Stretching Paper Tutorial : Cheap Joe's Watercolor

www.cheapjoes.com -- Welcome to Cheap Joe's Test Studio!
I'm told from time to time that people - artists - would like to know how to stretch paper.
I do a lot of paintings on stretched paper and I enjoy doing it that way a lot.
But people tell me they don't know how to do it, or it takes too long. I'm going to show y ou the easiest way in the world to do this.
The first thing you want to do is do your drawing on dry paper. You can draw fairly heavily on dry paper, be sure that you get enough where you can tell what you have in here.
Once you've completed your drawing you will soak this paper. The thing to remember is you can't get too much water on it. You can put it in the bathtub if you want. There's a little color in this water so I can see where I'm getting it nice and wet. It must be thoroughly, thoroughly soaked. If it isn't this won't work.
It takes about 10 - 15 minutes to get the paper wet enough.
Stretching really is a misnomer because there really isn't any stretching involved.
Once the paper has soaked thoroughly, you'll see where some bubbles may rise in the paper. With a nice wet brush, you lift the paper up just past the bubble and wet the backing board down. Then lay the paper back down like this. This will help the paper to stay flat.
The next step - and this will sound really funny - but we need to take the water away from the paper.
Lay your paper towels over the paper in strips, adding layers, and with flat hands, apply pressure and rub the paper down. Then I lift the paper towels off (be sure to hang your paper towels back up because you can use them over and over again!) and there is my paper "stretched" laying on the gator board which later we will staple.
Next I want to show you how easy it is to apply color. Since we "stretched" the paper I have an enormous amount of time to work without getting these runs and rings in it. If you start on dry paper you'll have these issues. If you start on stretched paper you usually don't get that.
I've activated four different colors here on my palette. I've activated Raw Sienna, Lucky Penny, Sap Green and Ultramarine Blue.
I'm going to pick those up one at a time with this brush and just simply pick up another color without stirring. When I come in here with the brush I want you to notice how the edges are staying hard even though the paper is really damp.
Isn't that fun? It's so easy because the paper will allow me to work for a very long time without any runs or rings. I can soften these edges up here and let it float up into the sky.
I'll repeat the same process over here. The point is not what I'm doing but how well it's working. The color will stay right where you put it, you can keep a hard edge, and you don't have to worry about it running away from you.
I've laid down some of this color and allowed it to run together and form some of these beautiful colors. This is rough paper by the way, Fabriano 140 lb. watercolor paper.
I can just keep working and working on this. Once it begins to dry it will curl up on the edge. At that point we will take a stapler gun and staple it down. We'll leave it on that gatorboard until it's dry which usually takes a couple of days.
I appreciate your business and I wish you Happy Painting!

[@wildaltarose]

I have taken so many watercolour courses and no one has ever told me that before. I sincerely want to thank you for helping me improve my painting.

[@monicaparson6118]

I cannot tell you how much this video has helped me! I know I got an A on my last class project, bc of your methodology! YOU. ARE. THE. MAN!!

[@angiethesing3985]

I could listen to him for hours! what a soothing voice! Thank you for the tip!

[@graemehunter5063]

Thank you for your demonstration on stretching paper I’ve just started painting and I’m 76 years old and this little problem of stretching the paper was something of a conundrum you’ve made it extremely simple for me to move forward thank you very much.😎

[@sdovas]

Heavy paper indeed! Makes it work. A couple of notes that may not be obvious to beginners: -Big wide mixing pan, preferably porcelain - tube colors, since what Joe is doing -- those clean hard edges -- really doesnt lend itself to watercolor cake pigments (though wet media on wet paper makes for its own gorgeous effects)

[@MMF25SPEEDPAINT]

This was a life saver. Also...this has a bob ross feel when it comes to your relaxing voice. A+! Thank you so much!

[@jeannetteantry1086]

Such great insight to how to stretch paper. I am so excited to try this. Thanks so much.

[@bethjames1088]

Joe, You are a Class Act. I was taught the bathtub method...This makes More sense and will work better for my large planned master piece! Thank you!

[@kathymartin8845]

Oh boy, something new to try out! Thanks for sharing Joe.

[@allenballard2681]

THX Joe! I just started doing Pen & Ink & Watercolors of old barns about mid-March this year. Tthe 'stretching' video was very helpful. It's fun watching how easy you did the sky portion. You are very good and it's joy seeing someone do something they love! God Bless!

[@VicBxxx]

Thank you so much 😊 you have a lovely manor very chilled and kind and lovely painting

[@rebeccapage4411]

Thank you for sharing your method! Looking forward to giving it a whirl😁

[@jeanburgin160]

Great tutorial!!!

[@pauletteagha8683]

Great information! Thank you for sharing.

[@garymarquardt1661]

Fantastic.... !!!!!!

[@nadifouldi3131]

Thank you so much.

[@DavetheIV]

Great information Joe, thanks for explaining it all so well. Having found you I'm also now off to see what else you've uploaded.

[@dianabritton9713]

I've never stretched my paper and will try your method. You said paper would be stapled down. I assumed to let it dry. However, it seemed like you painted directly on the wet paper. As a point of clarification, was the paper stapled and allowed to dry thoroughly before use and then did you paint wet-in-wet? I enjoy your videos; they are always helpful.

[@SuzetteG316]

I have used this method of "stretching" many times and no, you do not need to staple or even tape down. The moistness of the paper will hold it in place on your backing board. Hope this helps! :) By the way, he does mention at the end of the video that as the painting dries, after you are done painting, the edges tend to curl a bit. That is when he staples it down to the gater board to keep it flat until it dries. But I have never done this. If I feel it is necessary, I will clip it down with binding clips. But mostly I just press it flat (once it is completely dry) between two large flat objects and place something heavy on top. But I don't even have to do that very often.

[@ranjanachand9306]

I agree with Suzette... Have never stapled or taped soaked paper.. It usually dries flat of you let it dry naturally no hair dryer...I have even steam ironed my buckled paintings with a thin fabric on top to avoid any scorch marks... It usually works.

[@TheDianairan]

Wow!!!! That is impresive!!!! I just was very frustrated with the sticky brown paper and waiting for the paper to dry. I would try your method!!! thanks!!!

[@lisagodsgirl1610]

:) Thank you so much for this video! Watercolor was frustrating me so much! Have a blessed day. Continue with the videos!

[@ranjanachand9306]

Great method thx

[@berenikakolomycka8297]

Thank you for sharing, it's very helpful :)

[@bozomahoney]

excellent !

[@Robinhood11able]

thank you for sharing about stretching paper .

[@loredana8716]

Thank you for sharing this technique. I think it’s very valuable. What brush are you using in this demonstration?

[@2691983]

Instead of paper towels, can I use thick layers of rags or old clothing I won't need and lay it down flat?

[@peggysharrow2312]

If you have a block instead of a sheet, should you thoroughly wet the top and then dry it with paper towels?

[@donnacarraway9182]

Thank you so much for sharing your process!! Is there a reason for not putting the staples in before you paint? Thanks again!

[@susanmerila4958]

How thick does this gaterboard need to be to hold staples and re-use over and over?

[@roxannejitomir1]

great video, very helpful...thank you!

[@arleenaartvark1141]

Thank you! Is gator board the trick or can we use plexiglass as a board?

[@SuzetteG316]

You can use any backing board that is waterproof. I buy the thick, 1/4" poster boards at Walmart and cut them into the size backing boards I want. They are 22X30 so you can get a few out of each sheet depending on how big or small you want them. I cut mine into fourths so I end up with four 11X15 backing boards. Mine are going on five years old and still going strong!

[@AFAskygoddess]

You can't staple into plexiglass. But if you think your painting will be finished in an hour, plexiglass should work. The paper won't start curling that fast.

[@elakels]

What brand of gator board is best for watercolor painting? Also what weight and brand is the paper you’re using? Thank you!

[@TheTC]

This was great, it worked pretty well. Though I'm still getting the hang of it, so I think I re-soaked it by painting too much or something. D|

[@geoffreypleavin5268]

Where do you get the gator board?

[@williamthurston5904]

Wonderful idea...perhaps might work if I knew what a gator board was......

[@monicaparson6118]

Hopefully you found it online, it is a rigid surface and you can paint on it keeping your painting wet

[@AFAskygoddess]

That's what Google is for 😂.