When painting with watercolours, the kind of paper you choose will have a dramatic impact on your final result. Therefore, it's incredibly important to select the correct kind of paper for your project. Watercolour paper is designed to be more robust and absorbent than other kinds of paper, which enables it to stand up to the rigors of washes and wetting. Other papers, such as cartridge or sketching paper, may buckle, tear, or deform in a number of ways which can swiftly ruin your work or lead to a sub-par, unprofessional finish.
This can be problematic for those just getting started with watercolour painting. Navigating the world of watercolour papermakers can be quite confusing, so in this article we will provide you with a brief-but-comprehensive guide that will give you the confidence you need to pick the right kind of paper for your style of work.
What is Watercolour Paper?
Watercolour paper, as mentioned before, a kind of paper designed to stand up to use with wet media. It's typically made of either wood pulp or cotton, though sometimes it can be a mix of the two.
Wood pulp – specifically, the cellulose in the wood – is not only used to make the printer paper and cartridge paper you're likely familiar with, but also the more economical, student-quality watercolour papers. Sometimes it's mixed with cloth rag to help fortify the paper slurry, which produces a surface with some of the extra strength you find in cotton paper. If the paper does not state that it is made of exclusively cotton, the chances are you have a wood pulp mix. Wood pulp papers are treated to remove any lignin – which breaks down over time and becomes acidic – from the pulp. This improves stability of the paint and protects against the paper yellowing and becoming brittle with age.
Cotton paper is sometimes called rag paper, as rags of cotton are used to produce the pulp that it consists of. The fibres in the cotton overlay in random patterns during the moulding process which creates a strong paper with high absorbency. This means that the paper can be saturated without coming apart, making it brilliant for watercolour work. Cotton paper is acid free and doesn't degrade as much over time when compared to wood pulp paper, making it the paper of choice if you are concerned for the longevity of your work. Cotton watercolour paper can be described as archival in its quality.
What is Sizing?
Sizing is a process in which gelatine is added to the pulp mix or the finished paper is soaked in a gelatine solution. This is a common practice as it affects the absorbency of the paper, providing it with a little water resistance. While this might sound counterintuitive, this practice gives you greater control over the paint, allows the paint to flow more smoothly across the surface of the paper, and prevents the colours from being drawn into the deeper fibres of the paper, which leads to a distinctly less vibrant and faded finish. Not all watercolour paper is sized, but it's usually safe to assume that (unless otherwise stated on the paper’s packaging) it will be sized.
For vegan watercolourist, or artists generally looking to avoid animal based products, then you will be pleased to know that many manufacturers are seeking alternatives or have already moved away from animal-based sizing products. Hahnemühle Watercolour Papers, Fabriano Watercolour Papers, Canson Heritage Watercolour Papers all use synthetic or vegetable-based sizing.
What are Watercolour Surface Textures?
Perhaps the most important factor when it comes to picking a watercolour paper is deciding on which surface you need to use, as each will give your work a different look and finish. There are three surfaces of watercolour paper to choose from and they are, in order of smoothest to roughest, Hot-Pressed, Cold-Pressed and Rough.
What is Hot-Pressed Watercolour Paper?
Hot-Pressed – also known as Smooth, Satin, or HP – provides a smooth, flat surface which excellent for finely-detailed work. Before the advent of Bristol Board, it was the traditional choice for technical illustrators, and it still makes a good choice for detailed botanical studies and other kinds of keen observational work. Some people simply prefer the smooth finish, though it should be noted that the lack of texture can make mistakes more apparent in your work.
Click here to see our Hot-Pressed Watercolour Paper Collection
What is 'NOT' Watercolour Paper?
Cold-Pressed – sometimes NOT, NOT Surface, Texture, or CP – is by far the most common surface used in watercolour work. It's beloved by artists for its slight texture and overall versatility. If you have ever used a nondescript watercolour paper, it was cold pressed. The finish is smooth enough to allow for fairly-detailed work and yet provides adequate texture to exploit the granularity of your watercolour paints and the natural texture inherent to its manufacturing process.
Click here to see our Cold-Pressed Watercolour Paper Collection
What is 'Rough' Watercolour Paper?
Rough watercolour paper – which doesn't really have any other names or an abbreviations, rough is quite descriptive already! – is a highly-textured paper with a more noticeably pitted surface than cold-pressed paper. The uneven natural feel is prized by landscape artists for the opportunities it presents for utilising the paper's natural texture. This can accent elements of a painting as seen when dragging a wet brush across a dry piece of rough paper, and produces rougher brush strokes which may be desirable.
Click here to see our Rough Watercolour Paper Collection
What Kind of Forms of Watercolour Paper are Available?
Watercolour paper is available in a variety of formats and it is best to choose the one you will be happiest working with. The most common ways to buy watercolour paper are through pads, sketchbooks, and blocks.
Watercolour Pads come in either spiral wire binding, or a glue-bound spine. With both of these pads, pages can be removed by simply tearing or cutting them out. Usually a spiral-bound pad will feature a serrated edge near the binding to give a clean tear, though this is not universal among them.
Watercolour Sketchbooks are perfect for testing out paints and for working en plein air (that's outside to you and me). They're available from various manufacturers, such as Hahnemühle, who produces an A6-sized sketchbook which will neatly fit into a bag. These lightweight sketchbooks are perfect for use alongside a travel set of watercolours with a waterbrush pen.
Watercolour Blocks are a watercolour paper pad with glue on each side instead of just one. This serves to reinforce the sheets below the top one, which helps to prevent buckling when painting on it. They're great for taking painting outdoors, at a class, or in any other situation where you might not want to carry a pack of loose sheets or stretch a piece of paper on a board.
Loose sheets of watercolour paper and boards are available in packs of various sizes, quantities, and qualities. As such, you may wish to consider carefully what you need. For example, if you require a large sheet of a watercolour surface but don't want to stretch it, then a board would be the best choice. Daler-Rowney create professional-quality Langton Prestige watercolour boards which are perfect for large scale watercolour works and come in hot-pressed, cold-pressed and rough texture variants.
Boards tend to either be heavier paper stock more akin to a thick card or a piece of watercolour paper laminated onto a stiff board backing.
Rolls of watercolour paper can be a sound investment if you're in it for the long haul. With a roll, you can cut pieces of paper to size and make them as large or small as you need. Large rolls of paper will generally last a while. It is generally recommended that you stretch paper if it comes off a roll, as it might be prone to curling due to having been previously rolled up. Watercolour rolls require a little extra legwork on your part, but you really do get a lot out of them.
So, I've Got the Paper, What's Next?
If you're curious to learn more about watercolour techniques, we recommend taking a quick look at our other watercolour articles listed below. They cover everything from stretching your own watercolour paper and getting it ready for painting, to making colour and dilution and colour charts for reference in your own work.
How to Stretch Watercolour Paper
Watercolour Wednesday 1 - Creating a Dilution Chart
Watercolour Wednesday 2 - Creating a Colour Chart
Watercolour Wednesday 3 - Exploration of Brushes Part 1
Watercolour Wednesday 4 - Exploration of Brushes Part 2
Watercolour Wednesday 5 - Glazing Techniques
Watercolour Wednesday 6 - Masking & Resist Techniques
Watercolour Wednesday 7 - Creating Textures
