{"id":1326,"date":"2016-02-13T22:46:19","date_gmt":"2016-02-13T14:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bauzon.ph\/cynthia\/?p=1326"},"modified":"2018-01-06T22:17:18","modified_gmt":"2018-01-06T14:17:18","slug":"watercolor-paper-review-and-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bauzon.ph\/cynthia\/watercolor-paper-review-and-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"My favorite watercolor papers"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently blogged about my watercolor paints and brushes in two parts — ONE<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\/\u00a0TWO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

However, what good\u00a0are those wonderful paints and brushes for without beautiful, high-quality paper? For daily practice work, inexpensive student quality pads like the Canson papers with the hot air balloon drawing on the cover that you can find at NBS and a Monologue Sketchbook<\/a> (which I’ve also been abusing <\/del>using) are great to have around but for commission work, it’s more appropriate to use paper that will allow\u00a0illustrations\u00a0to shine and last for a long time.<\/p>\n

Here are some of my staples\u00a0(so far) along with close-ups of samples of my\u00a0illustrations\u00a0using the different papers so that you can see their textures\u00a0up close as well as how colors respond to\u00a0them<\/p>\n

.\"comparing<\/a><\/p>\n

L-R and in no order of preference, these are the paper brands I keep going back to: Arches, Hahnemuhle, Khadi, and Canson. I’ve been hearing good things about Fabriano and Strathmore too but I have to wait for my shipment to arrive so I can try them out. The red, yellow, and blue paint I used for the comparison shot above are Shinhan PWC Permanent Red, Cadmium Yellow Deep, and Peacock Blue (from\u00a0ArtWhale<\/a>).<\/p>\n

All of the\u00a0above\u00a0are acid-free and, save for Canson Montval Torchon which uses 100% cellulose,\u00a0are fine artist quality papers made of natural fibers like cotton rag and bamboo in Hahnemuhle Bamboo Mixed Media Board’s case. Below\u00a0are\u00a0some\u00a0notes:<\/p>\n

\"arches<\/a><\/p>\n

Arches Cold-Pressed Cotton Watercolor Paper<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0300 gsm\u00a0<\/strong>(available\u00a0at NBS and some Fully Booked branches though I got mine from Amazon.com)<\/p>\n

I prefer cold-pressed to hot-pressed watercolor papers because I love the rough texture\u00a0which\u00a0IMHO\u00a0lends an organic feel. Arches 100% cotton paper has a nicely coarse “tooth” that seems to absorb pigments easily\u00a0which allows\u00a0colors to\u00a0remain vibrant and intense. I’m also able to paint big juicy washes and draw fine details with minimal buckling, even when I don’t stretch the paper (which I really usually don’t, being lazy). At 300 gsm, it’s also thick enough to handle re-wetting with\u00a0no visible\u00a0damage when I make mistakes. \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n

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\"Hahnemuhle<\/a><\/p>\n

Hahnemuhle Mould-Made\u00a0Watercolor\u00a0Paper<\/a>\u00a0(Matte)<\/strong>, 200 gsm (available at Deovir Arts<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Arnold <\/a>introduced me to this paper so\u00a0it was the first “fine art” paper I ever used. (I’m\u00a0a bit embarrassed\u00a0to admit that all of my watercolor work from years ago were done on yellow-backed illustration boards and sketch pads). Because of that, this\u00a0has become\u00a0my “benchmark” paper. It’s awesome for wet-on-wet painting (the paper drinks up the water &\u00a0pigments\u00a0without diminishing color vibrancy) and as you can see above, I can also do crisp-edged drawings on it with no problems. At 200 gsm, I avoid painting\u00a0large washes though it may be possible if\u00a0stretched\u00a0beforehand.\u00a0Mistakes are also easy to re-wet and “erase,” making it an ideal choice for beginners.\u00a0It’s very\u00a0economical to buy big sheets of these and tear them down to a more manageable size. The deckle edge\u00a0is\u00a0a nice touch and it’s inspired me to keep\u00a0the torn edges when I tear it up into smaller pieces\u00a0for a\u00a0raw handmade look. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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\"Hahnemuhle<\/a><\/p>\n

Hahnemuhle Mould-Made\u00a0Watercolor\u00a0Paper\u00a0(Rough)<\/strong>, 300 gsm (available at Deovir Arts<\/a>)<\/p>\n

This one comes in block\u00a0form and has a rougher, slightly raised and woven texture compared to the matt\u00a0variant.\u00a0A\u00a0block is very convenient since you can immediately apply large washes with no need for stretching. I found the weave-like texture off-putting at first since I was already used to the fine-grained\u00a0fibrous\u00a0texture of Hahnemuhle’s matt paper but after using this for a while. I learned to like it as well. It appears that the pigments\u00a0sink and “sit” in the grooves and so deep, rich colors are preserved.<\/p>\n

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