If you decide to experiment with watercolors on your artistic journey, it is vital to determine which type of watercolor paper to use.
It’s more complex than oil painting, where you can grab any canvas, sketch a design, and start painting.
Because watercolors are so watery, you can’t use just any drawing paper or paper pad to get the desired effects. Many art paper types are water solvent, and they will start to warp and even dissolve when you apply watercolor paints.
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Here’s a complete guide to choosing watercolor paper for your art studio so you can get the most out of your watercolor masterpieces!
A Guide to Choosing Watercolor Paper
Whether you’re just getting started with watercolor painting or have been at it a while, the most crucial choice is your painting surface.
You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever scrubbed a hole through your canvas. Some of the so-called watercolor paper available at the store is too thin to support a serious painting effort.
Suppose you’re trying to create a work of art with watercolors or even gouache. In that case, you need a watercolor paper that can absorb plenty of pigment, withstand a lot of abuse, and preferably resist buckling.
In fact, you may not know that paper is not even the material of choice for serious watercolor artists, who opt for cotton rag instead, which requires a lot of prep work.
But beginners and hobbyists can make the right kind of paper work.
Paper Measures
Paper (at least in the U.S.) is measured by stacking 500 identical sheets and using their overall weight as an indicator of the thickness of the individual sheet.
Heavier papers offer more versatility. They work with a broader range of media.
Remember that thicker paper will have a higher price tag, so make sure the quality matches the cost and the intended use of the material.
Watercolor Blocks
Even hobby artists who are just practicing need something a little higher quality than those paper pads that don’t hold their shape with a bit of water.
Watercolor blocks are the solution.
The watercolor block is my favorite answer to the quality issue because the paper from a watercolor block is almost always thick enough that no water or pigment will penetrate.
It works because two sides of the watercolor block are edge-glued, so the paper won’t buckle. Instead of removing each sheet before painting, leave the top page attached and only remove it after it is finished and dry.
Using a watercolor block also improves mobility because you can simply close the cover and put it away protected. You don’t need to carry around a hard surface with your page taped down.
Watercolor Paper blocks come in various weights and dimensions, and of course, you can still use painter’s or masking tape to crop a clean edge around the top page of your watercolor block.
Using Cheaper Watercolor Paper for the Best Effect
When cost is a primary concern, cheaper watercolor papers can work.
Winsor Newton offers quality watercolor paper at reasonable prices. You can purchase it at Blick, along with a wide selection of other quality art supplies.
However, you must do some prep work before you can paint.
You must maintain a flat surface throughout the painting process, and you want your finished image to be flat as well. No matter how well-rendered a watercolor painting is, you can’t frame it with a wavy, distorted surface.
Here are the two most popular techniques for prepping your watercolor paper.
Prepping Your Paper with Water
Zamrznuti tonovi via Shutterstock.com.
Once a paper is saturated with water and dried, it will resist buckling (for the most part).
Stretch your paper out and tape it tightly to a hard surface, like an oversized drawing clipboard. Brush a layer of water across the exposed surface and lay it flat. Let it dry completely.
If your paper buckles, you likely need to stretch it more. You can add a second coat of water, then lay something heavy, like a stack of books, across the entire surface as it dries.
To keep your books dry, use a plastic barrier, like a Ziplock bag or a layer of serene wrap.
Backing Your Watercolor Paper with Gesso
Using a thin layer of gesso, paint an X shape on the back of your watercolor paper, from corner to corner, and let the gesso dry fully.
Once dry, tape the paper to a hard surface, as we mentioned earlier.
The gesso adheres to the paper without the glue penetrating (unless you used too much) and creates a stiff enough structure that the water filling the paper fibers won’t be able to cause significant warping.
It is also translucent, so it won’t affect the finished painting.
The Limits of Your Watercolor Paper
We use inferior paper because it’s cheap and easy to find. The low-cost options are perfect for artists practicing their craft.
Everyone needs to practice, and practice means exploratory painting, not necessarily frameable painting.
Use Watercolor Ground Rather than Paper
So much in watercolor painting revolves around your surface, that the unpredictability of watercolor paper can be discouraging.
Watercolor Ground makes a great alternative.
Watercolor ground has the consistency of gesso, but when dry, it creates an absorbent surface that behaves almost like the surface of cotton rag. It’s similar to Gesso in that you can apply it to any hard surface, such as canvas or board.
Once it’s dry, it becomes an absorbent surface ready for your watercolor art.
The benefit of applying watercolor ground to a hard surface is that the surface can be sanded, and you can add multiple layers of watercolor ground to offer a more stunning depth of absorbency.
Watercolor ground comes in multiple grades, from smooth to rough finished surfaces, giving the watercolorist a little of the freedom of texture and transparency that oil painters enjoy. In addition, watercolor ground is a prime surface for water-based mixed media projects that may involve not just watercolor paints but gouache, pencil, inks, marker, pens, and even paint, as long as you’re smart about the sequence of media layers applied.
Why Watercolor Ground Isn’t More Popular
Watercolor paper remains the brightest white surface you can get while keeping the level of absorbency needed to use watercolor paints. While watercolor ground arguably manages a bright white surface, it can’t stand up to the brightness of bleached cotton fiber watercolor paper.
Personally, I’ve no problem sacrificing that top-level value for the versatility of a watercolor ground surface, which, by the way, can be improved upon with the addition of dry pigment.
But for the purist, the brightness of watercolor paper is admittedly part of why a watercolorist can achieve such brilliant color.
When you make your choice between all the options we’ve discussed here, hopefully, you’ll have an idea of what you can use for practice and what you can use for a thoughtful work of art, and you’ll choose your surface accordingly.
More Watercolor Supplies
Watercolor paper is one of many things you must consider when painting with watercolors.
Choosing the correct brushes, easel, and watercolor pan will help make mixing colors and painting with watercolors easier, especially for beginners. You might also be interested in experimenting with watercolor pens or pencils.
Blick has everything you need to get started with watercolor paintings – check them out!
Enjoy your Watercolor Journey!
Watercolors make brilliant, colorful paintings. They’re fun to try and easy to clean, making them an ideal first option for people learning to paint.
Choosing the right supplies can make or break your artistic journey, so start with the right watercolor paper to ensure success right out of the gate.
Happy painting! I’d love to see your finished pieces – Share them on our Facebook or Reddit page!