Whatman vs Millford watercolour paper

Grahame uses the legendary Whatman watercolour paper and compares it to Millford, a modern paper designed to emulate the characteristics of Whatman. Visit grahamebooth.com for a selection of resources for the watercolour painter and onlinecourses.... for his online watercolour courses.

[@ohbli_oh]

I’ve seen many paper comparisons with two paintings of the same thing on separate sheets but never two sheets next to each other forming one painting. Very clever way of doing it ☺️ a joy to watch how old the paper performed.

[@marpete55]

Thanks for posting Grahame. I used Whatman paper for years up until they discontinued it. The last orders I bought was unusable owing to a problem with the sizing. When applying a wash the paint would "gather " in pellets . I contacted Whatman regarding this and they were good enough to send out more paper...also unusable. As i liked the paper so much when I heard that they had decided to discontinue it I decided to take a chance and buy a large order . I ordered 500 sheets and I was beaten to this by a Japanese lady who had the same idea! A few years later I was talking to a chap at Ken Bromley and he remembered my order...he told me the Japanese lady also returned the order as the paper had the sizing problem. I do miss the Whatman paper but as your demo shows the Millford paper is not too far away, I wish they would make a heavier version though.

[@PaintingWatercolour]

I tend to go for Millford when I know I'm going to be doing a lot of blending Martin. It's strange, St Cuthbert's Mill don't seem to push this paper too much although I find the 140lb to be fine even up to half sheet. I just clip it to a board and if it gets a little too floppy I have found I can stretch it a little by hand, at least enough to flatten it somewhat.

[@will8026]

I've used Whatman paper my whole life and love it because I can be a bit aggressive with it and it won't lose it's fresh appearance. It likes rich applications of color, and the mixing of colors right on the paper itself which make some amazing effects. John Marin used Whatman's his whole life but unless you have a very large personal stock it's unobtainable in the US.

[@PaintingWatercolour]

Unobtainable here in the UK too Will. The Millford is made to the same recipe (if that's the right word in papermaking!)

[@thomaswschaller]

@@PaintingWatercolour I was able to find a large stash of Whatman from a gent in the Czech Republic. I prefer the rough surface and - although pricy - the paper is glorious. Must have been stored very well as it seems good as new : even better than what I used as new back in the 1980s. I have never used Milford, but looking forward to it

[@essietangle9931]

Very interesting, they seemed to take the colors about the same. Glad you tried the Whatman and now we have a video of it. Thanks for the video.

[@awatercolourist]

Thank for sharing your thoughts. Happy 2024!

[@tubbyk9127]

I’ve just bought 50 big Sheets of Whatman for $50. Local art gallery/workshop closing down sale. So excited

[@PaintingWatercolour]

Well done. There can't be much Whatman left in the world.

[@ianjackson5834]

love using millford and am shocked that the whatman sizing as worked to that level it did, thanks for the video

[@PaintingWatercolour]

I was surprised myself Ian. I fully expected the Whatman to be unusable!

[@karolfrench5816]

Very informative and helpful. Great idea painting one scene using the 2 papers. THANKYOU so much for this. I have a supply of Milford to enjoy now . Usually use Saunders

[@katherinelawrence1608]

I would have been nervous to paint on precious Whatman. But you didn't hesitate at all! I'm a beginner learning about paper.

[@PaintingWatercolour]

The type of paper will make the greatest difference to your painting Katherine. Use the best you can afford and remember that you can paint on both sides of modern paper. Watercolour is hard - good paper makes a hard job easier.

[@lindaolsen7828]

I loved Whatman and went nuts looking for it...so I think I must have gotten the last packs of it in the US when I was first learning!! I recently learned that Milford is the replacement but I don't think it has yet been stocked here. When I looked on Jackson's web site, it was on order, if I recall. Thanks for this demo!!

[@PaintingWatercolour]

Thanks Linda. Unfortunately Millford has not yet gained the popularity of Saunders and I'm not sure if it is even exported to the US but Jackson's would normally stock it.

[@JulianLovegrove]

Thanks for this Grahame. I used to live a couple of miles away from the Whatman paper mill in Maidstone, Kent and a friend was a manager there, many years ago.

[@PaintingWatercolour]

I was more surprised that it hadn't seemed to have suffered at all Julian considering it may well have been older than me!

[@memphisriver1001]

i guess Im kind of off topic but does anyone know of a good place to stream new series online ?

[@zanderbrody1847]

@Memphis River flixportal =)

[@memphisriver1001]

@Zander Brody Thanks, I signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) I really appreciate it!!

[@zanderbrody1847]

@Memphis River you are welcome xD

[@SHAM-in3hr]

In a room with 18 C and 65% humidity this paper is drying fast, as fast or even faster than Saunders Waterford, Fabriano Artistico, Arches. Colors are bright when used saturated but dullish/paler when diluted, granulation and color blended on paper ( instead of on the palette ) is hard because almost everything dry uniform and hard edged/haloed. When colors are used diluted, the texture pattern is a lot visible, in combination with the dull effect is not the most pleasing paper to look at. It buckles a lot and is not returning flat when dry ( Saunders is a lot better in this regard ), tape can wear it even if minimally ( in my tests ). I'm not sure if all this is normal. I'm waiting an answer from St. Cuthberts mill.

[@PaintingWatercolour]

That is interesting Sham but it hasn't been my experience particularly with the blending on the paper which I really like. Indeed I now use Millford more than any other paper. One possibility with your paper is a sizing issue. This happened to me once with Millford and the paint was just sucked into the paper, drying very quickly and making blending impossible. This occasionally happens with any make of paper and from my experience the manufacturers are always happy to replace any faulty paper.

[@jennetbowdridge]

Lovely & innovative way to compare the 2 papers!

[@naturesketches126]

What is the size of the Rosemary brushes you use for your demonstrations? Thank you for taking the time to make these very helpful videos. Love your work 👍

[@PaintingWatercolour]

Size 14 and 4 series 402 and 1/4" series 770 swordliner.

[@hour168]

I just recently bought a few sheets of whatman watercolor, they are are very age with yellow stain due to the humidity. Is there any way I can get rid of the yellow stains ?

[@PaintingWatercolour]

Without knowing what the stain actually is, it is very difficult to say. If it isn't too dark I would be inclined to just treat it as a pale yellow wash and ignore it. If the stain is spotty it could be iron staining (foxing). I understand oxalic acid can remove this but I have never tried it.

[@hour168]

Thank you so much. Appreciate your help 😃

[@will8026]

Do like the Japanese and hang it in the sun when there is a lot of snow on the ground. It whitens cotton sheets so maybe it will also whiten the paper.

[@annettefournier9655]

Thanks Grahame. I love St. Cuthberts mill paper. Millford is on my wish list. Saunders Waterford is what I use now and Bockingford for practice sketches. Not a fan of Arches. Which i know is sacrilege in many circles. The sizing has been inconsistent and frustrated me.😊

[@PaintingWatercolour]

Hi Annette I have found that too.

[@naturesketches126]

No Arches for me either. 👍

[@annettefournier9655]

@@naturesketches126 I wonder how many people use it just because they have been told that it is the best and don't explore other options?

[@naturesketches126]

@@annettefournier9655 Totally agree!

[@enyardreems]

I thought it was just me and lack of experience using Arches. For lack of better paper available to me in the US, I just use Strathmore 500.

[@Trylobyte]

Like the video, hate the ads!

[@allanpennington]

In what circumstances would you paint on Saunders Waterford vs Millford; and which one of these is closest to Arches?

[@PaintingWatercolour]

Good question Allan. I like Millford when I'm planning a lot of soft edges or wet in wet but to be honest if I'm having a bad day I'll switch to the other paper (illogical I know). Arches isn't really like either of them but probably Saunders would be closer. Paper choice is such a personal thing but certainly the quality papers all perform well.

[@allanpennington]

@@PaintingWatercolour Many thanks Grahame. I have only played around with student grade materials some years ago but I have now invested in some Schmincke artist paint, Da Vinci brushes and Arches 300 GSM 14x20" blocks. However there was a sale here in NZ and I bought 20 full sheets of CP and 15 full sheets of Rough Saunders Waterford 425 GSM. They were about 8 pounds each which I imagine is expensive if you bought them in the UK but I suppose to get them all the way to the antipodes does cost. Now all I have to do is summon up the courage to stop watching KZbin how to videos and get some paint on paper. Notwithstanding I think you have some of the absolute best instructional videos, so thank you and I hope you have the time to do some more on your channel.

[@deedunn9811]

Did you stretch these papers before you started this experiment ? Do you stretch your papers in general?

[@PaintingWatercolour]

No Dee, I rarely stretch paper mainly because of all the effort needed. The blank paper ends up even scarier than usual!!

[@stephanes6660]

@@PaintingWatercolour 😅😅😅 It's true that these nice blank sheets have the gift of scaring us to death!

[@etienne7774]

What paper did Turner use?

[@PaintingWatercolour]

Interesting question. I know that Turner was quite a wealthy painter and was able to specify his own papers. This may be of interest: ruscombepaper.com/uk/handmade-papers-category/turner-watercolour-papers

[@isabelwittich9148]

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