I use a natural Waterford 140 CP. I like that it has more seizing than most and the paint is easy to work. It is not as tough as Arches but I'm not real rough on paper. The most I do is scratch in something at the end. I slap the paint down and leave it. Color changes are made with glazes.
What paper are you using and what about it do you like?
Whatever you are doing, it is good.
I mainly use 140lb Fabriano (if money weren't an issue I'd go for the 300lb every time though) - coldpressed, hotpressed, rough and am especially loving their softpress at the moment.
I also really like Strathmore although I know a lot of wc artists hate it.
I don't much like Arches - can't really say why, I was expecting to because I'd heard such great things about it - but it just didn't feel right to me.
You can also find me on Facebook or visit my blog to learn more about me and my work.
I use Arches 300lb cold pressed for almost all of my work. I did have some real problems with it a couple of years ago. The sizing was inconsistent and quite heavy. It was so heavy in some areas that the surface would not accept paint. Since then I have scrubbed the surface down with a sponge three times before starting a picture and I've not had any real problems.
I love the 300 lb Arches and would probably go with it every time if I could. I like the Arches 140 lb and use it often. I must say that I was very please with the 300 lb Fabriano, but felt like it was a little stiff when I tried to make my colors flow to get a smooth gradation. You can slightly bend the Arches 300 lb if you don't have it taped down to something. The Fabriano seems to be stiffer, but I would certainly say that Fabriano 300 lb would probably be my second favorite. I have tried some other brands in pad form and didn't like what I would call the weave (don't know how else to describe it -- it almost had lines like it was woven rather than pressed). I have only used the cold press, but really want to try some other types (hot press, rough) just to see.
right now i am using waterford 280 cp. i think todays arches is no where near as good as it used to be. i have some 20 year old arches from way back and it is like a totally different paper. i also like hot press paper. i have been meaning to try some of the watercolor canvases and or clayboards.
Patrick, be sure to try the watercolor canvases and clayboards, especially if you like the hot press paper. I think you will really enjoy them.
mago
i really do want to give them a try. i know next to nothing about them, other than there not cheap.someone told me you could do a painting and if your not happy then you can wipe it clean. is this true? with my skill level i am afraid i will ruin an expensive board.
Patrick, my answer to that is really kind of a reserved yes and no. In some ways it is kind of like watercolor paper. Layer one layer at a time and allow each layer to dry completely between layers. Lay your color down fast and don't go back in or the color underneath will loosen and come up. Staining colors probably won't come off completely. There were areas that I didn't want to have lift and they lifted (smooth clayboard -- not really made for watercolor) there were other areas I wanted to lift and had a difficult time lifting (watercolor clayboard). My guess would be that if you wash the paint off immediately before it has a chance to soak into the clay (it is clay isn't it) you can probably get just about anything off of it. Take a hose to it after it is dried and you could probably remove most of what you wanted to. But I personally noticed when I got a particular spot that I tried to lift, in one instance, that I ended up with something a little bit like a slurry (wet clay). I backed off and let the whole thing dry. That is something that I have wanted about to talk to someone who has a lot of experience working on clayboard. I think one nice thing about the clayboard is that you can experiment on the smaller pieces of flat clayboard (not in a cradle) and maybe wash it off and start over. I experimented on a smaller size before doing the two 30"x 30" pieces and liked the end product so I gave that to my son.
margo
thank you so much for the information. i guess i need to give it a try.
My favorite paper is the one that I'm painting on.
I learned to paint on newsprint that came off of end-rolls that our grandpa brought us but these days I favor Fabriano 300# hot press and I also like Lanaquarelle. I tried and didn't like Fabrianos' soft press paper, too funky. I also love Strathmores' 500 series illustration board but have been told it is being discontinued.
Hi,
I've used Arches paper for years, and today I still use both hot pressed and cold pressed in 140lb. I've used Fabriano and Waterford as well. They each have their own characteristics, but they are all good papers.
Mark
i really want to try the watercolor canvas and the aquaboard.
Patrick... I have used watercolor canvas for acrylic painting. It's not absorbant and doesn't take layers of watercolor - comes right off with the next wash - similar to painting on gessoed paper. But when using acrylic and then letting it dry - it works great. I've also painted on this with oils and like the surface... smooth and tight weave.
www.loriwords.com
I love 140 lb. ARCHES Cold Press watercolor paper. When I teach my watercolor classes I recommend they try various papers for a while, so they can choose their own favorite. Inevitably it appears that most choose the Arches Cold Press 140. It has a great all around purpose. It seems 300 lb ARCHES is much more difficult for my students to use. I am enjoying using the 300lb. Arches Cold Press for mixed media. Gouache with pastel overpainting is a lot of fun, after the paper has been aggressively sanded with 80 grit sandpaper. The sanded paper should have the surface feel of a felt hat . After the gouache (underpainting) is dry, the pastel takes on a great texture of its own.
lori
have you tried the aqua board? (spell) thats too bad about the watercolor canvas. i had high hopes for it. the cost of framing with glass is more than i can take these days. i saw on one of your post that you spray yours with some kind of clear coat? do you do that with water color on paper? seems like it would mess up the painting.
Patrick, I haven't tried the aquaboard, but after hearing that Mikel Wintermantel uses it, I am wanting to try it out. So many experiments, so little time!
Yes, I do fix and varnish my transparent watercolors that are on 300lb cold pressed paper. This can be done on 140lb as well. I used to fix my paintings with Krylon Crystal Clear spray - putting varnish on a watercolor with a brush will just mess it up.
Once the spary coat is dry, I can then varnish by brushing on acrylic varnish. Lately, I've tried using a UV retrardent clear acrylic spray to fix the watercolor. Then I've used either Golden UV gloss varnish that comes in a bottle - and carefully brush it on. Sometimes I use Liquitex Gloss varnish which works just as well. The important thing here is to not keep brushing the varnish while it's wet - or else it'll become milky and ruin the final clarity of the painting.
I find that using gloss varnish make the colors rich and deep - but doesn't really cause any glare on the painting because the paper is still slightly absorbant. I've been varnishing my watercolors for over 10 years, and the people who've bought them have had no fading or other problems. I glue these paintings to gatorboard or MDF board and frame them just like oils without matting or glass.
If I get time, and I probably won't any time soon. I'll post something online that shows my step by step process. But I'll need people to remind me because I get so busy I forget what I say I'll do.
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