The Best Watercolor Paper and Final Thoughts

[@dianeandbrad529]

For those who are interested: Hanuhmule and Fabriano Artistico are vegan friendly paper. Arches is not, so that prevents me from trying that brand.

[@ionlyemergeafterdark]

Thanks Diane, I am interested as I am vegan also. I haven't tried FA paper yet but I will as soon as I can get some of their paper.

[@YourMajesty143]

Same, I'll go with those other two. I believe Canson and Strathmore are also vegan, if you need a cheaper option.

[@TrueLoveX1027]

@ Marie S You may very well know this now, as your post is two years old, but Hahnemühle now has Agave Watercolor Paper, which "is a cold press, natural white watercolor paper made from 70% renewable agave fiber and 30% cotton rag." In addition, they also have released their Hahnemühle Bamboo Mixed Media Blocks, "a unique surface suitable for watercolors, acrylics, and pastels, as well as for sketching and drawing with charcoal. It is made from 90% bamboo fiber, with 10% rag." Infor regarding these papers came from Blick Art Supplies. As you already know, painting with renewable sources is more important than ever in our rapidly changing eco environments. I have used both, but as a mixed media watercolour artist, I do enjoy the Bamboo mixed media paper a bit more, but both are amazing! Happy painting!

[@realfingertrouble]

​@@TrueLoveX1027 working with bamboo paper is.... difficult. I had some bamboo pads and they way they soaked up ink and bleed through the paper made me not want to try any more. It wasn't a mix though, and was cheap bamboo paper, but made me wary. It's like the recycled cotton Indian rag paper - nice in theory, in practice Khadi paper is a nightmare to use. Weirdly sized, and a sh*tshoot what you're gonna get page to page. I agree about sustainability - why the Fabriano mills are hydroelectrically powered, and how cotton is sourced is a tricky one...but I do find the best thing is to use responsibly sourced paper from reliable companies and use it well and don't waste it. It is better to do one great painting on one paper that waste many sheets cos it doesn't work, after all.

[@vatiammatri2660]

Thanks, makes it clear!

[@riom5]

I prefer Arches but mainly use Fabriano because I get it for half the price and it's still a joy to paint on it. Tbh I think any 100% cotton paper from a named brand is fine, the rest is personal preference.

[@andyyyyy153]

Loved this series Carrie!! You MUST try Fabriano Artistico soft press- the texture is amazing!!!! It’s like velvet, right in between hot press and cold press!! My absolute favorite! Keep up the gorgeous work!

[@liart6219]

Oh, thanks, didn’t know about F. A soft press! Looked it up and think I’ll try it out next time I have to stock up. I use Fabriano , both hot press and cold press as it’s a cheaper option for me here in Italy.

[@PrairieeGirl]

Hi Charlotte. Where can you buy the Fabriano Artistico? Any big stores like Michael's? Thanks, Ann😊

[@jennifer_mertens]

@@PrairieeGirl I thought I'd answer, because I just purchased some of the soft press. I found the best price was for large sheets at Jerrysartarama.com (double check the spelling, I'm not sure if it was jerrysartArama or jerrysartOrama). They had a special of buy 8 sheets, get 2 free. I cut down the large sheets and it is definitely worth it.

[@dianeandbrad529]

LegendOFame 2.0 I have been using Artisco and got it off amazon. I tried a 5x7 block $14 to try it out

[@LaLa_ArtGal]

I sure appreciate the time and work you put into this series. Thank you! It's been fun watching along. 😁

[@InvokeArtSense]

I love painting in sketchbooks. It would be lovely if you did a series for sketchbooks like this.

[@funkentanz]

There are many Hahnemühle Papers, I personally like the Britannia in Hot Pressed, it is worth trying out the different Papers. In Germany it is the most common watercolor paper brand :) There is a pad from Hahnemühle called AquarellSelection 12, where there are all different papers to try.

[@GreenGorgeousness]

And the recycled bamboo one! I don't see that one talked about enough.

[@PMacMoraes]

Carrie, next time, instead of Canson Montval, I'd love you to try Canson Moulin Du Roy. I've recently discovered it as the 100% cotton version of Canson.

[@cindyhorton6980]

I just discovered that paper! I love it!!

[@jillbartos8893]

Canson Heritage is terrific, too

[@ashataneforward]

I use Heritage and Moulin du Roy. Like both very much. I also have Montval that has nothing to do with them

[@jerryhall5709]

Canson Moulin Du Roy seems comparable to Langton Prestige but slightly cheaper. 25 square centimeters more per sheet and save about 3 dollars. Langton is also machine made, 300 gram and 100% cotton. Available both cold- and warm pressed. I've been using it for quite some time and want to try something else. Will get my hands on Canson.

[@berika6]

Jerry Hall Langton is amazing, I only got to try it once, it was sadly out of stock ever since in my country. Moulin du roy is more “spongy” which is amazing. But I miss Langton Prestige (especially rough) very much.

[@aricaice2591]

I knew that Arches is going to win basing just with the price of that paper and the raving reviews. I myself prefer textured paper so I'm inclined to that of Arches. That being said, it's nice to know the alternatives like Fabriano

[@Kyomiibrown]

Choice of paper is really subjective, Arches isn’t a favourite for everyone. 🙂 I love Fabriano hot press but find their cold pressed to be awful, dulling colours regardless of brand of watercolour. Arches is ok but not my favourite as it too, tends to very slightly dull colours, not as much as Fabriano but there’s a definite slight cloud. I find Saunders Waterford better. My two favourites are Mulin Du Roy (excellent different texture, not seen in other brands) and doesn’t dull colours, and Claire Fontaine (100 percent cotton version.)

[@aricaice2591]

@@Kyomiibrown Oh wow you did tried a lot. That's awesome! At least you do know what works for you. I admit I haven't tried a whole lot. I'm just lucky that my sister had some left over Arches paper for me to work with and I'm inlove right away although it's so expensive. I'm going to try out different kinds of paper like bamboo watercolor paper which are available locally in my country.

[@Kyomiibrown]

Meuni Chap Search online to see if you can get a watercolour paper test/variety pack that contains sheets from different brands - it’s the cheapest way of testing :)

[@dorothyatchison1825]

Meuni Chap if you love texture do give Indigo a try .... it’s a rag paper that tolerates lots of water and is very tough

[@AmyLouiseArt]

I NEEDED this video! Thank you so much for doing the most in depth and helpful paper comparison ever Carrie! 💖💜

[@Pstrwldchld]

For the next time you should try Stonehenge and Blick’s house brand watercolor papers. They’re both 100% cotton and they’re not crazy crazy expensive

[@Silly-Little-Mama]

Thank you for this! I am a beginner and am working on Canson right now. It is nice to have this reference for when I’m ready to move up to something better. I am personally liking the more textured paper (toothed) but I suspect my opinions on that to change as I progress. Thank you for all the details you’ve shared. I completely appreciate every single word.

[@sypherianlp]

As someone who hates arches, I'm going to try Fabriano. I liked the look of it! Thanks for doing this it opened up my eyes to other papers out there.

[@daruleos]

sypherianlp Hey! I actually really love arches and prefer it over Fabriano which has been my go-to paper cause it is, of course, really nice and also costs a little bit less than arches. So if you hate arches and you've been using some alternative can you let us know what it is? I'm trying to find an alternative to Fabriano cause I've been having some issues with it and it'll be nice to find an alternative that is not arches.

[@amandathrasher9347]

What do you dislike about it? I've never tried it, but I've been curious to. I typically hear good things and would like to hear what you hate about it

[@crafty_j957]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Stillman and Birn watercolour sketchbooks. Their sketchbooks are expensive but seem to be really high quality, now if they're actually worth it is another matter altogether. Their paper is archival quality too

[@JKxox0]

I tested their Beta Series (270 gsm cold pressed) and Zeta Series (270 gsm hot pressed). Smooth gradients tend to end up blotchy on hot pressed paper and that is definetly the case with Zeta. But details work great, no feathering with brush pens. Just like your average hot pressed paper I'd say. The Beta Series makes better gradients, but again, nothing special for a cold pressed paper. BUT it has problems with glazing, as soon as the 2nd layer, it creates a weird texture, the more layers, the uglier. Honestly, one of the worst cold pressed papers I ever tried :/ I bought a total of 4 sketchbooks from them bc they were the only ones with thicker watercolor paper at the time. I can't recommend them, their paper is just average to under average for the Beta. It's 0% cotton and all cellulose, overpriced in my opinion. I now bind my sketchbook myself, it's actually really easy and there are many YT tutorials.

[@Faharis]

Aw, I'm jealous of your "Its a three dollar shipping" what with me living in a country where its generally a $20 shipping minimum. My latest attempted amazon paper purchase was $8 of paper "+ $36.58 Shipping & Import Fees"

[@anik3216]

Just bought a 22x30 sheet of Fabriano artistico extra White wc paper after using Canson xl for 6 months! Haven't used it yet, but I'm very excited

[@mindofwatercolor]

Good series Carrie! Agree with your findings. Artists in the Splash annual (when doing a rough paper census through the book) use mainly Arches with Fabriano Artistico a distant second. Arches just takes a licking and keeps on ticking! Thanks for the reviews.

[@WaterColorMisfit]

Thanks Steve :)

[@crystalschranz3403]

I really love Daler Rowney Langston Prestige. It is difficult to find, but Jackson’s carries it. I like it more than Arches and Fabriano. LOVED this series! Thank you!

[@simosimo7560]

I agree

[@jillbartos8893]

Langton Prestige Rough is one of my favorites!

[@realfingertrouble]

I started on Langston normal paper as a kid/art student, so I have a lot of respect for Daler and their Aquafine is a bargain and acts amazingly well for pulp paper. That's usually one of my beginner recs. Not tried the prestige, it's a bit pricey even in the UK. Would like to....weird how an Italian paper is cheaper though per sheet (Fabriano)

[@cutepongki]

Thank you so much for this series. It's so helpful for someone who wants to try watercolor like me to consider on which paper to get start in both quality and prices. Hope more watercolor series from you cuz your videos are so easy for beginners to follow up. ❤️

[@WaterColorMisfit]

Aw thanks :D And yes! I'm be gearing future series more toward beginners. :D So stay tuned! :D

[@cutepongki]

@@WaterColorMisfit Great news. I'm so looking up for your new series. 😁

[@rachaelpeterson1767]

That's the paper I love. Fabriano. I do a lot of fine detail, smooth blended gradients and mixed media into my watercolor. Fabriano is better than Arches for that. I still Use Arches, but more for playing around with, not commissioned work. Thanks for posting, very informative.

[@rebeccapage4411]

Cheap Joe's sells sampler packs of artist paper for very reasonable price.

[@WaterColorMisfit]

Good to know :)

[@doncoffin849]

@@WaterColorMisfit You will also find that Cheap Joe's paper is always the same price as using a 50% off coupon at Michael's or Hobby Lobby! I am lucky enough to live only 20 miles from Cheap Joe's.

[@PaperPremise]

Carrie- it is evident that you put a lot of energy, thought and passion into this series- it’s very appreciated. I’m so impressed by how original your content has been on this channel, even when covering something as simple as paper comparisons. Side note: while receiving constructive feedback can be useful, please don’t take all these comments to heart. Repeating “that being said” is not a big deal and the last thing that matters when you’re producing KZbin content of this Cali we. Thanks for all you do!!! ❤️ keep going!!!!

[@WaterColorMisfit]

thanks Jennilyn :)

[@cwestby]

Loved this series! It’s clear you put in so much time and effort into it and it’s definitely appreciated.

[@SheilaLandry]

Thank you, Carrie! This was a FABULOUS series and you covered a great deal in it. We sure appreciate your videos and posts! Look forward to following you in the future. :)

[@WaterColorMisfit]

Thanks Shelia! :) I can't wait to make more!

[@c.f.callier]

I think I actually voted for Fabriano because I like how the washes looked a bit better on the paper.

[@lorijones9579]

I've enjoyed this video series and hearing your thoughts. I don't think testing papers as if they are basketball teams by bracketing works (because Arches was eliminated right off, for example), but comparing papers was still a great idea for a series. I use the Strathmore 400 watercolor paper for everything except final paintings (it was my starter paper). For serious paintings, it's Arches, hot press.

[@sashasparroww]

that being said

[@lunakat5763]

I was thinking that too lol

[@ruthmontesa369]

BUT... lol

[@LeiliMana]

Exactly lol

[@elizabetheddy1073]

Thank you so much Carrie. I think I missed the last poll! But one of my favorite artist uses Arches all the time. She creates the most amazing paintings! Love u! Liz 😊💗

[@jaclee6]

Great review, very informative. I have been looking for a decent watercolor notebook/journal for everyday doodling and play, and was thinking about trying out the bee paper, and your review just convinced me that the bee paper is worth a try. Thanks!

[@mossie1954]

Oh the plight of the Artist. I find now after 35 yrs of painting....Our Art is like our signature. We can try to copy other art, but it really is more our own hands that define what we are good at doing with that paintbrush.

[@Star-eyes7]

I love arches, but I prefer the Fabriano. I hated arches hot pressed which is so funny because so many love it! For me, the Fabriano cold pressed and arches cold pressed are the best. I have never tried bee paper so it’s one to try! I’m in the UK so I need to see where sells it!

[@Star-eyes7]

Oh and I think the price of arches is ridiculous! If I felt it was worth it I would get more of it but the Fabriano I prefer because of the tooth which is definitely smoother even though it’s cold pressed. I think arches and winsor and newton (cotton/professional range) are way more toward very wet watercolour 😀

[@realfingertrouble]

@@Star-eyes7 I have never tried Arches - am in the UK too - cos of the exorbitant price. Always went 100% Fabriano, Artistico is my 'go to' paper cos it's so lovely. Would also love to try Bee Paper but it's not available here, at all. Saunders I'd love to try as well, but again, price per sheet vs Fabriano is always more, weird for a local paper vs an imported one, even after Brexit?

[@Skinnychelle48]

I bought that Grumbacher, awwwwwful!

[@roundbunny]

thankyou so much for uploading, i love hearing your voice :) (lol you are so cute, you said 'that being said' like 9999 times, adorable). i love your art, thank you for the informative video!!

[@juliannazito7053]

This was an awesome series! Super helpful! I have been wanting someone to do this and you did it best - I love your style in all aspects!

[@catherinelevison3310]

I prefer smooth paper over the rough and/or the cold press because of detail work. Also, I never want a bump in my paper to cause a crooked line, etc. Hot press is my favorite and *one affordable way to purchase it is through* Amazon you’ll find Strathmore offers a package of 5x7 hot press paper. They come in a baggie. Yes, there are better papers out there, but for practice the price point is the best. I believe Arches is pronounced: ARrr-shay or Arshhh.

[@Thestripper1]

Careful when buying the Fabriano Acquarello paper as it also comes in a version that is also 300 grams/140 lbs but it only has 25% cotton.

[@susanwhite1450]

Awesome series! As someone who is just starting out with watercolours, this was so informative. Thanks!

[@anitacobb9698]

You do some great teaching in your videos! I just found you and am bingeing and yelling to my phone screen- 'YES! She gets me! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!' So glad i found you!

[@WaterColorMisfit]

Thanks 😊

[@michelel3372]

Thank you, this is very helpful. I will head over to your blog and check out the links.

[@M0odyBlue]

Great series! Thank you!

[@cjlloyd3614]

“That being said.....” ... this was so helpful, thanks for the feedback, using your experience. Oh “that being said”, keep up with your tips and tricks. You are very talented.

[@Lophophorawilliamsii]

The best thing about Fabriano and Saunders Waterford is that they are EXTRA WHITE. That makes the difference with the others and that is why they are my favorites.

[@watercolourartincapetown2919]

I’ve been on the fence on whether I should invested in Arches or Fabriano ... definitely agree that I prefer just a little less tooth in cold press. So I think I’m going to go with the Fabriano. Watercolour paper is so expensive and you don’t get coupon codes. So it’s definitely something you have to give a lot of thought to before buying. Thank you for taking the time to upload these helpful videos 🌸

[@vanreign]

You deserve a break! Loved this series and learned so much. 😍😍

[@WaterColorMisfit]

thanks Tracy!

[@dianeandbrad529]

Hmmm... did I miss something? you went through all the effort in the round 3 video to go in depth with explaining each paper (paper 1,2,3) and then now we don't know which one was which paper? 🤔 It would be nice to be able to go back and see the commentary again now knowing the brands so we can see which characteristics are most prevalent in each of the papers?

[@_izmak]

1) Fabriano 2) Bee 3) Arches (17:17)

[@tracylj5128]

I think that it is a very subjective thing, when you test watercolor papers. Personally, I love Cheap Joe’s house brand Kilimanjaro for swatching color chips. It is one of those papers where it really is amazing, but it is for me harder to add several wash coats on. If you load your brush up well, you won’t have to do a second wash. With that said, I personally LOVE Hahnemühle Cezanne and Arches Cold Press. I kind of go back and forth with them depending on what I am painting. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@dianachase63]

Strathmore makes a 100% cotton 500 series travel pads and journals. 140#, cold press.

[@jp8649]

This has been such a good series, thanks so much for taking the time to do all this.

[@TracieWho]

I didn't see Baohong on the list. Haven't tried their hotpress but the cold press is wonderful. but probably a lot toothier than you would like since you choose the Fabriano. I am moving towards hotpress as well and am hoping the Baohong hotpress is as good as their cold press. I believe you can get Baohong in large sheets as well.

[@artphotography9158]

Thank you for all your information on papers!!!! You are awesome!!!!!!!!

[@jeanmariebostley2143]

A very fun series. Thank you for sharing!

[@homeschooledaroundtheworld4660]

I like Arches but I find it so dark. I’m looking for a lighter paper and I will try the Fabriano. I never tried Fabriano before. Thank you for all the wonderful work you do🌸

[@mjpete27]

Really wonderful back and forth! I may disagree with your conclusions but I admire your opinion and your rational! Sweet video too!

[@liliawebb9377]

Hey Carrie- - - I just finished watching all your new videos and I think- - -They are very professionally done, a great beginner's series and have a very positive vibe! I loved seeing your new paintings along the way and wish you well with it all. Happy painting! It was a great review for me, thank you!

[@realfingertrouble]

I have painted on Canson XL, Daler Rowney and Cass Art paper, and Artistico - and Artistico is my favourite too! As is a lot of the Fabriano papers (F5 is lovely for watercolour as a 50% cotton as is Rosapina, Tiepolo etc - meant for printing but take ink and watercolour well). I have never tried the Saunders - weirdly as I'm from the UK where it's made, I'd ike to - or Arches cos they are always so much more expensive than Fabriano here in the UK per sheet or per block. Bee Paper isn't even available here. I have a feeling you'd love the Botanical smooth from St Cuthberts, usually shipped by RK Burt as pads, Fabriano do another one, or the Fabriano Classico F5 smooth paper. They are the smoothest ones I know (apart from Rosapina which strictly isn't a watercolour paper)

[@mjpete27]

I came back to see if you had tried the Canson Heritage line of papers? I tried using some of the Fabriano papers and the Cheap Joes Kilimanjaro house brands , Not bad! I was given a rough Heritage block and I might get more! I am more of a cold press Artist, yet I am still trying new papers because Arches has been disappointing me more often these days. I am hoping you are doing better and starting to enjoy yourself and painting again. See ya soon?

[@jimweaver8018]

Sure am grateful for your investment of time and money to share this with us. Very informative and useful to me. Thank you so much I love your artwork and your videos. You are awesome. 🙂👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@notmetagaming]

I love grumbacher paper lol maybe just because I started buying it at Ross for 0.25 a sheet when I was learning. I also use moulin du roy hot and fabriano artistico hp. On another note, grumbacher finest watercolors are the best I've used so far. They're on cheap joe's for $8-10 for a huge 14ml tube. Many single pigments and they are simply...amazing. I prefer them over my Daniel smith and sennelier

[@PrairieeGirl]

Just found your channel. I love the informative videos. I want to try the Fabriano because I have been getting into mixed media. And it's true Arches has alot of texture. My first painting instructor insisted on Arches and I never departed...time to explore😊

[@zig_zagcrafts]

I wish I could find this Bee book in France. Amazon only sells the sheets and I can't find the binded papers anywhere... But anyhow, thanks a lot for the series! I'll try Fabriano!

[@AnastasiaR]

Omg I love your blanket and lights and background, so pretty and cozy

[@danecory1741]

I just bought arches hot press to do ink and watercolor work and my fineliner pens drag a little bit on the paper. Do you think the fabriano hot press would suit me better? I’m looking for the smoothest paper possible!

[@KatheeRN]

Great series and helpful to beginners.. ty for doing this

[@WaterColorMisfit]

You are welcome 😊

[@cindyhorton6980]

I wonder if the "rough" has a little more tooth in the fabriano? I mean it should. But I wonder if it is more like a cold press should be.

[@cdorothy444]

I tried fabriano rough, wish I could send a pic to you, it rally is rough. It is rougher than Saunders Waterford cold press. (Bee paper is very smooth and is smoother than Saunders CP.)

[@annepercival7814]

The Saunders Waterford is 100% cotton so not surprising that you liked it. The Winsor and Newton 100% cotton pad is excellent..you showed the student grade

[@sumbae7668]

Can you please tell us which paper brand was which number you painted on in the other video?

[@geekyraven]

This series has been really helpful! Watercolor is a new medium for me, and I’m just getting back into creating art, so it’s important to get a lot of in-depth comparisons on different materials. Over the course of the series, I decided to try Canson Montval, Arches, and Bee Paper. The difference in tooth definitely has an impact, with Arches seeming too rough for me personally. My thought the entire time I tested it was, “Am I using enough water??? It’s so... DRY. I must be doing this wrong.” 😂 I’ll probably save it for pieces that require a lot of wet-on-wet techniques and layering. But I would say Bee Paper is my favorite to work with so far.

[@jaderene]

You should try Nujabi watercolor paper, it’s handmade and has deckeled edges as well as natural elements embedded in the paper!

[@ashlyrodriguez8566]

Thank you so much this is really helpful to me❤️

[@WaterColorMisfit]

You are so welcome 😊 💛

[@daruleos]

Thanks for doing this extensive series! The efforts you've put on it are truly amazing. Regarding the Fabriano vs Arches thing, I used to be a harcore fan of Fabriano, but over time, and specially since I tried Arches, the issues of the paper have been more noticiable to me and I am SO ready to move on. Fabriano was my go-to for comissions since it costs a little bit less than arches and I'm really curious to find some alternatives for fabriano that are around the same price and somehow out-perform fabriano that is not arches:) so if someone sees this comment and wants to give some recommendations please let us know!

[@greekveteran2715]

Try Legion Stonehenge Hotpress, it is the best alternative (quality wise I could think off to the Fabriano Artistico. I know it's a 2 year late response, but it might still help!

[@kaeltv]

Great Review!!! Thanks!!!

[@WaterColorMisfit]

You are welcome 😊

[@NikkiHodgesArt]

So interesting thank you so much for doing all this Carrie. Really appreciate it. 😀❤️

[@Kyomiibrown]

The Winsor and Newton you have is cellulose and a disappointing paper, I understand what you mean about feel. Their more expensive 100 percent cotton version is much better and that is the one a lot of artists like. :). If you like the smoother tooth and Cezanne, try Mulin Du Roy cold press, it’s a tooth similar to Cezanne but nicer, and it can take a lot of abuse.

[@WaterColorMisfit]

Thanks :D This helps alot! I check it out in the future :D

[@Star-eyes7]

Kyomii I have used the more expensive professional superior strength I think it is, the tooth is quite heavy on just normal cold pressed. It is good, especially if you like very wet watercolour but I found it disappointing because I found the colour absorbed so much it made it dull, and obviously hard to do detail with the tooth which is why I now prefer other cold pressed paper 😫

[@Kyomiibrown]

Watercolor Misfit Brilliant! I would be interested in your thoughts. I know you will love it given your penchant for the smoother tooth, it has a beautiful gentle tooth. It’s also designed to lift colours a little more easily but will take layers with a little care, and another bonus is that it is a vegan product too and no bleaches are used in processing. 🙂

[@Kyomiibrown]

Abigail Clark Are you referring to Winsor and Newton professional 100 percent cotton? Yes, the Winsor and Newton tooth is heavy. A lot of artists prefer a heavy tooth, I personally don’t. Mulin Du Roy is the only paper I have come across with a very small tooth and unique tooth pattern. Claire Fontaine (100 percent cotton version) is a similar tooth, as is Cezanne.

[@Star-eyes7]

Kyomii hi, yes the 100% cotton winsor and newton cold pressed. The superior strength one.. I just find it so disappointing, and really fills certain colours, however it does create very good ‘blooms’ and definitely soaks up the water where as the cold pressed Fabriano I find the paint sits more on the surface and the tooth smoother! I guess it’s personal preference. I haven’t tried the other papers you mention, the only ones I’ve tried, are winsor and newton, arches, Fabriano, The Langton, and some cheaper watercolour papers 50/50 cotton etc 😫 I’ll have to try some more but I’m pretty happy with the Fabriano 😀

[@vatiammatri2660]

Hi! Great series! Do you know if the Bee spiral book is the same paper as their 6x9 100%cotton packs of paper. Thx so much. I agree about Fabriano vs Arches, and also Stonehenge Legend Hot Press is great too. Actually shows granulation well.

[@Vgladstone1]

Really nice series. It was very inclusive. I still prefer Fabriano to arches for my style of painting. really want to see what you do in hot press!

[@joannegrrl]

I found, for me anyways, Bee and Fabriano buckle way more than Arches will. I tried to like Bee, especially since it tends to be a bit less expensive, but I didn't like it at all. Fabriano hot press for coloured pencil is good, I find that quite nice, but same deal as Bee, for watercolour hot or cold press just seems to buckle too much. Arches, well, always feels more sturdy for me. As an aside, I picked up a couple of sheets of the Arches 400lb (850 gsm) paper today. Haven't tried it yet, I plan to rip it down to much smaller sheets, but it just feels beautiful. That is one sturdy feeling paper!

[@elizabethbellit762]

Thanks for doing such a thorough review! Ditto the earlier comment about watercolor sketchbooks/journals.

[@amazing444]

Can someone help me? I watched the previous video and this one, but unless I missed it, I never saw the reveal of which number paper (1, 2, & 3) correlated with which brand. I know Arches won by vote, but which NUMBER was it? same with the Bee and Fabriano. Any insight on this would be helpful, thank you for the video.

[@aaronvelazquez5599]

Also i feel like Arches has the best branding and design :)

[@DustyCowdog]

New sub here! Glad to have found your channel. Keep up the good work! I've been out of water color painting for many years and want to get back into the art. Off to get some pigments today, and paper, so glad to have found your channel. Cheers.

[@amberallen9287]

Does anyone know which was the Bee paper? 1 or 2?

[@Oozaru85]

The best paper is the paper that works best for you.

[@francoismahr]

Democracy wins! Yeahhh! I'll definitely will give a try with bee paper. Hahnemühle was new to me, since last summer and it was a really good surprise to test their tiny sketchbook with Watercolor. Thank you Carrie, it was an interesting battle.

[@usetherightbrain.]

Very nice series!! and really no major gobsmackers here. With the next go-around please include a masking fluid tests. Thanks.

[@wonteatit]

It's possible my browser isn't loading your blog properly but I can't find any links for the papers used. If I click on the image of any of the papers in the post it opens the blog post in a new tab. I see below the images there is a list of brands but they aren't links for me. Thanks for all your hard work. I really appreciated this series. You've done all the purchasing and testing for us!

[@yumtaco7376]

I am shocked that shipping to your place only costed you 3 dollars 😭 i live in the middle east and the shipping costs 59 dollars and more into here

[@johnrey1229]

A dollar for shipping here in my location sometimes its free or 0 HAHAH, 59$ 😳

[@yumtaco7376]

@@johnrey1229 whaat😂 you’re so lucky

[@TimeCodeMechanics]

There’s cheap 20 sheet 100% cotton paper block from company called Meeden on Amazon and it’s got good reviews. Paul Rubens has a 50% cotton block. As for Strathmore, the 500 series is the good stuff.

[@vwood2]

Thank you!! This is a fantastic series, and incredibly helpful. It must have been a huge amount of work - thank you. An amazing resource for years to come. (Personally I was surprised by the outcome. I guessed incorrectly and predicted that Arches was first sample, and Artistico was the third sample. I had no guess for the middle sample. It was a very well designed and very fair test).

[@LisaYoungmpp]

Thank you for this series! Very helpful!

[@wd5739]

Thank you for this mini series/death battle/playlist lol! Like you Canon XL is also the first paper I started with. I just started about 2 months ago so it's actually the only paper I've used to far but now that I feel a bit more comfortable painting, I'm trying to find a better and higher quality brand. I don't know how many sheets I completely ruined in the very beginning by overworking it, using to much water AND pressing too hard causing like... wet paper crumbs in multiple areas of my pictures! I've gotten better but sometimes it still happens. Another thing you mentioned, black Friday! I've gone through 2 xl paper pads since starting and am in the middle of my 3rd so I'm excited to be getting a deal on something I clearly NEED to stock up on lol

[@emilyhill7622]

So informative!! Do you happen to have a video on best brand of watercolor paints?? 🤞

[@cindyhorton6980]

I was struggling between those too, but in the end I knew It was Arches. But I like the fabriano too!

[@raggedyroad]

Thank you for this. Very informative and intersting. The Winsor and Newton Paper you have is their cellulose. The full grey cover is 100% cotton. I would love to see you compare Arteza's Expert 100% cotton paper. It does have a rough texture though that you may not like.

[@music-sc7eg]

Just got a few samples of different papers. Now trying to decide on subject. Wish we had coupons in Uk.

[@stephaniemay9090]

I HAVE NEVER CLICKED, SO FAST!!!

[@WaterColorMisfit]

Yeah! :D

[@myartprocess6003]

Thanks for the info Carrie!

[@jhufendick]

Just a note, Arches 140# paper in a pad behaves quite differently than the exact same paper in a sheet. I couldn't believe how different it was.

[@cindyhorton6980]

Really?? Good, bad, or just different?

[@LH-mw4ol]

There is another KZbin watercolor artist who discussed this very issue. It is my understanding she even contacted Arches to discuss it with them. Apparently, the texture of the "right side" of the sheets is the same texture as the "wrong side" of the pads. FWIW.........

[@ndeyedraws]

Has anyone here tried Canson L'Aquarelle Heritage and/or Moulin Du Roy watercolor papers? For the price point, are they worth it? And how do the papers feel?

[@cindyhorton6980]

The Moulin du Roy is nice. Haven't tried the other. Wondering about Stonehenge.

[@ndeyedraws]

@@cindyhorton6980 alright, thank you for your feedback. Ooh, I've never heard about Stonehenge paper..

[@ndeyedraws]

@@alisonb3850 thank you for your feedback! Definitely helps

[@wdashwor]

Most helpful! Thank you for doing this.

[@Claire-qr8gl]

so detailed, love it. gj!!

[@shankarvouniaris]

I’ve used both Arches and Fabriano, but my ride or die is Fabriano!!!!