Watercolor paper is the basis and carrier of watercolor painting. In order to preserve for a long time and achieve the best effect, painters often choose handmade paper, especially paper made of cotton scraps and flax, which has been treated with mucilage and has no bleaching residue or other impurities. Although the United States also produces a small amount of good watercolor paper, painters rely more on European products.

watercolour paper

The watercolour paper on the market is divided into different varieties according to the weight, and its figures represent the weight of each ream (500 sheets) under the British size (see paper size). The lightest 72 pounds, the value of 140 pounds is twice that of the former. When creating, this kind of ordinary weight paper needs to be mounted on the drawing board; Heavy water color paper, 280 kg to 400 kg can be used directly.

They are rough in texture, have refraction effect, and can withstand strong external forces such as scraping with a knife or repeatedly rubbing, and are deeply loved by watercolor painters. Handmade paper has several textures: "C.P." belongs to medium-coarse grain; "Rough" (R) or "no pressure" (N.P.) is obviously rough and often belongs to heavier paper rather than lighter paper.

"Hot pressing" (H.P.) is quite delicate and smooth, and is generally not used for transparent watercolor painting, but suitable for gouache and other purposes. Hand-made high-grade watercolor paper of various sizes on the market is sold in bundles or rolls. With the changing times, artists are constantly looking for second-hand goods, especially those with watermark patterns such as manufacturer's name, trademark and production year.

Traditionally, it has a uniform structure and is printed with marks, watermarks, etc. It is customarily considered as "front". Of course, high-quality watercolor paper has almost no flaws and can often be used on both sides.