The Big Paper Test

  • Top 10 brands / how and why I chose these

  • Testing for:

    • bold quality of pigment

    • Granulation

    • Staining / non-staining

    • Painted sphere

    • Masking fluid

    • Tape

    • Glazing

    • Flat wash

    • Brush strokes / ink

    • Wet-into-wet

    • Blossoming / dispersion (paint in h2o / h2o in paint)

    • Salt

  • More advanced testing with top papers (pet, portrait, landscape, bird)

  • What do you need to know about wtclr paper

    • Cellulose vs 100% cotton

    • Sizing - what is it and why is it important?

    • Can paper go bad?

Opinions on this vary - but I personally feel that having good paper is more important than good pigment and brushes. When I say good I don’t mean necessarily the “best” (most popular or expensive) I mean a paper that responds well to your unique painting style and methods.

I can only guide you from my own personal experience and experiments, but you should try the paper out for yourself to really know.

I can make a painting work on stubborn paper, but I’ll have to work so much harder.

It’s important to sort your paper out before you begin extensive color study work. This will save you a lot of time and effort in the future because pigment will look and respond very differently from paper to paper

Cellulose vs 100% cotton - I appreciate the lifting forgiveness of cellulose paper, but I also like working with some colors that are not bright or pack a pinch in color or contrast. I’ll have to paint several layers to achieve what I can in one on quality paper (see image)

Sketchbook reviews

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Head on over to my website to view high resolution scans of the entire Winsor & Newton range of watercolors. 🙌 I know several artists who paint exclusively with Winsor & Newton watercolors. Are you one of them, or is there a color of theirs
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I have begun a massive project! 😗💨 Earlier this year I tested the top 10 professional watercolor papers, and chose one that suits my painting style best. You will get the most from your paint swatches by swatching the colors on your preferred pap
How do you dispose of your old paint water? I’m not sure where I read it, but someone had once shared that they keep a bucket of sand in their studio for their leftover dirty paint water. By the end of a painting there is a lot of pigment lef
This is an awesome way to use masking fluid! My husband and I are in the process of buying a home so things have been a bit delayed on my end. Rest assured I’ll be sharing more examples and tips on using masking fluid soon. 🙂👍 Medium used:
We began our watercolor education together learning how salt reacts to a wet wash of pigment. Up next we are going to experiment with masking fluid. 🙌 Do you have any questions to ask or helpful tips to share about masking fluid?
 
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