Fabriano Studio Watercolour Paper Review

I like this paper and I use it a lot. Fabriano Studio features 25% cotton paper. Always compare prices before buying.
Text review:
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#fabrianostudio #watercolorpaper #artproductreviews

[@empress_craft]

Hot Press paper is specifically made for graphic or precision painting techniques, not really made for super wet applications or techniques. It has a flat "plate" surface to allow graphic or precision painters (botanical or scientific artists as an example) to create very precise lines and clean edges. Hot Press paper is made to have the paint "sit" on the surface, therefore working really juicy/wet will not work with it. Dry brushing and very controlled semi-wet washes are the most applicable use of the paper, in most cases. If you combined those techniques with ink work, it would look fabulous and work wonderfully. But if you want looser/more expressive painting, go for cold press or rough paper, as they absorb more paint/water and blend colors softly.

[@babablackiesheep]

I'm so glad you wrote this reply. I completely agree and feel like its important to mention. I'm currently using this paper for watercolor and colored pencil. Works very well to get the watercolor under painting put down and there's just enough tooth to lay down colored pencil without "eating" through my pencils like cold press tends to do.

[@pocahontas854]

Thank you

[@Teewriter]

Thank you so much.

[@Renilou2]

Susan Harrison Tustain uses the very wet applications on hot pressed. But she soaks the paper well and stretches 1st for this removes some of the extra sizing. Makes for the best glazing for depth and richness of color.

[@ivyseabreeze]

I wish he would do a comparison with Arches hot press paper.

[@rodrickdubose659]

Thank you Teoh. I've had this cold pressed sketchbook sitting for about 2 years, and I just started using it recently. I have been using it with pan watercolors and wasn't satisfied. Using colors out of the tube worked better for me. Thanks for the informative and inspiring videos.

[@LillySchwartz]

I think comparing the blending abilities of a hot press with any cold press is going to be worse for the hot press. With hot press it's so much harder to get clean washes and soft transitions even when it's 100% cotton. I do love how smooth hot press is though! It makes me go back and forth between papers a lot, because I love the smooth transitions of cold press, but prefer my ink lines on hot press.

[@xai18]

Your reviews are always informative! Thanks Teoh! 😊😃😊

[@appugiri]

For an advanced and earnest beginner like me, this has been a very valuable review! Thank you.

[@LanaGoesArt]

This is actually really helpful. Thank you for the review and the comparison to the cold pressed paper. I like that the hot pressed paper misses the structure, because it makes it so easy to scan, but painting itself is more enjoyable on papers with structure (at least for me). :) Have a wonderful day and thanks again!

[@lvmylord54]

I have a pad of this paper. Was good to see you review it. Gives me more of an idea of what to use it for best.

[@jenniefiedler9854]

My sister sent me a pad of this paper and I haven't tried it yet so your review is very timely! I really like how you sketch, especially with a fountain pen. My first piece on this paper is going to be done with inktense pencils and I generally blend them dry so seeing how the paper performs when wet was very helpful, I know more of what to expect so thanks for the review.

[@beaast4249]

Thank you so much for this very useful review. Well done!

[@autumnreverie]

I didn't know anything about watercolor paper and so I bought this paper because of the price - now I know I will do more research next time before buying!! As a beginner, this paper was not great for me. I also think I need nicer brushes like yours :)

[@surveyguyor8958]

inexpensive brushes can be ok, Most agree the paper is the most important part that you can get frustration with. Try some 100% cotton paper and I think you will understand. And you will be happy. As a beginner I suggest cold press

[@moonram2569]

Teoh, this paper, Fabriano Studio, will work well with watercolor pencils/Inktense/ neocolor ii dissolved in minimum water. (Inktense is very concentrated pigment, so a little goes a long way.) Just wanted to share my experience. Thanks.

[@alanalendvay6131]

Thank You for this comparison with watercolor paper. I just received my 3 pad order. I'll keep plugging along. Love your video's.

[@catherinelevison3310]

This is the same experience I have with various 25% cotton papers. I like pen and pencil strokes on hot press but for loose washes of watercolor I think 100% cotton in a high quality company is best. Thank you!

[@zacbeeler3629]

Thanks for the info, always looking to try out new papers.

[@annebaiel]

Great review, Parka, thank you!

[@Doubleoreviews]

That was great, your yellow house sketch on the cold press paper came out particularly nice the color choices were excellent I like the way the shadows came out. For the hotpress paper I think color pencils handle very well with the smooth grainy texture.

[@GARABATOSReiez]

I bought this paper at double the price in my country. I expected it to be something better than the Canson Montval paper but no. I had a lot of trouble trying to paint with layers. The best I have achieved is a painting by Ui (I made a timelapse). However, this paper I liked a lot to paint with ink washes, and it goes well with mixed technique, watercolor and colored pencils finishes.

[@nigelhunter4230]

Great video and love your art work. Thanks

[@Znobishtucon]

Fabriano 100% cotton hotpress has been a favorite of mine for a while, hotpress being essential to my technique. I might only buy this "studio" version if it's a major discount. I chew through a lot of paper sometimes so it would only be backup or further mixed media uses.

[@hansendesigns]

Just what i wanted to see. Some fabriano paper reviews:)

[@AngieCurl]

This is my favorite paper. I like it better than Arches for how I paint. ☺️ I also bought a book binding machine so I make my own sketchbooks with this paper, too.

[@Shiruvan]

same here, coldpress or hot press, affordable and nice to use, although it doesn't seem to be sold in the pad under the brand here(except the 50&100% cotton ones),I think one maybe able to custom order to Fabriano themselves for specific sizes, suspecting by the way Jackson's selling it in bulk of 50 sheets, and how it's sold here under store brand in choices of pad or spiral/stitched sketchbook, but mentioned 'paper by fabriano', which was almost unbelievable since for the first time I was seeing affordable watercolor paper that doesn't dull the color out.

[@andil.2983]

I'm not sure if it is correct to compare the HOT pressed Fabriano paper with the COLD pressed arches paper. I got arches HOT pressed and the colors also do not blend very well into each other. Also I would have loved to see how the paper behaves if you do a full wet in wet wash (buckling etc.)

[@teohyc]

I've used the coldpress version and they blend the same.

[@jaynelmanon-og6186]

@@teohyc :( I don't like arches tbh I prefer the baomy Chinese brand compared to arches, I was looking for the best paper for my watercolor techniques. I'm always watching your videos, again and again, to see which is a really good product. Do you have Moulin du roy review? I want to check how really good is that paper.

[@teohyc]

@@jaynelmanon-og6186 I've not used baomy or Moulin du roy. Lanaquarelle is very good. Saunders is too dry.

[@jaynelmanon-og6186]

@@teohyc oh thank you I will try those. I will watch your videos always. It is informative

[@rashone2879]

I use this paper but for pen and ink, very nice for that use.

[@nkguenther1]

Hi. Thank you for this review. I thought it was just me having issues with this paper and feel better now. I have the cold press Fabriano studio paper in the big pad. It’s very reasonable but very challenging to paint on, especially wet on wet, or dropping in another color. The paint just sits on top and blending is terrible. I’ve only done a few paintings and have managed to save them but it’s a lot of work. I’m used to 100% cotton and was looking for a good practice paper. I think it might be good for single colors and not blending on the paper. Perhaps watercolor pencils.

[@MassimilianoDeliso]

I think the magenta was too thick of a mixture to get the desired effect and also comparing the result of an hot press paper to a cold press is not that fair!

[@OkieSketcher1949]

I prefer Fabriano 140 cold press. I feel I get a better texture on my sketches and the paint doesn’t run as much.

[@alicem1111]

I really like this paper too! It’s a wonderful studio/ practice paper. If you keep that in mind- I can’t imagine not liking it. Teoh- have you ever tried bockingford paper?

[@alicem1111]

Oh! I also wanted to ask you how you would compare this to the Fabriano rosaspina paper? I remember you reviewed the paper favorably and it’s a higher cotton content. I am familiar with that paper for printmaking but I wonder how the sizing holds up to watercolor. It’s nice to hear your thoughts on the Fabriano studio- thank you as always!

[@hansendesigns]

alice m I know he really likes rosaspina but I too wondered about the sizing since it's a printing paper :)

[@teohyc]

Rosaspina can handle wet on wet techniques well. It's a better paper the Fabriano Studio. But it's slightly off white.

[@teohyc]

Not sure about the sizing but it can handle watercolour quite well.

[@jennw6809]

Video idea: I would love to see you compare the cold press Studio with the Artistico cold press!

[@michellekralartist]

i like this paper :) thanks!

[@nerdieone1]

I have this paper. I like it. :)

[@annepercival7814]

Wish we had something like SPD in UK!

[@Dan.B.Artist]

I really like this paper, it's a shame that the hot pressed only comes in that size for 300gsm. I love the texture of the cold pressed paper too. I've purchased some fabriano 5 watercolour paper which is 50% cotton. it will be interesting to see how it compares.

[@teohyc]

I prefer the coldpress Fabriano Studio over the hotpress

[@teohyc]

This is just a more affordable paper from Fabriano. They certainly have more expensive and professional paper.

[@Cirra7]

Hi Teoh, which brand of paint were you using? Also I do love using this particular pad for simple watercolor techniques and practicing. More than one glaze has made it buckle for me.

[@teohyc]

I use Daniel Smith mostly.

[@christinesrikala4755]

Good review thank you. Have you done any review on charcoal pencil /stick on Watercolor paper? What charcoal brand will you recommend?

[@teohyc]

I don't use charcoal. Maybe you can find some reviews from Jason Morgan kzbin.info

[@TimeCodeMechanics]

This paper looks good.

[@bigboyanimation3799]

the stylo is for writing not for drawing, how did you find a black ink for this pen my i can find only blue ink for it

[@teohyc]

They are available in black and blue

[@bubbles7662]

Would you say the cold press studio is comparable with the cold press artistico aside from the cotton content? Would the cheaper price justify the differences? Thanks Teoh!

[@teohyc]

Fabriano Artistico is 100% cotton so it's going to perform better when it comes to wet on wet techniques. Colours will blend software when the paper is wet. Performance is similar to Arches 100% cotton watercolour paper.

[@isabellecade277]

I’ve used a small sketchbook Fabriano 200 g/m2, 15X21, acid free but I don’t like it very much. I prefer rough paper like Khadi paper. But, I have to say that the colors are very vibrant with it. Pen and fountain pen slide well. I have another question : Do you think the weather or the hygrometry can influence the drying of the ink ? 3 times you said the Noodler’s ink dryer slowly, here at home it dries fast. Thank you for this complete review Teoh !

[@teohyc]

When it comes to Noodlers ink, a lot of factors affect the drying time. Weather, humidity, paper. It's difficult to tell. I'm switching to Platinum Carbon

[@amysamin]

Teoh Yi Chie Teoh, will Platinum Carbon work for dip pens as well? If not, can you recommend a good black waterproof ink for dip pens?

[@lisathaviu1154]

If you are using a dip pen, you have loads of options. Any good India Ink should work great. Speedball, Higgins (my choice), Windsor & Newton, and Dr. PH Martin all make decent black India Inks. Just don't get it on your clothes or learn to wear black, because it won't come out.

[@teohyc]

Platinum Carbon works well for dip pens. You can use any pigmented inks with dip pens since the nibs are replaceable. Just get a bottle with a large opening so that you can dip the pen in easily. Some ink bottles have small opening. And get short bottles because that will let your dip pen reach ink when ink levels are low.

[@amysamin]

Teoh Yi Chie Thanks very much, Teoh!

[@emilyvbr1878]

This review is so informative. Thanks! ☺

[@teohyc]

Thanks 😁

[@yvonnecarpenter2957]

Teoh, would it have been a better comparison to use the Fabriano CP 25% cotton pad/paper instead of the HP pad? The Arches paper exercise you did was CP which is always more forgiving when it comes to washes. Comparing CP to HP is perhaps unfair to the paper! It would be interesting to see how the CP version of the Fabriano 25% cotton paper handles compared to the Arches CP. I have some of both, and should probably throw some paint on them side by side and see what happens.... I also enjoy the feel of HP for inking - it is so smooth! But then I "pay" for it when it is time to watercolor as it is more challenging 😁

[@teohyc]

Even if there are differences in how they handle wet on wet, it's not significantly different.

[@NikkiDraven]

Hi Teoh, While watching your video I noticed that the washes painted in the arches paper had many white speckles on it, I don’t know if that’s a issue for you but ai had the same problem with a cold press block of arches. I fixed it brushing gently with a wet big flat brush the entire surface. I think there is a sort of layer of something that prevent the color to be absorbed properly into the paper, and after you paint there are these bubbles that pop leaving white annoying spots. Hope it may helps!

[@teohyc]

Maybe the sizing is damaged. Otherwise there should not be any weird looking effects

[@NikkiDraven]

@@teohyc yes, that’s my thought, a problem with the sizing

[@geckonia]

Interesting paper thank you. You have platinum carbon ink right? It dries fairly quickly in my experience. 👍🏼

[@teohyc]

Platinum Carbon Ink is good

[@peksy86]

Hi :) thank you for your review. I was wondering, have you have tried the cold pressed version of this paper?

[@teohyc]

The coldpress version is good. But since it's not 100% cotton, certain wet on wet techniques will be difficult to achieve.

[@imissmypencils]

Very cool, Teoh! Do you recommend a carbon black watercolor paint?

[@teohyc]

I've not used that particular colour so I don't know what it looks like. But with black, grays, it's usually better for you to mix your own. Unless you need that specific colour, or use it a lot that you can save time not mixing it.

[@joyfulldj]

Fabriano studio I have their jumbo block wich I use for practice, is to my knowledge a woodpulp paper. It is most deffinately not cotton based,so beware of that when you buy the paper. Since I primarely use my gouache on it Im ok with the downfalls of it. But if you have a problem with it in the same price range you better be buying the strathmore 400 series. Not to be a pain on your fabriano review but since fabriano changed a lot of the paper line like the artistico (at least in europe) ive seen many botanical artist run for the hills; if you want to test for yourself please ask your retailer for several paper samplers. That way you can be sure it is the right buy for you.

[@teohyc]

I plan to get some of the new Artistico to use. But not anytime soon

[@joyfulldj]

Just a fair warning though, If you want to use it for retail make sure to have tried their test samplers first due to current change. I would hate for you to be disapointed in the work wondering what it caused :)

[@Kyomiibrown]

A .Vultink I agree with you to some extent however, it also depends on the brand of hotpress. I have no issues blending and doing wet in wet on either the old formula Fabriano Artistico hot press or the saunders waterford HP (which is the nearest thing to the old Fabriano IME, ) and both give me fantastic results, I can do everything I do on CP with those. On another note, I don’t like Fabriano cold press, either student or cotton rag, neither am I a fan of Arches in that I don’t think it is the “best of the best” as it is acclaimed to be. Mulin Du Roy CP and Saunders Waterford are, IMHO, two of the best out there. I love the MDR texture pattern, not as textured as standard CP, and a completely different pattern. Colours just look alive on it, I find them considerably duller on Arches.

[@kuraicraft]

do I understand correctly that the sketchbook you do your limited colour palette videos is 25% cotton cold pressed?

[@waka4908]

Was using HP Arches paper and don't see much of a difference between them, frankly, one of the worst characteristics of the cheap HP paper is that colors are dull, and don't see it here, it looks like decent paper

[@2Spunck]

I am a newbie and fascinated by the way you begin your portraits with the hairline...did you learn that from instructors, or is that your own invention? I just tried it and it really changes the outcomes for the better! I'm now watching your other figure-sketching videos..Thanks!

[@teohyc]

I guess I stumbled into drawing that way. Try different ways to draw. Draw from the hair. Draw the shape of the head first. Or Something. But usually, it starts with drawing big shapes, then the details.

[@hamerray]

I got this exact same paper and in the same size and I live in the United States. I got it at Hobby Lobby the price without the taxes is $10.99

[@surveyguyor8958]

you can get arches 100% cotton at hobby lobby with their 40% coupon for not much more money. Much better paper.

[@toaofnightmares]

If u don't mind me asking, what was the brush you used at 2:10? it looks pretty interesting

[@teohyc]

It's a squirrel brush.

[@polosandoval]

I have a squirrel. I’ll ask if I can have some of his tail hair. @@teohyc

[@ludwinvart5409]

Have you tried Stonehenge paper? Here in the U.S. is very affordable (the blocks)

[@teohyc]

I tried some of the paper samples. But it's difficult to get a real impression of how good they are by testing small paper samples. I know the company and the paper are quite reputable. www.parkablogs.com/content/testing-11-paper-samples-legion-paper

[@ludwinvart5409]

Thank You

[@captivatednightshade1432]

I'm new to this when it comes to the type of watercolor paper. I have a Strathmore cold press paper. What is the difference?

[@teohyc]

Strathmore? Depends on the series. 100 is student grade and 500 is artist grade. How it performs will depend on how the paper is treated and what it is made of. I've only used Strathmore 400 watercolor paper in a sketchbook and it as alright, nothing special.

[@jennaong41]

Hi Teoh! great video! May i know where you bought this paper? i’m working at sg ~ there is no much place to buy art material in sg and malaysia....

[@teohyc]

It's sold at ArtFriend

[@jennaong41]

Teoh Yi Chie just found thr hv outlet @ clementi! is near to me! Thanks a lot =)

[@pirjoraila4605]

Hot press is never good for very wet techniques. It is not about the cotton content, it is about the structure of the surface and thickness. Have you tried Arches hot press very wet?

[@teohyc]

Hotpress can be good for wet on wet. But it depends on the sizing and cotton content. Fabriano Studio is not good for wet on wet, but Fabriano Artistico (100% cotton) is very good.

[@sweetheartcool7929]

Do you know whats the difference between hot press and cold press paper..im so confused

[@teohyc]

Hotpress as the name suggests is paper pressed by a hot press, hence the paper will have smooth surface.

[@semaass4840]

What kind of colors best suited for this paper??

[@teohyc]

You mean like watercolour? Any brand is good. Non granulating colours will produce a rather stylised look. Granulating will produce the watercolour look. Try either or a mix.

[@hattorihanzo8385]

But what colours are you using? It makes a huge difference between a) m Graham watercolours (top tier) on fabriano 25% cotton (medium tier) Versus b) sakura koi (medium tier) on fabriano artistico 100% cotton (top tier) Case b will give you better results than case a even with m Graham watercolours simply because paper quality trumps colour quality all the time. When both colours are used on the same quality paper say arches 100% cotton, then m Graham will blow away a medium tier like sakura koi In my opinion paper > colours > brushes

[@teohyc]

I’m using Daniel Smith. I’ve used various brand on this paper. This paper is just not as good compared to Arches but that’s to be expected considering the lower price.

[@hattorihanzo8385]

@@teohyc thanks Teoh..

[@ayeshahossainayesha3897]

Is it vegan like the artistico range?

[@teohyc]

It should be for all paper products from Fabriano. I could be wrong

[@chanyixin9780]

Where can you get this in Singapore?

[@teohyc]

ArtFriend

[@bladimirgaspar2523]

Not a good comparison since arches cold press is meant for different techniques than the fabriano hot press studio but still ok review

[@DannyWinnVideo]

This paper is basically poster board, it's horrible for watercolor unless youre doing illustration with very little blending. I hate it.