Because watercolor is a light medium absorbing and reflecting light through the transparency of the paint, it’s a unique art form. Watercolor papers come in various presses and weights determining their qualities. Each type of paper renders a different effect depending on the type of painting.
Weights of Watercolor Paper
Watercolor paper is measured in pounds of one realm, which is about 500 Imperial sheets that are 22” by 30”. While a lightweight paper generally weighs roughly 90 pounds, a heavyweight paper may weigh as much as 300 pounds or more.
Student Grade Watercolor Paper
Although student grade watercolor paper can feel somewhat like artist grade papers and have a similar texture, they’re not made of archival grade materials. Student grade paper is good for beginning watercolorists for practicing, but shouldn’t be used for work intended to be sold. They’re buffered with acid, however the buffering will in time wear out and will start to deteriorate and discolor depending on the paper and air quality.
Rough Pressed Watercolor Paper
Rough press paper is the toothiest paper available and is ideal for washes. However, water can easily settle in craters of the paper. Because of water tending to collect in the paper’s indentations painting on rough press gives a grainy or spotty effect.
Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper
Cold press, the most widely used paper, has a tooth that’s ideal for grabbing and holding paints from watercolor brushes. It’s excellent for handling washes and also works well with dry brush. Cold press is known as the in-between paper because it isn’t the toothiest but isn’t smooth as hot pressed paper.
Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper
Hot pressed watercolor paper is a smooth textured surface that’s best suited for detailed work such as using pens and colored pencils with watercolors. Its smooth surface makes it almost glossy. However, because of its smooth texture it doesn’t dry as quickly as cold press paper. Hot press paper is good for painting landscapes requiring many different washes, as well as drybrush watercolors. Paints on hot press also tend to run more than cold press.
Individual Sheets
Watercolor paper is also sold in individual sheets. The largest sheet is 30” x 22” and is called an Imperial full sheet. Half sheets measure 22” x 15” and quarter sheets, the smallest sold, are 15” x 11”. Sheets as large as 40” x 25”, known as Double Elephant sheets, are available in some art supply stores but aren’t recommended for novice watercolorists, unless they’re cut into smaller, more manageable portions. Since pre-industrial times the traditional sheet has remained as the 22” x 30” size (half sheet).
Watercolor Blocks
Watercolor blocks are stacks of watercolor paper attached to a backing board using padding glue. Padding glue is applied to all sides of the paper rather than just one side as with watercolor pads. The beauty of watercolor blocks is that artists don’t have to stretch their paper before painting but can just begin painting. When painting on 140 pound watercolor blocks it’s important to wait until all the paint dries before removing the painting from the block. However, paint on 300 pound paper can be immediately removed while wet because heavier paper doesn’t buckle when wet.
Just as people have different handwriting, artists develop different styles. In fact after awhile many people can recognize an artist’s work just by looking at a painting. When first exploring watercolor novices should experiment with various papers and then decide what works best for them, establishing their own artistic signature.
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