With watercolor comes the choice of paper. What kind do you need and why is the weight so important? While working in child care I used a variety of paper for different projects with the children. Computer paper was perfect for the kids to draw on where as construction paper was wonderful to use for collage work. So, I had an idea that paper does matter but what’s the difference in watercolor paper?
I started researching paper after using watercolor paper from my local arts and craft stores and quickly became frustrated with these papers. I wondered why they were so frustrating to me. I learned about the sizing that is added to watercolor paper and how different companies handle this process. Sizing is basically a fancy name for the process of adding a glue substance to hold the paper material together. Also, the material in the paper can very too. Some of the best watercolor paper is 100% cotton. This makes a huge difference.
After doing some research I learned about Arches watercolor paper. I found that this was one product I hadn’t tried at my local store because of the price. Once I knew I could use a coupon to purchase it, I gave it a try. What a difference quality paper makes. I did more research on paper and found Fabriano Artistico extra white paper in both cold press and what is called soft press. It is the only company I have found that has soft press. I would say the soft press is between a hot press and a cold press paper. To me it is really dreamy to work on. I buy it in packs of 10 sheets that are 22”x30” and cut it to size as I need to. It’s important if your exploring watercolor to really have quality paper otherwise you will not get a true watercolor painting experience and can lead you to not feel as though watercolor is for you. Paper matters.
