smoothness. It is then ready for the artist. Jt will buckle to some extent each time he wets it (depending on its thickness), but will go flat again when dry. The finished painting should not he cut from the frame until it has dried for several hours, or it may wrinkle badly.

Watercolor Secrets teacher and artist, Bob Davies, shows us how to stretch watercolor paper. Find out more about Mr. Davies and Watercolour Secrets by following the link.

Another stretching method involves using tape to secure the wet watercolor paper to the stretching frame. In this method, the tape must run around the entire length of the frame. The tape may be doubled, because when the wet paper starts to dry, it will contract and pull on the tape. You will want to keep an eye on your stretcher to make sure the paper does not separate from the stretcher.

Why all this work?
After all is said and done, some artists don’t bother to stretch their paper. In fact, it is becoming less common to prepare paper in this way. Many of the most popular and successful watercolor painters do not stretch their paper. However, they also do not use the lighter paper. They use the heavier paper, which does not really need to be secured because it does not buckle like the lighter watercolor paper does. Heavy paper can be secured to a drawing board with some simple masking tape to hold it steady as the artist works.