Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Block vs Sheets

I prefer to buy my watercolor paper by the sheet. Actually packages of sheets 10, 50, 100 sheets to a package. I can then paint really large or trim the sheets down to the exact size I would like to use. It is very economical too.

But I do see the allure of blocks. Blocks of watercolor paper are excellent for travels and painting outdoors. The sheets are always the exact same size and ready to go.

If your watercolor painting style is rather wet, you are better off with sheets. Otherwise, I recommend slicing off one sheet from the block and mounting it on a board before painting.

Watercolor blocks usually come with around 20 sheet to a block when they're made up of 140 lb. paper. They are sealed around all four sides with a gum to keep water from getting to the other sheets. There is a small space usually at the top where there is no gum. That is where you slide in your palette knife and draw it all the way around the edges to remove the top sheet.

One thing I found with blocks is if you paint really wet, the sheet below also gets wet. After awhile, the gum either wears away or you get a little slit forming in the side and water seeps in. If the paper gets wet too many times, it begins to lose its sizing. If this happens, you'll notice an odd pattern around the edges of your painting. A weird texture appears in what should be a flat wash.

Blocks do have their benefits. Perfect for those who don't paint too wet. Great for traveling and painting outdoors. Another pro to the block, no watermarks or embossings.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Tuesday’s Tips & Techniques is Back!

I have gone through so many tips already having done this little column for over two years. I have received lots of compliments and lots of feedback from those who wish that I continue my Tuesday’s Tips. I think I chose to stop doing it because I no longer have my faithful furry friend Chloe sitting next to my desk as I type or under my art table as I created the little samples for photos. I’m thinking she’d probably nudge me now to keep it going. You’re not gonna believe this but as I’m typing this my little pal Scooter has hopped his paws up on me and is meowing. It must be a sign.

I love coming up with a new tip each week. Although now I have a feeling I may be repeating a few but hopefully giving them a new sparkle or perhaps you missed it the first time around. Refreshers and reminders are always good too. So here goes ...

Watercolor Paper

One of the important key features to a watercolor painting is the watercolor paper. You want to use quality paper that will stand the test of time. If you’re just learning to paint, many of the techniques are so much easier to learn if you’re using decent paper. The colors of the pigments and how they react with each other and react with the amount of water you’re using are also effected by the quality of paper you are using. You don’t want paper that will buckle and ripple if you use a technique that calls for small amounts of water or excessive amounts of water. You don’t want thin flimsy paper. Watercolor is a challenging medium to learn and you want paper that will stand up to the challenge.

I recommend using 140 lb., 100% cotton, cold pressed, acid free, neutral pH, watercolor paper. The brand choice is up to you.

My favorite paper is still Saunders Waterford. It’s manufactured by St. Cuthberts Mill in Somerset England. At the site of the earliest paper making mills in England. The quality is excellent and consistent. It is a mouldmade paper of 100% cotton and it is sized internally and on the surface with gelatin. It is acid free. Two edges of a full sheet are regular deckled edges. I’m guessing they make them in super long lengths and the other two edges are a torn edge. Of course it would be long in order to create the rolls. It is available as sheets, rolls and blocks. On the sheets, one corner has a watermark and the opposite corner has an embossed trademark. One of the things I love about this brand of paper is the watermarks and embossings are not huge. This paper is excellent, it stands up to a lot of abuse, aggressive painting techniques, lifting, scrubbing. It is an excellent choice for watercolor paper.

And yes, Scooter is still here by my side. He’s a cat who sometimes acts like a dog.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Top Side?

I often get asked by my students, "Which side is the right side and which is the wrong side of the watercolor paper?"

If you are very particular and only want to paint on the top side of the paper, here's a tip for you. Do you purchase your paper in full sheets, then trim them down to quarter sheets to paint?

1. Look for the watermark

2. Using a pencil, lightly mark each corner with a small T.

3. Trim down your paper to quarter sheets.

4. You will now know which side is the top.

Having said all of that, if you're just starting out in watercolor buy high quality 140 lb. 100% cotton rag acid free watercolor paper and use both sides to practice on. The quality of the paper is the most important thing.

Many different brands of watercolor paper have a slightly different finish on both sides. Some manufacturers purposely make one side rougher than the other. Most of the time you can tell the difference between the top and the bottom, because the pulp is spread out onto a screen to dry. But there really isn't a right side and a wrong side to the paper.

Which side do you prefer to paint on?

For the Love of the Adirondacks

Citrine Forest

by Artist Rita Squier

A beautiful watercolor landscape, inspired by the Adirondack Mountains and lakes in Upstate New York.

The size is 11x15", painted with artist quality watercolor paints on 300 lb. archival, acid free, watercolor paper.

This painting is available for sale.

Tuesday's Tips & Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Watercolor Paper

To create great paintings, you need good paper.  Even when practicing you need to use the good watercolor paper.  Cheap paper will give you bad results and it will not help you improve your skills.  The cheap paper will buckle the more water you use and it will not absorb the pigment the same.

I suggest using a minimum of 140 lb. archival, acid free, 100% cotton rag watercolor paper.  My favorite paper to paint on is 300 lb. cold pressed watercolor paper.  The weight of paper is the weight of 500 sheets of  the full sheet sized paper.  A full sheet of watercolor paper is 22" x 30".  Basically, it boils down to the thickness, the thicker the paper the heavier it will be.  The way to go is 140 lb. or 300 lb. watercolor paper.

Next is the texture of the paper.  Cold Pressed, Hot Pressed and Rough are the three basic textures available for watercolor paper.  Cold Pressed has a slight textured finish.  Hot Pressed has a smooth finish, think heated like ironing out the wrinkles..  Rough has a rough textured finish.  There are a variety of brands of watercolor paper.  In most art stores, the paper is sold in sheets.  Each full sheet will have a watermark sometimes in one corner, sometimes two corners and sometimes in the other corners you will find an embossed logo of the company who made the paper.  If you hold the paper up to the light (as shown in photo 1) you will see a watermark in the corner.  

With the different brands of papers, you will also notice slightly different textures of cold pressed and slightly different shades of color.  Some paper comes in natural white and some in bright white.  There is no standard to the natural or bright white, photo 2 shows the variation of natural and bright whites and also the textures.

Watercolor paper is also sold in blocks (photo 4).  A block is like a pad of paper, but instead of having just one rubbery end, it extends all the way around the paper with just a little non-glued section where you can slip a palette knife in to separate the sheets of paper.  Unless you have a rather dry style of painting in watercolor, I don't suggest painting on the block, you run the risk of wetting the sheets below over and over.  You can remove one sheet at a time.  

Whether you are using a block or full sheets of 140 lb. watercolor paper, torn down to 1/4 sheets (11x15").  Mount your paper on a stiff board (shown in photo 3) such as double thick illustration board, the backer board to an old block, heavy weight cardboard a tip for using these types of board is to run a few rows of masking tape around the edges of the board to help it last longer.  A piece of Fredrick's canvas board works great too.  Then using regular old masking tape, tape all four edges of your watercolor paper to your board.  No need to buy fancy artist tape or stretch your paper.  Stretching paper ... forget it!  

With your paper taped down on your board you are ready to paint.  Currently in my classes, we are using Saunders Waterford 140 lb. archival, acid free 100% cotton rag full sheets trimmed down to 1/4 sheets (11x15").  Other brands I have tried and would recommend are Arches, Fabriano, Lanaquarelle, Waterford, Winsor & Newton, Kilimanjaro.  Try different brands, different textures and you will find one that suits you well.

Hot Pressed, Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper

This watercolor titled Lovely Little Floral  is one of my favorite quick little watercolor paintings.  It is only 4x6 inches, the size of a postcard.  It is one of my spontaneous paintings done quickly allowing the some of the colors to mix and mingle right on the paper.  This one is painted on 140 lb. hot pressed watercolor paper.  The watercolor paint seems to float upon the smooth surface of the paper.  

Hot pressed watercolor paper has a very smooth surface, while cold pressed watercolor paper has texture to it.  Different brands of cold pressed paper will have a different textures.  In watercolor painting, I cannot stress enough how important it is to use quality paper and paint.  I always recommend using at least 140 lb. 100% cotton rag, acid free, archival watercolor paper.  If you are not using quality materials, most likely you won't enjoy painting in watercolor or you will have a hard time learning to paint in watercolor.  Paper is super important.  I love using 300 lb. cold pressed watercolor paper, that would be my favorite paper weight.  The 300 lb. paper stays wet longer, takes lots of abuse, it is great.  Then there is also rough paper which has a rough textured surface.  

My advice: Experiment with various brands of quality paper of at least 140 lb. or more!