Watercolour Tip Of The Week (30th April 2005)

There are a variety of papers available on the market. If you are starting in watercolour, I would advise you to try as many types as possible until you find the one that suits your style of painting.

There is a choice in the weight of paper. The most common being: 90lb, 140lb, and 300lb.

Most papers fall into three textural finishes:
Hot Press - a smooth paper
Not - a paper with a little texture
Rough – a heavily textured paper

I favour a ‘Not’ finish, as I find it suits the way I paint.

Paper is also available in different sizes:
Large sheets, approximately 15”x 30”
Loose Leaf pads of varying sizes
‘Blocks’ of pre-stretched paper, approximately 20 sheets to a block, available in different sizes.
Tinted papers can also be found, indeed, even the ‘white’ papers vary in their appearance!

It has taken quite a few years for me to find the paper that I am really happy with, so I tend to stick to ‘Arches’, a French paper, which I buy pre-stretched on a block. It’s not the cheapest on the market, but I find I get the best results from it.

Happy hunting!