Baohong Watercolor Paper Sample Pack and Review

[@dannychen1064]

10 dollars? I get them with 2 dollars online! but then again I'm in China so...XD Bao Hong is really the best affordable and quality 100% cotton paper among all Chinese brands. glad that you enjoyed them. Their student cold press tend to dry very fast and not be very vibrant with colors when dry, but still very decent. Some say there is not that much big difference between their artist and student grades, so for practice, I think their student cold press is quite nice and affordable (when on sale!) after all, good paper costs so much money!

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Hi Danny. Thank you so much for sharing this information. Wow! $2! That's amazing. 😀 I need to take a trip to China. I appreciate your insights.

[@ashleyhawkeswatercolor]

I am a die-hard Arches fan, and I too ended up loving this paper! I really enjoy the rough texture, especially with granulating pigments! Your mini cloud paintings are lovely and enjoyed your review:)

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Thanks for adding your perspective. I think I'm surprised by how much I like this paper. :-)

[@bijelimedved2983]

Can baohnog be comper to arches, do it have the same lifting capacity and qualitiy of sizing ?? I want to trye bahong but i am afrade that it will absorbs to fast a a couldnt erase mistakes

[@MaureenWest]

I have been using Baohong paper for 2 years now. It rivals Arches watercolour paper in every aspect.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

I agree. It has become my "go to" paper.

[@brasilecoms6297]

I loved how the hot pressed paper performed! The colors seem to look more vibrant.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Yes. I think that can be the case, because the pigments don't seem to soak into the fibers of the paper as much, on the hot press, so the colors are more vibrant. However, there are other challenges with the hot press paper. It seems like it is hard to achieve soft edges and the hot press can be more subject to creating "blooms" as you paint. In the end, everyone has to find their own preferences that line up with their style of painting. Have fun!

[@UJB123]

Love their paper. Hot press is my fave for urban sketching where you are using pen/pencil/ marker for the sketch and maybe a bit of watercolor here and there. No heavy washes … no pre-wet. I have their 24 sheet sketchbook. I do love their rough for my regular (in house) landscape scenes. The realism, particularly rocks, is excellent. Excellent with super granulating paint. Outstanding paper at minimal cost.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

I completely agree. I love rough for landscape painting. The paper seems to add to the mood of the scene. I rarely use hot press, but it is WONDERFUL to use with pen and ink. :-)

[@aerialpunk]

I'm glad you reviewed the hot press even though it's not your cup of tea - I'm looking for hot press paper and I'm considering getting Baohong paper, but it's a little harder to find reviews of paper that aren't cold press, haha.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Great. I'm glad you found it helpful. Baohong is my "go to" paper. I hope you like it.

[@mendyhand3895]

I’ve heard it’s the paper used for the Perfect Sketch Book, the artist grade CP., ( for the grey bound ones, not the limited portrait leather bound one which is Fabriano Artistico.) That’s what hooked me. Lol. And, I can’t stand a “stamped or mechanical, lined looking watercolor paper. It drives me crazy. I have also loved Arches over the years. I use a disc bound system because You can pull different paintings in and out of it. I haven’t tried Baohong yet. But Arches is rarely at my local “ Hobby Lobby”. And no longer 40% off there or Michael’s… So I will give this a try. Thanks so much for showing the “ test pkg.” of papers! Your work is very nice! 👍🙏🏻🖌🥁

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching

[@waymire01]

I did a massive WC paper testing project last year.. at the time Baohong was not as available in the US/UK so it wasn't on my purchase list (it has since come to Jackson's in the UK and US distributors on Amazon).. however I was sharing my results with a painting group and one of the members mailed me a piece of the academy HP. Not only was it by far the best in it's price range it held it's own with all the other artist grade brands. I was so impressed. It blends well, gives nice color, glazes (it's so hard to find a good glazing inexpensive paper), and was just a pleasure to paint on. I still prefer Arches or Saunders Waterford.. but the cost is $$$ and so many simply can't afford to paint on them constantly. Be aware it is also marketed as "The Masters Choice" in the US and Australia.. it's the exact same paper marked up horribly in price so you are much better off sourcing the original. I was really disappointed when Blick decided to stock that instead of the original. I do wish it came in gummed pads, I prefer them since I use a lightbox extensively and you just can't do that with a block without peeling the sheets off, so it's kind of a waste for me to pay the extra for that format.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Thanks so much for sharing from your extensive experience. I really like Baohong as compared to Arches. I just got my first shipment of Saunders Waterford today and plan to test it as well. Thanks and have a great day.

[@waymire01]

@@KrisDeBruineStudio Saunders is nearly identical to Arches. I actually like it just a smidge better, only because the Arches CP texture has this odd sharpness to it, it makes kind of a hollow scraping sensation that I find irritating... very small complaint but it's something that bugs me when I paint and especially if I draw on it. Langton Prestige is a very close third, and slightly less expensive than the other two.. depending on where you live. They are all gelatine sized and very similar in performance... thirsty, very easy blends, glaze great, don't like to lift. Saunders is much less in the UK than the US.. and the Langtons (there is also a pulp version that is the best pulp paper I've tried) are next to impossible to find in the US, which is a shame because they are great. I'm trying to get my hands on some Aquafine which is another Daler Rowney pulp paper.. I've seen some great reviews on it and it comes in huge 9x12 50 sheet packs for about $20. I ordered it from a Marketplace seller on Amazon and got ripped off, so I may have to get it from Jackson's.. but their shipping has gone up so much I'm putting it off until I want to order more than the one item. I've also got a huge pad of Bee pulp paper waiting for me to get around to.. their 100% cotton is lovely and cheap, not as strong as the others but I enjoy working on it. It comes in very limited sizes (6x9 or full sheet, and two spiral bound sketchbooks) and is hard to find in stock though.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Thanks for the helpful information.

[@waymire01]

@@alisonb3850 Gelatin. It's very close to Langton prestige in performance. Arches CP is a bit rougher and Arches HP has that odd fuzzy texture. I haven't tried Sennelier or Clairefontaine. I too prefer gelatin sizing.

[@waymire01]

@@alisonb3850 I actually haven't bought any in over a year so perhaps things have changed. There is a large push for vegan paper, and companies are constantly trying to jump on that bandwagon even though art materials are not made from directly sourced animal materials but rather leftovers from other industries, and those materials have been used for hundreds of years. Most vegan sizing is starch based. My packages of Baohong are almost entirely in what I believe is Chinese so no info there, however it's also sold under the name The Master's Choice (as well as white labeled by other companies such as Etchr) for Australia and semi-recently imported to US.. and that packaging states gelatin. It's much less expensive in it's original packaging. I've always found Arches HP to have a soft brushed surface (perhaps "fuzzy" wasn't the best descriptor) different from other brands.. not bad, just different, it's lovely paper. The only other one I've ever seen similar is Fabriano soft press which is hard to find but my favorite Fabriano paper.

[@colinbellingham9581]

Baohong is a great paper but buckling can be a real problem unless it's properly soaked and stretched. It is also a hard sized paper that is hard on brushes (sables) so use cheap brushes to scrub or you'll end up with bald sables.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Hmmmm. I hadn't heard of these issues. I do agree it seems to have a stiffer sizing. But I haven't experienced any buckling. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@francescadinardo5659]

Sto aspettando il mio primo blocco di carta Bashing. Non vedo l'ora di provarla. Se hai continuato ad usarla volevo avvertirti che su Temu la vendono ad ottimi prezzi(sempre che non lo abbia già scoperto). Bravissima.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Thank you for the tip. I appreciate your suggestions. Have a great day. Vi auguro una buona giornata!

[@asim7255]

Hi Kris, I just discovered your channel. I have not tried hot pressed paper from any brands (as I heard that it is supposedly not too beginner friendly for water control), however I use Baohong quite exclusively given the price and quality. Some of the things I've noticed: CP - Academy: There's a grid-like pattern to the texture (and it can be noticeable if there are large washes/granulating paints on them) and sometimes colours can look a bit 'milky', like there's a slight misty pale cast overall. However it is such a major upgrade from my previous much cheaper 100% cotton watercolour paper, I never had to fight with it as I paint and there were no other issues with this paper. CP - Artist: I've only started painting on this, 2 paintings only so far. There's no noticeable grid pattern to the texture, I find that it responded to lifting and many things that I wished to do and much more forgiving in a way. Rough - Artist: I've only painted once on this (sky and clouds), I didn't like how the painting turned out, but that would be more on my skills and unfortunate choice of colours that granulated more. Just by comparison to the CP Artist, I did not notice a very significant increase in texture, but I did find that I needed more water and paint for washes as the paper was a bit more 'thirsty'. I would love to see what subjects do you choose when using the Rough and the Hot Pressed. Thanks for your review!

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Hi! Thanks for watching and for giving such a thorough description of your experience with Baohong. I really love this paper. I feel the quality is good, and the price (for the Artist Grade) is about 30% less expensive than the Arches which I have used for years. I am planning to use it more in the future....once I work through my big stash of Arches. I do find that Baohong is thirstier, overall, as compared to Arches. I also find that the Artist grade is thirstier than the Academy. I prefer the Artist grade Baohong, but will probably purchase the Academy grade for value studies, which I do regularly. Now to your question....I don't really use Hot Press as a rule. In this video, I was reviewing the sample pack, which included some Hot Press. I generally find Hot Press to be too resistant to the absorption of pigment and water. In the past I've used cold press exclusively, but recently I've started painting more landscapes on rough paper. I like the effect. Subjects that require greater precision (i.e. portraits, florals), I would recommend cold press. Subjects that benefit from texture and can do with less precision (i.e. landscape) I would recommend rough. Hope this helps. Have a great day.

[@asim7255]

@@KrisDeBruineStudio Thanks for your detailed reply!

[@marylemley5194]

Thank you for the actual paintings on the paper!!!! I just, as a starter sort of, bought some really cheap baohong paper on Temu, lol!!!!! This should be interesting, as ive been using Hobby Lobbys cheapest plus Arches. I always have, even on Arches, quick-drying problems.....but then Im also slow going!!!!!!!

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for watching a leaving feedback. Have a great day.

[@rebanelson607]

Excellent review - you always "have your ducks in a row" in your vids! If you put your mind to it, I'll bet you could do some creative and interesting paintings on hot pressed paper. I liked the way the colors morphed. A good vid for those of us who have never used hot pressed would be welcomed! I've also heard that hot pressed is good for paining animal fur.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Thanks for the suggestion. I am not a big fan of hot press.....but I may have some left from this sample pack. I may give the video a try. Happy New Year!

[@keepyourshoesathedoor]

Hey, thank you so much for posting this!

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

You're welcome

[@vickilee6335]

This video is helpful. I've been considering this paper as well. Thanks!

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

You're welcome. I've been very happy with it.

[@juliec.]

Beautiful clouds for sure. Great review. New subscriber:)

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Thanks and welcome

[@marlenaamalfitano2727]

Always excellent

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Thank you so much!!

[@faiths3632]

Love this paper specially the Artist cold pressed paper Not a fan of the hot pressed watercolor paper in any brand

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

I agree.

[@giespel68]

Hi Kris. It was kinda hard to see, but did you prewet the first paper (student CP)? You got me interested in Baohong. Arches is great but also quite expensive. Groetjes uit Nederland;)

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

First wash = I pre-wet the top of the paper, but not the bottom. Second wash was wet on dry. I've been using Baohong for over a year now and it has become my favorite paper. I prefer it over Arches. It is also less expensive. :-) Win + Win!! If you get some, let me know what you think. (My ancestors are Dutch. You probably knew that from the name. I had to use Google to translate your comment since, alas, I only speak English.)

[@giespel68]

@@KrisDeBruineStudio thanks for your reply! I'll let you know for sure what I think of the baohong. It's on my way by mail. If I remember correct, you once replied in a comment you were Dutch. Must have misunderstood ;) I love your channel!

[@kreativeReise]

Just found your channel today and it is very helpful. Thank you for creating this content. One question left: do you prefer using the colors fresh out of the tubes or also in (half-)pans. I bought some tubes but I think about filling a pan and sell the rest to have money for some more paints...but I hope that I will not regret this discision afterwards...

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

Hi, welcome. I only purchase my paints in tubes. I squeeze the paint onto my palette and allow it to dry. I rewet when I paint. I replenish from the tube when needed...every few days.

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

...also, I have a few videos on my channel about setting up a palette. Check out my Supplies playlist. 😄

[@karenkristiansen2756]

Please correct the link where it brought me to was indeed amazon but price listed was 63.46 euros! Outrageous price for a sample pack. Might be better to see if can get direct from manufacturer

[@KrisDeBruineStudio]

When I click on that same link I find the product for $10.99 USD. It must be re-directing you dependent on where you live. Sorry I am unable to control that. Maybe there is another provider near you. Thanks.

[@pakizeyasar9092]

Shein