Paper

For whatever reason, watercolour paper is complicated, here’s the run down.

The weight of paper is determined by 500 uncut sheets that are 22x30 inches  

90 pound paper is usually the minimum weight, it is flimsy and can’t endure any scrubbing 

140 pound is the most popular weight of paper, it can be stapled on wood to avoid buckling in the paper

300 pound paper is double the thickness and usually more than double the price, it doesn't buckle, but it absorbs a lot of pigment so it’s very difficult to get vibrant colours with it.

Watercolour paper comes in three textures to the finish of the paper the texture is determined by the pressure 

hot pressed is very compressed, cold pressed is semi-compressed and rough is loosely compressed.

Cold press is the most popular and has a nice tooth to it, a good amount of texture and the most amount of techniques can be used on it.

Hot pressed has a very smooth texture and is good for detail but doesn’t hold the paint as well

Rough paper has much more texture to it, which gives paintings some more interest

Colour of the paper if just that, Bright white, natural, white, high white, it goes on and on, you can compare them in store but any will do the trick

When purchasing paper, be careful which sheet you buy, if 30 other people have rubbed their hands over it, it’s bound to have oil and fingerprints everywhere, which is going to affect how the colour goes down, always hold paper by the edges to avoid getting your own oily fingerprints on your painting. 

Brands are to be experimented with, Arches 140 22x30 inch sheets is my go to, it’s great paper that is reliable.

There are a few different ways paper is sold, when I refer to sheets, it’s 20 by 30 inch pieces,

 Pads are in book form and come in all shapes and sizes, pads you can only paint on the front side, while sheets in the front and the back have the tooth to it.

 Watercolour blocks are sheets glued to illustration boards,

 rolls are very big sheets 44.5 inches by 30 feet rolled up tightly.