Which watercolor paper?

[Suzanne]

I'm thinking about trying out watercolor using my distress inks but can't decide which watercolor paper to use.

Hot press or Cold press?


I know that I did not like the texture of the watercolor paper that SU sold several years ago. But don't if one type is better or not.


Thanks!

[QueenOfInkland]

Hot press is smoother than cold press HOWEVER (I learned this from Tim Holtz) one side of the cold press water color paper is smoother than the other side. I do believe that the hot press is probably smoother than the smoothest side of the cold press (that's a tongue twister LOL).

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think cold press is more readily available than hot press. I know I bought some hot press mayber 5 or so years ago and the most cost-effective hot press required me to buy some crazy big sheet size (so I bought one sheet) and I had to get it from an art supply company (like Mister Art or Dick Blick).

HTH.

[Suzanne]

Thanks for that info.

Anyone else with any suggestions for watercolor paper?

[leibetty]

Suzanne, I would suggest going to the store and actually comparing it IRL.

let me see what I have...

[leibetty]

OK I have 3 types. lol though they are all cold press (the hot press must be much more$$)
Strathmore 300 series coldpress 140lb - this IMO is the nicest one I have, heaviest and most textured, but also quite smooth on the back

Canson 120lb, doesn't say what kind of press.... "Rough surface, heavyweight watercolor paper. Substantial, yet easy to use for the learning watercolorist." kind of ridge-y on the front and smoother back,thinner

canson XL coldpress 140lb. pretty dang smooth on both sides

I am sure I bought them all on sale at joann's or hobby lobby

[Inkin One]

I honestly prefer smooth or "HP" for stamping ( and I have a couple of different blocks of each type and in different weights as well). You ( or at least I) get a better stamped image with out all the texture of cold pressed paper. I also use it for pieces of art work that get commissioned . I haven't noticed that cold pressed or "rough" is more available but I also have to order on line so that might be why. I use Dick Blick for almost all of my art supplies. You can get relativley inexpensive spiral bound pads of it there , but if you have a HL , M's or J's near you, you can buy it there an actually feel which type you prefer. .( or if you are lucky enough to have an actual art supply store I envy you ! I MISSSSS mine terribly since we moved) . Also try to notice the weight of the paper . Lots of people like 90lb.. weight but I prefer heavier paper because it tends to buckle less ( once again a preference because I don't just use it for stamping but for water colored pieces as well). The heavier weight is just that, heavier, and will add weight to your finished card that you need to be aware of.

[Cook22]

Hot press is more expensive and is less widely available - it's seen as high-end artist's quality . Some time I'll get a block of HP, but in the meantime I use cold press/rough.
I don't recall that Canson ever made hot press under the Canson name, (they do the Arches which comes in that finish) so any Canson is likely to be rough.
Like Inkin One I like a good weight - I buy Winsor & Newton AWC 140lb rough. I do have some 90lb which will go through the printer and which I can easily cut for paper tole, but it's not my go-to paper.
Another factor to bear in mind is that none of it is white white, but some brands are whiter than others. If that matters to you, you'd have to make a comparison between brands.

[Inkin One]

Cook ( SO awesome to "see" you!)..you brought up some thing I had forgotten LOL..the whiteness. It is a problem for me. I like a stark bright white paper and usually go with Arches for that. I have some here that Dini reccomended it is from Bee Paper Company. It's 140 lb weight...cold pressed but not really as rough as a lot of cp paper IMO. I like it a lot. It isn't a bright white but more white that not..if that makes sense LOL .It wasn't really expensive either as I recall. I am pretty loyal to certain companies or brands for my art supplies so this paper must not have been outrageous for me to give it a try. I ordered some several months ago fom a different company, and was so dissapointed that I let my dd have to play with. Now that is some bad paper LOL. It was flimsy and buckled at the first wash of water..not a happy lady here.

Also like Cook said, if you are going to use a lot of digi images you will need about a 90 lb. paper to go through your printer. I don't know if the heavier ones..like 140 lb. will , but I can assure you, 300 won't ( I used 300 a lot and tried it..thought I had destroyed my printer ). I am just now getting into digis..so I will try 140 lb and I prefer that to 90..and let you know what i find out.

[Suzanne]

Thanks girls!

So I need to look for:
hot pressed (for smoothness)
140 lb for less buckling
and then hunt for the whiteness.

[Rachelrose]

Lots of good advice. Just adding my two cents:

If you are using it for Distress Ink techniques like wrinkle free and emboss resist (where the paper is going to be basically covered with ink), then whiteness might not be an issue. If you want to paint with it, that's another matter.

I started out trying to do "wet" distress techniques on cardstock and got very frustrated by the way the paper degraded when I wet it and how it dried all wavy. I could not get the effects I wanted (or was seeing others get). (That said, for an emboss resist, or masking, or anything where you aren't going to be adding additional water, regular cardstock is fine.)

After spending some time whining on the forum about how weirdly my cardstock was acting when I did "watery" techniques, I decided to try watercolor paper and went through the same thing you are going through now. Hot press? Cold press? How heavy?

In the end I ordered some 90 lb and some 140 lb from somewhere (I think I got pads of Canson from Amazon), both cold press, so they were cheap. Good hot press WC paper is very expensive. Both of the weights I got work fine. I think I use the 90 most often, but that's because I tend to do very layered cards and the 140 adds more thickness which I don't need. I use either side. Sometimes if I am embossing I'll make it a point to use the smoother side, but I've forgotten and used the rougher side and the embossing came out fine.

My point is, don't get overly caught up in what to buy (like I did). Get some inexpensive Canson's and play around and see what happens. Then you can start refining what you do and don't like.

[Inkin One]

"My point is, don't get overly caught up in what to buy (like I did). Get some inexpensive Canson's and play around and see what happens. Then you can start refining what you do and don't like."


This is an excellent point for a newbie watercolorist. It takes time to decide what you like. I know a stamper..and for the life of me I can't remember her name but will find her and link up to her..anyway...she uses prismacolors( or maybe a different colored pencil ??) on watercolor paper and gets the most fantastic results ! The point I am trying to make is to experiment..what works for one stamper maybe disaterous for another ( brayering comes to mind for me LOL) and what is a total flop for another is perfect for another and so -on. While the paper can greatly affect your results and often lead to unnecesary frustraion..it can also be a huge hinderance if you feel too overwhelmed trying to figure out the right kind ! ....Just get some decent weight paper and play!

[Mrs Noofy]

I like Arches 140 lb cold press if I am going to spend a lot of time on detail. Since I am a watercolourist I am used to working with it. If I just want to stamp and brush on some colour the watercolour pad that Mikes sells is quite satisfactory for me.

[Harley Queen]

I've used Strathmore cold press, 140lb weight for years. It's done me well.

[Suzanne]

Thanks!

@RachelRose - I am wanting to try some of the distress techniques but I was really wanting the watercolor paper to use for "painting" stamped images. When SU first came out with the watercolor paper several years ago I didn't like it because of its roughness.

But I will take the advise of not getting hung up on hunting for it and just find some that doesn't feel too rough to use.

[lylacfey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkin One

This is an excellent point for a newbie watercolorist. It takes time to decide what you like. I know a stamper..and for the life of me I can't remember her name but will find her and link up to her..anyway...she uses prismacolors( or maybe a different colored pencil ??) on watercolor paper and gets the most fantastic results ! The point I am trying to make is to experiment..what works for one stamper maybe disaterous for another ( brayering comes to mind for me LOL) and what is a total flop for another is perfect for another and so -on. While the paper can greatly affect your results and often lead to unnecesary frustraion..it can also be a huge hinderance if you feel too overwhelmed trying to figure out the right kind ! ....Just get some decent weight paper and play!

Are you thinking of Lindsey (TheFrugalCrafter). I am pretty sure Lindsay uses a HP but for the life of me I can't remember it. I think it's an Italian paper company she bought at Dick Blick.

I make my own Distress Inks. Currently I am using a Canson Mixed Media journal to paint it. That's the name of the journal- Canson Mixed Media. It takes my own DI's very well. It's not a true HP paper. The paper does have some tooth. It's good a paper for testing techniques. Like everyone else said most HP is expensive and you want 140. I swear I have seen HP 140 at Hobby Lobby. I don't remember the brand name or the price. It's been awhile back.

Arches makes a nice HP- Arches Watercolor Paper.

Here's Lindsey's site- Thefrugalcrafter’s Weblog. I tried to find the paper but I am tired and my search skills left me.

[Rachelrose]

Great site DeeAnn. Care to share your Distress Ink recipe?

Suzanne, I use my DI to paint on the Canson all the time, but I will admit that I am not a skilled watercolorist, I just color in my images and add a little shading, so I don't need anything too fancy.

[Inkin One]

No, DeeAnn I wasn't thinking of Lindsey But I am Glad you DID LOL..She is FANTASTIC! And such a sweet heart too! I am searching..I *think* this stamper was on the Prisma thread..and well, you know what searching on that thread is like LOL..I will return with a link ( hopefully )


ETA:: Ok I found her LOL. She is a stamper/blogger in the UK..My reason for wanting to "spotlight" her I guess, is because she is getting what I feel are awesome results with colored pencils..on wc paper , which to me, shows some great versatility in what can other wise be fairly expensive paper .(If you don't get the hang of watercolors...or if you just want more options.).Ok enough rambling..here's the link

http://www.punknscrap2.com/

[gr8cards]

I love Strathmore cold press (140 lb), too, even though it's not white-white. I think it adds a richness to the work.

[sarahbe492]

I use SU!'s and love it! I think they changed it though so you might try it again if you don't find one of these from other posters that you love!

[loulou31]

Hi
I would just like to say thank you to Inkin One for the lovely things she said about my colouring In case you would like to know, I use Canson Aquarell watercolour paper or whatever is cheapest.
Thanks to those of you that popped by my blog, I wish you had left me some comments ;)

[uncbballfan]

The only hot-pressed watercolor paper I have found in the big box stores is by Daler-Rowney; I found it at Hobby Lobby. $14.99 for a pad of 12 sheets (not too bad if you use a coupon). It's called "The Langton Prestige", 100% cotton, 140#, 300 gsm. If you don't use it as a full card front, since it is 9" X 12", you could possibly get 6 images per sheet. This is lovely paper, and as it says on the front of the package, it's "extra smooth."

[hobbydujour]

Whenever is use "real" watercolors, I use 400# Arches cold pressed. It is heavier, but never buckles or ripples. I keep the card rather simple to let the watercolor take center stage.

[mungojerry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lylacfey

Are you thinking of Lindsey (TheFrugalCrafter). I am pretty sure Lindsay uses a HP but for the life of me I can't remember it. I think it's an Italian paper company she bought at Dick Blick.

You may be thinking of Fabriano Hot Press. I use it most of the time and get it from Dick Blick. It comes in a variety of sizes.

[Inkin One]

Quote:

Originally Posted by loulou31

Hi
I would just like to say thank you to Inkin One for the lovely things she said about my colouring In case you would like to know, I use Canson Aquarell watercolour paper or whatever is cheapest.
Thanks to those of you that popped by my blog, I wish you had left me some comments ;)

Louise You are so welcome! I visit your blog fairly often..but I admit, I am not great at leaving comments! I still stand by the fact that you are FAB!!

[loulou31]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkin One

Louise You are so welcome! I visit your blog fairly often..but I admit, I am not great at leaving comments! I still stand by the fact that you are FAB!!

Thanks Jessica. I just went for a look around your blog and your colouring isn't too shabby! You are very talented. I have even signed up as a follower
Thanks again for your wonderful compliment.

[lylacfey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mungojerry

You may be thinking of Fabriano Hot Press. I use it most of the time and get it from Dick Blick. It comes in a variety of sizes.

Oh, that's it! Thank you so much!

[Inkin One]

Quote:

Originally Posted by loulou31

Thanks Jessica. I just went for a look around your blog and your colouring isn't too shabby! You are very talented. I have even signed up as a follower
Thanks again for your wonderful compliment.

Thanks Louise! I took a looong break over the summer /fall LOL and now I am waiting for my new camera cord to come in so I can actualy start posting again. I hope to have some new stuff on the neglegted old blog soon! Thanks for subbing!

[Phantom]

I think the best thing is to get a small sample of each kind and try it out yourself. You also may like using Bristol vellum which I think works beautifully for many coloring techniques. Watercolor with Distress Ink is one of my favorites, too

Awhile back I did a little comparison doing watercolor with Derwent Inktense pencils (and with a tip to remembering which is which, i.e. hot/cold press) that you may find helpful: Shady Tree Studio, LLC: Jingle Bell Time!



Have fun!

[Suzanne]

I'll check that out Phantom. Thanks!