Paper for Watercolour

Traditionally, paper is the basis for creating watercolour paintings. Many types of paper differ depending on many properties. When choosing a basis for working with watercolours, artists pay attention to various indicators and choose paper for themselves by testing and trial. Absolutely all factors play a role here, the genre and style in which the artist works, the technique of performance, the place of work, and the materials with which the selected paper will interact.

Studying the methods of working with watercolours, I discovered many new and exciting facts.

As a material, the basis for working with watercolours can be traditionally used - paper and canvas, ivory, glass, and even porcelain. In this case, the surfaces are first prepared by covering them with a special solution.

And this is not a complete list of the basics for working with watercolours.

This chapter will look at the most important properties that artists traditionally study when choosing watercolour paper.

Paper properties

There are several fundamental properties of watercolour paper:

• Paper density

• The texture of the paper and its composition

• Features of water and pigment absorption

• Sheet size

Paper density

The density of paper is a characteristic expressed in grams per square meter (g/m2)—the higher the density, the thicker and more rigidity the paper.

Density is determined by the weight of a sheet in grams, having a size of 1 m2. This means that the more a sheet of paper weights, the thicker it is, the greater its density.

Watercolour paper is available in weights from 170 g/m2 to 800 g/m2.

When interacting with water, this property plays a key role. Very thin paper, that is, with a density of up to 200 g/m2, often warps when wet; therefore, to avoid this effect, it is recommended to pre-stretch it on a flatbed or eraser. There are several ways to stretch the paper, and each artist chooses a convenient and suitable option for each task.

It is believed that thick cotton paper from 300 g/m2 does not need to be pre-stretched and processed, since it holds its shape perfectly and does not warp when wet. But still, many artists choose for themselves the most comfortable way of interacting with the basis for watercolours, and it is impossible to say which one is correct.

It should also note that paper with a density of 425 g/m2 and higher has its own characteristics. When working with very thick paper, it must bear in mind that it absorbs water and pigment more strongly; therefore, to obtain the desired effects, you need to take a more intense color, and for the paper to hold moisture better, it is placed on a wet cotton cloth.

Texture of the paper

The graininess of watercolour paper can be divided into three groups:

• - smooth (grain satin, smooth, HP)

• - medium, fine grain size (grain fin, medium, CP)

• - grain or torchon (grain torchon, CP rough)

CP - Cold Pressed (NOT) - cold pressing. One of the most popular among artists. It has a medium grain texture, and due to this, it is excellent both for the image of small details and various textures.

HP - Hot Pressed - hot pressing. Smooth enough without embossed paper. In the production of HP paper, it is processed with a hot press, and due to this, texture becomes smooth. It is convenient to write small details on smooth paper, work with scumble; it is also used to create soft gradients.

Rough is a paper with a pronounced textured relief. (A sufficiently deep relief on the paper's surface is perfect for depicting walls of buildings, various texture materials - sand, stone, brick, etc. It is difficult to work with small and precise details on this paper.)

Format

There are many different sizes of watercolour paper, but the following formats are considered standard: 30 x 40 cm; European standard - 56 x 76 cm; there are - 70 x 100 cm. Classical paper standards - A3, A2 are also relevant.

The classic watercolour paper size is 56 x 76 cm.

Most commonly in stores and on the packaging, these are UK sizes.

Imperial size names and their metric equivalents.

Medium 559 x 444 mm

Royal 610 x 483 mm

Double Crown 762 x 508 mm

Imperial (Imperial) 775 х 572 mm

Double Elephant 1016 x 679 mm

Antiquarian 1346 x787 mm

It should be mentioned that there is a very convenient format for watercolour blocks.

A block of paper is a block of sheets of watercolour paper of a specific size (usually 10-20-30 or more sheets in a block). The sheets are glued along the edges on three sides; a hard cardboard base is attached below, which prevents the deformation of the block. Also, an additional plus of this format is that the paper shrinks less when wet. And of course, thanks to its portability and all the above properties, blocks of watercolour paper are extremely popular for use in the Plain air.

Blocks are traditionally produced in formats - A4, A3, A2. Watercolour sketchbooks are great for urban sketching or for quick sketches in the open air or when traveling. They are produced in different formats, more often in hardcover, but paperback sketchbooks are also affordable in their price. It should note that when sketching beeches, high-quality paper is often used. The format of sketchbooks is traditionally up to A4, and a larger format is not advisable because sketchbooks are most often used for quick sketches.

Paper composition

Watercolour paper that absorbs moisture well and does not interfere with maintaining the intensity of color and pigment is considered the gold standard.

To comply with these properties, various sizing agents are added to the composition in the manufacture of paper.

There are many options for the composition of watercolour paper, but almost all of them differ in that composition contains more or less cellulose or cotton.

High-quality watercolour paper always contains natural cotton.

The addition of natural cotton gives the paper the properties of a cloth - such paper absorbs water well, dries moderately quickly, absorbs pigment well, does not deform. In texture, it is softer than cellulose paper. Professional watercolour paper is made from 100% cotton only, impregnated with gelatine, does not contain acids, and has natural whiteness without bleaching agents.

Paper made from wood pulp is not as legible in its composition. So, it is much tougher to the touch, it more often warps when interacting with water, but there is also a big plus: working on cellulose paper, it is much easier for an artist to make adjustments to watercolour. The paint from this paper is more accessible to wash off because it dries faster, and the paperless absorbs the pigment and color.

And the main difference from cotton paper is that cellulose paper is cheaper and more affordable for purchase.

In general, you can still analyse the properties of watercolour paper for a long time. We have covered the most important ones. It is these properties that play a crucial role when choosing a basis for writing watercolour masterpieces.

Top tip: find the perfect paper for you. To do this, you will have to try many different types of paper from other manufacturers. But this is how the artist finds his Gold Standard.