If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know I’m a fan girl for Hahnemühle paper. I started out using Arches and loved it. I couldn’t imagine loving any paper as much as I did Arches. Then I was asked if I would like to try out Hahnemühle paper. I’m so glad I did because since that day I’ve been having a love affair with so many of Hahnemühle’s choices.
There is one rule if you want to get the best results from your skills as an artist:
Good watercolor paper is essential to a well wrought painting. Even if you have professional watercolors like the custom Schmincke Palette, you still benefit in so many ways by using quality paper under those watercolors. Good watercolor paper makes the colors clearer and brighter and allows your paint to move strategically over the surface in just the right way.
Watercolor paper is sized internally or externally (sometimes both) to make it work with your paints. Lesser grades of paper will, many times, give disappointing results. You’ll find your colors duller and your lines less crisp. You may also get hard lines where the watercolor has concentrated at the edge because the paper is of lower quality.
This doesn’t mean that you have to get fully 100% cotton paper. Akadamie or student grade paper can be lovely to work with too. Don’t get me wrong, if you can afford 100% cotton rag paper then please, get it. It’s well worth the price. But many artist prefer Akadamie paper because of it’s properties, the way it grips the paint and ink differently than cotton rag paper does. You want to try different papers from a reputable paper company to find your favorites.
For instance, I love Hahnemühle Expression, Cézanne and Leonardo cold pressed paper. All are 100% cotton rag, Cézanne & Leonardo are also mould made and artist grade. I also love Hahnemühle’s Britannia and Harmony paper. Both are made from alpha-cellulose and their watercolor book is my go to journal. It is made from alpha-cellulose too. (although I don’t think there is a journal out there made from artist grade paper!)
I think it’s even more important for newbie watercolorists to get GOOD supplies. As a new learner, you won’t know how something should turn out. If you find, with lesser quality supplies, that you can’t achieve what you want to, you may surmise it’s your fault. “Your skills aren’t up to snuff”, you say to yourself. That may totally be untrue. With truly good, professional supplies you may find you can achieve much more than you thought possible. That was my experience.
Example…
I started out using Cotman Winsor & Newton watercolors. When I was seriously disappointed, I did research and upgraded to Holbein. They were much better but still not as transparent as I wanted. When I switched to Schmincke and Da Vinci, I found my home. The same thing happened when I used lesser quality paper and for that matter, brushes too. Switching from a waterbrush to an actual brush made a huge difference in my art. In fact, I was shocked at the change in the quality of paintings I put out within the week.
As you can see below, although the paint and paper is the same quality, the intricacy of the paintings are distinctively different. These were painted within about 4 days of each other. On the left, Paint Tubes, were painted with a water brush. The Post Box on the right was painted with my new Da Vinci Kolinsky sable 1503’s (travel brushes). You can see the distinct difference between the brush strokes and detail work.
Different Surfaces of Paper:
There are three surfaces for watercolor paper. Which one you like will depend on what you want to paint, what your personal preferences are and how you tend to paint. Both Artist/Professional and Akadamie/Student grade papers come in hot pressed, cold pressed and rough surfaces. Hot pressed is smooth paper with very little texture to the paper. Cold pressed paper has a slight or medium texture, allowing granulating paints to settle a little into their low points. Rough surfaced watercolor paper has a high mount of texture, allowing watercolors to settle into it’s hollows. Texture can vary from brand to brand though. Some watercolor cold pressed papers can seem closer to hot pressed or it can seem more rough. It’s much like being goldilocks, you want to find the paper that is Juuuusssttt Riiigggttt for YOU.
Here’s an example. When I used Arches, I found their cold pressed paper too textural so I switched to their hot pressed. When I found Hahnemühle, I then switched back to cold pressed because I like my paper to have a little texture but not be too smooth or too rough. Hahnemühle’s cold pressed papers are just right FOR ME. Your personal preferences may differ, you just have to try. But I can help you by telling you why I’ve liked certain papers and which I find good enough to purchase.
The Weight Of Paper:
Unless I’m working in a watercolor sketchbook, I use 300gsm paper (also said to be 140lb in the US). Yes, you can get a lower weight of paper but I find the excessive buckling annoying. The higher the weight of paper, the stiffer the paper will be and generally the more water it can take before buckling. This does vary depending on the internal or external sizing added to the paper but generally, 300gsm (grams per square meter) paper and up is great to use without stretching it.
Stretching watercolor paper used to be the way many watercolorists prevented buckling. Now, most of the artists I know just tape down their paper to a board to keep it straight. I think when 300gsm paper became more available, many artists threw away the proverbial bath water and stopped dipping their paper, then stretching it. It’s kind of a pain to do so, I understand why many of us have stopped. If you can get your hands on 600gsm paper, it can be even better. It’s as thick as a board and sturdy. The buckling is therefore, nearly non existent. Hahnemühle Leonardo (link below) is 100% cotton rag, mould made 600gsm paper. Just know that the higher the weight, the more expensive the paper and you don’t NEED the higher weight. My personal preference is 300gsm unless I’m planning on something really, really wet. Although, if I am buying the heavyweight paper, I truly LOVE Hahnemühle Leonardo cold pressed.
Here’s a great link from Blick for learning all about paper, it’s sizing, texture, weight.
Try Before You Buy
One of the best things I’ve started doing is trading papers with friends. If you can make some generous friends who have several kinds of paper, you may be able to cajole them into giving up a sheet or two from their stash. Most artists are endlessly generous, they want to help other artists grow. It’s a wonderful thing to immerse yourself in. Remember, an artist who you may admire, started as a beginner once and leaned heavily on their more experienced friends. It’s a “pay if forward” kind of world in aristland.
Another way to try papers is to write to paper companies. Many times they have samples that they’ll send artists to let them try their wares. You can also buy samples at Jackson’s Art Supply for only a few pennies or so. If you do see samples you want to try at Jackson’s, GRAB THEM as they disappear really quickly!
Sometimes You Find A Dud
I did recently have a bad experience with professional watercolor paper. I was compiling a list of papers that my friends like, the paper companies they feel are consistently strong and generally loved. On that list was Legion Stonehenge. I had heard good things. Many people like it and even better, it is widely available and a good price. I was thrilled to remember I had won a pad of it last year but hadn’t gotten around to testing it. I hauled it out and chose a subject. My goto, fruit. A buddy picture, apple and pear, whispering to one another about fridge etiquette or something, lol. Off I went to paint up a storm.
Total frustration, angst and a bunch of blue language. Yep, I swore at the paper. I wanted to tear it up, I wanted it to be a person so I could strangle it and beat it about the head with a mallet. I was mad as a wet hen. Damn paper. Grrrr. I’m still angry. Hours of work and the paint just would not stay where I put it. The pear is ok, a little rough but acceptable but that apple. Oh GOD. I must have rewet that middle section and the shadow ten times and mopped up the paint only to lay it down and have it backwash, muddle, smear and generally NOT adhere correctly. I’ll give you, the paper seems to be indestructible but who cares! I hate it. If you get to try it, you might LOVE it. It’s a personal thing, paper preferences. I’ll be cutting my pad up into thousands of bookmark sized pieces to use for color testing as I paint on other paper. This is officially my very first bad paper review. ‘Nuff said.
Here’s a list of companies that make good paper that I LIKE (In order of preference):
- Hahnemühle (list of kinds below)
- Arches Watercolor paper (hot, cold, rough)
- Saunders Waterford
- Stillman & Birn (great sketchbooks in many iterations, very, very popular!)
- Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Paper
- Strathmore 400 and 500 series watercolor paper (500 is their best, by far)
- Strathmore Multi-Media Toned paper (linked below)
One of the best things I think a beginner can do is choose a watercolor sketchbook and JUST PAINT. I started out using a Watercolor Moleskine then switched to Stillman & Birn and also tried Strathmore but finally, I found my home with Hahnemühle’s watercolor book. They were all good, no real complaints but Hahnemühle is my favorite. I just love the paper, it’s forgiving and has great properties. I do have to curb the water usage but then you’d have to with most any sketchbook. I’ve also heard some good things about Pentalic and Handbook but have never tried them. With a sketchbook, you just have to jump in, find an artist you trust and choose something they recommend. Or you can compile a list of the ones you’ve heard about and troll the internet for the best price and let the paper fairies make the decision for you, lol. Either way, the moral is to JUST PAINT, practice really does make perfect. Thanks for reading, I’ll be back with more soon.
For this Custom Schminck Palette project, I have used a ton of interesting papers. Here’s the list:
Hahnemühle 100% Cotton Rag Paper:
- Cézanne
- Leonardo
- Expression (NEW!)
Hahnemühle Cellulose Based Paper:
- Britannia Quattro
- Harmony (NEW!)
Other:
- Winsor & Newton
- Hahnemühle Postcards (in a decorative tin, both rough & cold pressed)
- Hahnemühle Watercolor Book
- Quattro Sketch Paper (can take light washes but not recommended for newer watercolorists)
- Strathmore Multi Media Toned Paper (Grey, Tan) (takes watercolor beautifully)
- Stillman & Birn Nova Series Toned paper sketchbooks (takes watercolor beautifully)
Sandra Strait
Great review, as always.! Lots of good information here, too. Awesomesauce!
Joe Domeier
“pear”fect article Jennifer! I appreciate your product knowledge and that you share it with others. Very, very refreshing! Your willingness to use a broad arrange of products shows a real lack of fear and a sense of adventure!
Joe Domeier
Broad “array” not “arrange”. Darn 12 years of Catholic School.
Tracy
I laughed when I read your comments about water brushes! I have several and WAS using those for my sketching forays but over the winter, finally started taking a Silver Brush Black Velvet travel brush with me instead – and just using a water cup. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I think the front seats in my car evolved into a traveling mini-studio over the winter lol. Bad weather? No problem – paint from the car (with as-needed windshield use to clear the field of vision).
I’ve tried several mixed media/watercolor journals and I really don’t understand why there isn’t a 100% cotton rag watercolor journal on the market (I guess there USED to be). I’m finally recognizing the value in buying full 22 x 30 sheets and tearing my own paper and guess maybe the next step is to make my own watercolor sketch/journals as well.
Julia
I wouldn’t even bother making bookmarks with paper you don’t like. Find someone who does like it and trade it away! Life is too short to make projects that you dread.
Contestant in your giveaway
Are you planning to announce the winner of the give away? Did that actually happen? I emailed you but received no response.
Kate
omi I wrote a long reply and it disappeared…. bummer.
good review!
Jade
Thank you for such a comprehensive walk through! I wish I had been encouraged to buy proper paper when I was starting out, I might have stuck with watercolor then! I’m only just starting to explore Arches and now Hahnemühle.
I’m loving Hahnemühle so far but noticed that it smudges a little? I’m using gouache at a watercolor consistency and haven’t had this problem before.
The smudging is noticeable and, if I take an eraser to it, it completely rubs off! 😳 I wonder if you have any experience with this? Would love to hear your thoughts.