For me, choosing a Watercolor Paper is a tough decision even today. We have so many choices out there with all the price ranges you can possibly imagine.
But there are certain basics that we must all know before we start buying our watercolor paper.
Now, as i have already mentioned that, for me this is still a tough choice, I have asked a very talented Watercolor Artist friend of mine, Saurabh Pramanik, to share with us his knowledge about Watercolor paper.
I have also put out a bio of Saurabh at the end of this post & I would recommend that you check out his works in social media(links provided). You will love his works.
Saurabh will take over from here. Enjoy the read.
Introduction:
For someone who is starting out in watercolors, paper can be a very confusing subject.
At least it was for me.
Hopefully after reading this you will have some clarity. But let’s take a step back.
All of us have seen our mothers working in kitchen. Before cooking the curry she would have poured the oil and at a certain temperature she would have put the masala(spices) in the oil and stirred around a bit, and only after she is satisfied will she put in the vegetables. The correct temperature along with the masala(spices) is your paper, and the veggies and other stuff is your paint, skills etc. So what is evident is, no matter how good your veggies are or how great a cook you are, the food will not be great if the initial preparation/foundation is not good. So it is with watercolour, the paper should be good, else you will be disappointed. Here are some pointers to consider before buying your first supply of watercolor paper.
Weight:
Starting off, since watercolour requires decent dosage of water, you will need a watercolor paper that is sufficiently thick, to absorb the water and not buckle too much.
I would recommend starting at 275-300 gsm. GSM means grams per square meter.
So 300 gsm is 300 grams per square meter. That is one way how paper is classified. Any lesser than 275-300 gsm, the paper will start to buckle, and you will need to sufficiently stretch the paper before using it. With 300 gsm you can start off right away. Stretching will be required if you are using a larger sheet too.
Other thickness are also available such as 185gsm, 270 gsm,330 gsm,356 gsm, 440 gsm, 640gsm, 850 gsm etc all depending on the manufacturer.
Texture:
Paper is also classified as per its surface or texture. Watercolour paper comes normally in 3 textures/surface, HOT Pressed, NOT or Cold Press and Rough. HOT pressed paper has the smoothest finish, Rough surface is grainy and NOT or Cold Press is between the two. The choice of surface depends on the artist.
Cold Press (CP) is mostly preferred as it sits comfortably between the two surfaces, though my personal favorite is Rough, as I prefer to do landscapes. Also in rough you get great pigmentation as some of the granular pigments sit in the troughs of the rough surface and that really adds to the look of the painting.
There is also another surface which is “MAT”. It is very close to the rough surface but it is more structured in its texture, you could say just like a mat.
Source: https://www.artsupplies.co.uk/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-watercolour-paper/
Manufacturing:
Paper made has varying content of cotton in it. It is suggested to use paper which has 100% cotton content and that which is acid free. Acid tends to disintegrate the paper. Hence it is very important that the manufacturing of the paper is acid free.
Paper is also handmade, mould made or machine made. This is basically the manufacturing process, and hence the name.
Handmade paper as the name suggest is made by hand, generally has 100% cotton and has irregularities in its surface which is greatly desired by some artists. Chitrapat and Khadi are famous Indian brands that use this process.
Making paper using a cylindrical mould is a traditional process that produces high quality paper (see figure below).
Operating principle: a large cylinder – the mould – is covered by a wire, a sort of mesh screen which may have areas of relief that will produce a watermark. The cylinder is dipped into the vat containing the paper stock (mixture of water and fibres).
The cylinder turns slowly in the vat and the water in the stock penetrates inside the cylinder and the fibres that remain on the surface, on the wire, will be distributed evenly and regularly. The sheet that is formed is transported on a wool felt that subtly marks the surface with the grain.
Source: https://arches-papers.com/who-are-we/arches-excellence-in-paper/
Machine made papers are made using machines. The machine made paper is least favored by artists though the quality is consistent.
Sheets/Pads/Blocks/Rolls:
What is the size I must buy? That will depend totally on you. Sheets are typically of the size 56cmx76cm. Normally they come in sheets of 10, but you will also be able to get them loose.
Pads are your typical pads and are available in various sizes.
Blocks are great, very similar to pads, only that all the four sides are gummed together.
Blocks are great for plein air as you do away with taping the sides, stretching etc. Once the painting is done, you can immediately start off with another painting after the first one is taken off the block.
Brands:
There are various brands available. However it is best to work on them and decide as each brand has its own unique features.
Some really good brands available are Arches, Saunders Waterford, Canson, Fabriano, Baohong, Chitrapat, Hahnemuhle etc.
Happy Painting.
About the Author:
Saurabh Pramanik is a full-time working professional in the Services Industry and an amateur self-taught
artist. His medium of choice is Watercolours. His journey began with an interesting incident on December 2015 when he
came across some art materials left at home by his wife who was vacationing with the kid.
What began as an exploration to re-live childhood memories has turned into a serious
hobby. He is heavily influenced by nature especially mountains (having grown up in the
Himalayas) and therefore his interests are primarily landscapes/cityscapes.
Being a working professional, most of his paintings are done at night. He is very fond of plein air
& so whenever he can find time and holidays, he fully exploits them for plein airs.PARTICIPATION
Participated in IWS Kosovo, July 2017. Work was selected by the Jury for exhibit
Participated in IWS, Turkey, July 2017
Participated in IWS India Biennale, Dec 2017. Work has been selected by the Jury for
exhibit.
Participated in a group exhibition ( Panorama) curated by renowned Artist Shobha
Broota, December 2017EDUCATION
Masters in International Business, IIFT, New Delhi, 1998
B.E., Electrical, IIT, Roorkee, 1996Contact info:
Email : pramaniksk@gmail.com
Instagram : Pramanik.watercolour
facebook : Facebook.com/pramanikwatercolours
twitter : @pramaniksk
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