Tips for Painting on Cheap Watercolor Paper

[@mjpete27]

I believe the only wood pulp "papers" I use is Canson's Artboard I find it is most like a discontinued artboard they supplied to the paper in college! I do not recommend any paper surface for watercolor but COTTON! I have made watercolor grounds from recipe's as well as the commercial offerings from QoR or other companies. Paint this on a wood surface and you have a rigid archival surface that takes watercolors wonderfully! Thanks for sharing your expertise Becca, a very nice video!

[@bunnysm]

Yep, glad that someone finally says it. Cansons is widely criticized by the artist community, but there are ways to make it work and the colors will also look vibrant! Just don't add too much water on the paper and go in with at least a couple of layers. I use W&N Cotman, they are not professional and are more affordable, but they are vibrant and I am happy with the results that I get. Of course, nowhere near as nice as yours, but this is due to my skill, and not the paper.

[@ilahjarvis]

What a great topic! Thank you for sharing all of your experience. I'm a long time watercolorist and teacher, and both I and my students get really frustrated by the limitations of wood pulp papers. I agree with all the tips you shared, and I also find that paint looks more pale and dull on wood pulp papers, and layers even repel each other with Strathmore 400 series. I agree that Montval is one of the better cellulose papers, and gouache or more opaque watercolor brands like White Knights behave better than more transparent brands of paint. Cold press cellulose papers are a little smoother than 100% cotton papers, which is part of why they are easier to draw on. I will try my imitation squirrel brushes to see they perform better on wood pulp, but most 100% hair brushes are expensive enough to negate any money you save on wood pulp paper. One of my biggest issues with wood pulp papers and even some cheaper cotton papers is how easily colors lift once they are rewet. Many companies promote this as a valuable quality, I guess because you can "fix mistakes", but you also can't build layers, especially transparent shadows in contrasting colors. I do mostly paint on 100% cotton papers, Arches is my favorite. I prefer to buy either pads or full sized 22" x 30" sheets and cut them down to save money, but I am lucky to live in an area that has several art supply stores.

[@tribalstyle138]

I love the Strathmore vision journal- only the vision journal!

[@NelaDunato]

I prefer cellulose for mixed media. 100% cotton is so harsh it's eating through colored pencils, and the grain is deeper so I can't get smooth coverage no matter what. (Even on hot press.) Canson Montval was the first watercolor paper I've tried, and I have yet to find one I like better. I had lots of pilling issues with XL, so I won't buy it again, even for sketchbooks. It's great that you can make it work! Maybe really soft brushes make a difference.

[@EccoXile]

So that's my problem! Yikes... I have the nice brushes and the nice paints but when you have thick stacks of papers you don't question it too much. I guess I'll be buying cotton rag now for my finished illustrations! Thank you for answering the question I had but didn't know how to ask!

[@oneinathousand2156]

I’m (hopefully) gonna be working part time in a small watercolor workshop teaching people, and so I’m likely gonna be using cheaper paper, these tips might help me out in the future, thanks!

[@eBookHoarder]

When Walmart closed out Canson, I got tons for about a dollar a pad. I am not proficient in any media (maybe oil pastel), but I love it for gouache.

[@nothingnessofeverything]

Your work is beautiful

[@joymiller9668]

Canson graduate works amazing for watercolor brush markers like the zig real brush pens or the fabercastell albrecht duer watercolor markers. Like as in no line left behind at all. Great for practice for watercolor pencils, then with swatching granulating dual pigment colors, the paper makes the 2 different colors very prominent. The Grumbacher paper changed their paper pattern and I personally don’t like it as much as the old texture.

[@joymiller9668]

Just as far as the Walmart papers go…. The grumbacher still works well with the watercolor markers though, they both have ALOT OF SIZING which makes those markers work very well…

[@nicolesmith1309]

Also, Fluid papers are good, in my opinion and experience, the wood pulp ones.

[@stacyerobinson3259]

Jackson's art has Moulin du Roy.

[@bunnyydoesthings]

do you know any companies that still send out paper samples?