Watercolor Paper Roundup and Review

 This week on an Instagram post about progress, I talked about what a major difference your watercolor paper can make! There are a LOT of factors to consider when choosing paper, and so I’m going to talk about some of my favorite papers here and why I like them!  

I first want to lay out some criteria that I use when looking at paper.  

• Cold Press vs. Hot Press

Cold press is generally my type of paper UNLESS I’m doing an illustration.  If I’m doing an illustration I will use hot press paper OR mixed media paper.  Otherwise, if you are planning to do bleeding and wet on wet techniques of any kind, cold press is the way to go.  

• Cotton vs Cellulose

The #1 thing I look for in watercolor paper is that it is 100% cotton.  This definitely makes the paper more expensive, but there are some more affordable options out there to achieve this.  The 100% cotton paper keeps wet longer and tends to lift less.  

• Affordability

Obviously, price matters.  While I LOVE some papers, they are not always affordable and I try to get them on sale when I can.  I’ll discuss this as a pro/con with each of my options

• Accessibility

Being able to get the paper or sketchbooks is of course important.  I can only talk about accessibility from my point of view, in the Eastern US.  

•  Binding

I really *really* like papers that come in a sketchbook.  I tend to find myself working out of sketchbooks most often, at least when I first try something.  It’s a bonus if the sketchbook allows me to remove the pages!  

Ok, so what are my go-to brands of paper?  

1.  Bee Creative Watercolor Paper

Pros: 

 

• 100% Cotton and Cold Press
• Comes both in a sketchbook and as loose pages
• This is the MOST affordable high quality paper I can get
• Bee ALSO has a wonderful mixed media paper that doubles as really good hot press watercolor paper! 

Cons: 

• This paper has become increasingly hard to find!  I grab it whenever I can get it, but I’ll be sad if this company just disappears because their paper has been my ABSOLUTE favorite for awhile!  

2.  Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper

Pros: 

• 100% Cotton and Cold press - amazing quality
• Arches is the absolute gold standard of watercolor paper, and it shows.
• I can easily get Arches just about everywhere I shop for art supplies

Cons: 

• It’s expensive.  I can sometimes find it on sale locally, and when I do I grab it up!  But the quality definitely comes at a price
• They do NOT offer a sketchbook binding option.  For me, I would love an option like this because I tend to do better with using and storing a sketchbook than a large pad of paper.  

3.  Arteza Expert Watercolor Paper

Pros: 

• 100% Cotton and Cold Press Paper - with pretty great quality
• Arteza is very accessible
• Decently affordable paper - more expensive than their other watercolor papers but still a bargain for the quality.  

Cons: 

• There are several brands of “Arteza Expert” paper listed, and only a tiny section of it is 100% cotton, so be careful when buying.  (I think they do also have greeting cards and postcards that are 100%)
• The do NOT offer a 100% cotton sketchbook!  I wish they did because I would definitely buy it if one was offered!  

Honorable Mention: Paul Rubens Hot Press Sketchbook

I love this for illustrations with line work!  Cold press paper will ruin your fineliners and other black pens pretty fast, so I try to work on smoother paper when I’m doing an illustration.  This and my Bee Creative mixed media paper are my favorites for these purposes!  They are both high quality and affordable!  

I’d also like to mention that I’ve not tried paper or sketchbooks from either Etchr or Stillman & Bern.  Both of those are companies that I’ve seen great things about and would like to try in the future!  Etchr is a pricier option mainly because you have to buy the books in bundles.  Stillman & Bern isn’t local to me anywhere during the pandemic, but I could order from them in the future!  

** I also want to note that NONE of these companies are paying me anything!  I’m just a person who loves buying and trying art supplies!  I bought all of these with my own money and my opinion isn’t influenced by anything other than my personal experiences with the supplies!** 

What are your favorite brands of paper?  What is most important to you when you are purchasing watercolor paper?  Let me know in the comments!!!