Review of Hahnemuele watercolour papers - bamboo, agave and sugar cane - The Natural Line

Watercolour paper is so important to the successful outcome of your painting - more than the paint you use, the brushes you choose or sometimes even your skill and experience. Generally it is made of cotton or cellulose and generally we think of cotton as being better due to its strength and ability to hold water. But growing cotton is pretty intensive on water and chemicals and even if the cotton for paper is a waste product from textiles, it is still potentially a problem. Are there alternatives? How about bamboo paper, or sugar cane or agave???
Hahnemuele is a German company that has been making papers since 1584. It says it has been looking for a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to produce paper. Now it has come up with Sugar Cane watercolour, Agave watercolour, Hemp Sketch, Bamboo Mixed Media and Bamboo Sketch. But are they any good? Join me as I take a look and compare them to Harmony and Britannia, two traditional papers.
If you want to try them for yourself you can buy them here from Amazon :amzn.to/3W2gpah (affiliate link)
Jackson’s don’t carry the Sugar Cane or Agave, but you can get the Bamboo here: tidd.ly/3VJAj8Y (affiliate)
Every like and comment tells KZbin to show this to more people, so please jump in and share with your creative friends. If you really, really like this content and want to support me you can donate at Kofi. I have just set it up at: ko-fi.com/lizchadertonartist
Every week I share a tip, trick or technique I wish I had known when I started painting, so if you enjoyed this please like, comment and subscribe. Or if you have a watercolour problem, let me know and maybe I can help?
If you want to have more in depth courses please head over to www.lizchadertonstudio.co.uk. I also run a friendly Facebook group: / watercolourstudiowithl... .
#lizchaderton #hahnem #watercolourpaper

[@charlottemalone7375]

I discovered your channel through your bookmark videos and have loved exploring all the tiny landscapes I can paint (all my coworkers have bookmarks now 😊) and now I’ve done a deep dive into your urban sketching tutorials. I’ve sketched my house this weekend (twice!) and really like how it turned out. I’m so happy to have found you - I’m 53 and brand new to sketching and painting of any kind, you make all these things feel very accessible. I thank you, my creativity and my mental health thank you as well!! And knowing literally nothing about art supplies (I bought some tombow markers for journaling and found I could use them for watercoloring) your product reviews are very helpful in figuring out what I want (and don’t want) to buy next. Very happy subscriber!! ❤

[@LizChadertonArt]

what a lovely message! Thank you. I want to make watercolours achievable/accessible so it is music to my ears!

[@lenamccubbin1068]

I’m building my stock of bookmarks for Christmas.

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@lenamccubbin1068 that’s very organised of you!

[@Didomum]

ok I have to be honest I will stick to my arches even if my daughter don't like Arches. she says it like sand paper lol. she like Stonehenge. I know that a lot of people talk about environmentally friendly paper but in the end we should use what we enjoy and what gives us the finish result that we feel happy with.

[@LizChadertonArt]

I understand. Different papers suit different people, but I love trying new ones because they encourage you to paint in a new way.

[@michelleinScotland]

Thank you very interesting. I have to admit I always thought that sugar paper was made from some part of the sugar plant - no I checked up and it's made from wood pulp 🙂 I like that you can get a pad of all the different papers, very useful.

[@LizChadertonArt]

I have no idea why sugar paper is called that - I will ask Mr Google

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

Ohh I love that you got the same results as me with the Bamboo paper! I recently bought 2 pads of it to try and I loved 🥰 how well it worked for me! I did a recent video review on my own channel. I have yet to try the Sugar Cane, Agave, or Harmony papers yet. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these new alternatives for painting. Enjoy your weekend Liz!💕

[@LizChadertonArt]

this is the link to Colleen’s review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKPKZneshpWosNU Imagine your surprise with the pads being sontiney! you made me laugh as they sent one of those pads to me first ….in a huge box! eventually I got the sheets…

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

@@LizChadertonArt I’m so glad that you watched mine! Thanks so much for sharing my link 🔗 too! I really appreciate it! 🥰

[@geefull]

Thank you Liz, interesting comparison. I do like Hahnemuhle paper though the sizing is slightly different to the Bockingford I think. I have the Britannia and some Agave but haven't seen the bamboo or sugar cane yet. I agree with you the surface of the agave seems quite soft. The bamboo looks interesting to try out.

[@LizChadertonArt]

I think Bockingford is internally and surfac sized (I would need to double check). I, going to use them some more and see how I get on….

[@PaulaScardamalia]

Have wondered about these since I love Hahnemuele sketchbooks and paper. Thanks for sharing.

[@LizChadertonArt]

worth a try! I thought the idea of their sample book was great

[@ladyhollman9534]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! If not for your video, I wouldn’t know these papers existed.. I just received the 15 sheet bamboo journal I ordered after watching your review. I have been looking for a good paper that I could use both with watercolor and my watercolor pencils/markers. Something with a good surface that won’t eat the pencils or fray the markers or make regular watercolor look out of place; particularly when used together. Thanks again!

[@LizChadertonArt]

ooh, I hope you enjoy the paper as much as I did

[@joellewatercolour]

Hi Liz, thanks for another wonderful review! I just bought some Clairefontaine Bamboo watercolour paper, I'm going to put it through the same tests and will let you know how it behaves

[@joellewatercolour]

It seems similar to the Hahnemuele bamboo paper, but it is a super smooth surface!

[@LizChadertonArt]

I didn’t know Clairefontaine did one!

[@LizChadertonArt]

great for your detailed botanicals??

[@joellewatercolour]

Indeed, wonderful for botanicals!

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@joellewatercolour I guessed 😆

[@mjpete27]

Hullo Liz, I have used the bamboo paper from Hahnemule and I was happy with the results in my painting. I have purchased the sugarcane but it has not arrived yet! I have the Harmony paper in all 3 surfaces but it does not hold up as well for me. I have to say I am just a little bit rough when testing, I do use more mixed media and sometimes I use my watercolor paper for my work even ink or markers, so my paper must be up to the tasks I put them through!

[@LizChadertonArt]

it’s fascinating how much impact the papers make, isn’t it? If you are rough, avoid the Agave!

[@ladyflimflam]

It looks like only the agave comes in the selection pad. They also make very small pads (about 3x4inches size) that are between $2 & $5 at my local art store.

[@LizChadertonArt]

I saw those tiny books and wondered what use they were, but I don’t paint small. I hope you enjoy them