Choosing the correct watercolor paper is half the battle when one starts a painting and it helps to know a little bit about paper because once you walk into an arts and crafts store or go to an on-line art supply store you will find so many makes, brands and types of watercolor paper it will boggle your mind.
There are several types of paper and most of the good paper is made of cellulose from wood pulp or cotton fiber. One will find that wood pulp paper is more acidic, less durable and not archival and is often referred to as "student grade". One will also find that this type of paper can disintegrate and should only be used by students or in craft projects.
Paper made of 100% cotton rag is the most archival grade paper and is the highest quality paper a watercolorist can use. I like it because it is acid free, most durable and I can do a lot of lifting and reworking of the surface without the surface showing much wear and tear.
When the paper is made the fibers are beaten into a liquid pulp and then poured into a mold which has a textured screen on the bottom thus allowing the excess liquid to run out. Once the paper has dried out the texture of the screen is impressed on one side of the paper and this side is called the "wire side". The smoother top side or the other side of the paper is called the "felt side". Once the molding is completed the paper goes on to a finishing process which then determines the final texture of the paper.
One paper finish is called "hot press" paper and this is a very smooth, hard surface that is not very absorbent because the sheet is dried in the mold then it is run though heated rollers to iron out the texture. I find this type of paper very hard on which to control washes. It does work well for dry-brush techniques or for loose paintings where you want to create back runs.
Another paper finish is called "Cold press" and this has a semi-smooth, absorbent surface that is achieved when the sheet of paper is removed from the mold when it is not quite dry and then the paper is pressed without heat. I like this type of paper very much because it absorbs water and color very well and I find the paper to be very workable. This type of paper is used by most watercolorists.
There is a type of paper called "Rough" and as the name indicates its surface is very rough and very absorbent. The manufacturer obtains this by allowing the sheet to air-dry in the mold without any pressing or smoothing. When you want to create interesting effects then you might consider this paper because the color skips across the surface and settles into the hollows of the paper. I do not recommend this kind of paper for any of your finely detailed works of art, but it is great for paintings where you want to take advantage of texture such as scenes that contain rocks, barns, fences, wooden posts or anything like that.
Knowing about sizing is important also and one will want to choose a paper with both external and internal sizing. Paper that has only internal sizing will be more absorbent, more softer and you will have a difficult time trying to get a deep color saturation because the color will soak right into the paper whereby if you choose a paper that has external sizing also you will find the paper to have a harder surface, be less absorbent allowing your color to remain on top of the paper which will give the viewer an impression of more color saturation.
When you use cotton rag paper it usually comes in large sheets or a book of sheets and it usually has what is called a "deckle edge" which is the result of a wooden frame which rests on top of the paper pulp after it is poured into the mold. A "deckle edge" is nothing more than a feathered or ragged edge to the paper. When one uses this type of paper and wants a smaller sheet of it one will use a paper deckling tool to tear the paper into smaller sizes thus making all the edges look the same.
Also whenever you want to use smaller sizes of any kind of paper resist cutting it with a scissors, just tear it. Fold your paper back and forth to create your seam and weaken it at the same time putting either the deckle edge tool or a tool like a T-square and gently start a tear and continue in one upward motion. I particularly like to use the deckle edge tool because I like to create a deckle edge to leave visible when framing or when float matting.
The manufacturer of the watercolor paper will put its watermark, name or symbol on its paper and that can be seen when you hold a sheet of watercolor paper at an angle. The "felt" side of the paper is where you can read it more legibly and remember the felt side is the smoother side. However, you can use either side of the paper to paint on.
Watercolor paper comes in all shapes and sizes, pads and rolls and you have to decide what you want. The pads of 100% cotton rag come with sealed adhesive sides in all sizes and are great for the traveling artist. I separate them with my palette knife in one corner or side and gently move the knife around the seam until my paper is loose.
I do not paint very large pictures in my old age so I no longer buy the rolls which measure 44 " x 10 years which are usually cheaper but harder for me to handle and I do not buy the 25.75" x 40" sheets which are called a "single elephant" sheet or the 30" x 40" sheet which is called the "double elephant" sheet, or the 40" x 60" which is called the "triple elephant" sheet.
For those of you who decide to buy the rolls of watercolor paper know that you will have to tear you paper to the size you want to work with then soak it in a tub and hang it on a clothesline to remove the curl of the roll. You can also, after soaking, mount it to a board using tape, bulldog clips or staples do remove the curl of the roll. The choice is yours.
Happy painting!
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled withPeace, Light and Love,
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