Paper

Out of all the main materials,

I consider that paper is the most important. In my experience, when a person is disappointed with their work, in the majority of cases the cause can be attributed to the use of cheap paper.which are not meant for watercolors.

Watercolour paper can be either pulp- or cotton-based and is available in a variety of finishes, sizes, colours and weights. It is usually made by one of three processes: handmade, mouldmade or machine-made.

Many of the leading paper-makers produce paper in three finishes:

• Hot press, as the name suggests, has a flat, smooth finish and is ideal for painting fine detail.

• Cold press (sometimes referred to as NOT, as in not hot-pressed!) has a texture or ‘tooth’ and is the most widely used watercolour paper available. This is the type of paper I have used for the art work and I would recommend it for the beginner.

• Rough has a highly textured surface, which is more suitable for experienced painters.

For a beginner, I would recommend plain white paper in a pad of 140lb (300gsm). Where as GSM standard

for thickness of the paper.

STRETCHING YOUR PAPER -This may sound obvious but the use of water plays a key role in watercolour painting. It is therefore important to stretch your paper before starting your finished painting; otherwise the water in the paint will cause the paper to buckle. In addition, when your paper becomes very wet it will ripple, causing the paint to dry at different times, which will result in unsightly staining. There are several ways to avoid this buckling and staining. The expensive option is to buy much thicker paper. You can get paper weighing up to 300lb (600gsm), which is almost like card and will remain flat regardless of the amount of water on its surface. Another, cheaper, alternative is to buy a watercolour ‘block’, which is a pre-stretched paper that has been gummed on all four sides with a strong backing board.

You can go and check, the links given in basic tools for watercolor....