Extra-fine grain, hot-pressed watercolor paper anyone?

[lillithium]

The kind of watercolor paper I've been using (Sennelier Watercolor Blocks - hot-pressed, 140lbs, extra fine grain) is no longer being imported to Japan. *sighs* Which left me with only two choices:

1. Fabriano 300g extra fine grain

2. Arches 300g extra fine grainThere isn't much choice about hot-pressed watercolor paper, and both are equally

Comments

[bird_or_whale]

I have always found Arches to be so very much superior to any other watercolor brand, regardless of the hot/cold press. Even though it is very expensive in comparison, the ability to utilize so many different wet techniques without compromising the structural integrity of the paper and maintaining a fluid painting cannot be beat. I don't know about many different online art stores though that ship overseas. I hope that you have luck in finding a great paper to use for your lovely art. :)

[lillithium]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I've always wanted to try Arches, but have always been scared away by its price. I mean, ~$50USD for, like, 20 pieces of 18cmx26cm paper? Two pieces of paper costs more than my lunch. But I guess the price makes up the quality. :-)

I always use extra-fine grain because the texture of medium or fine grain shows when scanned, even though extra-fine grain paper is harder to handle.

Thank you very much! I think I might need to reduce my spending on food for paper, but I guess it's worth it.

[bird_or_whale]

Goodness I think eating is more necessary for survival than painting but trying Arches once would be a good way to figure out what your options are for when you can afford to both eat and paint comfortably!

I prefer Arches Fine Grain 300 g for practice work. The pad is a lot cheaper than the block (err but maybe not in Japan... oh and now that I look, only 12 sheets so maybe not that much of a money saver) and gives a good idea of what you can expect. But as you mentioned, the texture shows when scanned.

How much paper do you go through a week?

[lillithium]

The pad is a lot cheaper than the block
Yeah, but like you said, it only has 12 sheets. :-/

How much paper do you go through a week?
I don't draw regularly, but when I do watercolor I normally go through two per picture. One for practice, one for real. But recently I've been getting worse due to lack of practice, and wasted a few more paper, which is why I need to replenish my stock soon. :-(

How about you?

[bird_or_whale]

If you do a practice run, there isn't much sense in investing in really good paper to utilize for it. When I used to paint more frequently than I do now, I used a lower quality paper such as Canson for practice and then Arches for real. However, there is definitely a different look to both, due to grain and quality of paper. Canson always looked like the paper was rubbing off and Arches can pretty much be soaked in water and abused and not lose paper filaments (within reason, of course).

When I used to paint and had shows, I could go through a pad of paper every day or two. Now, since I am out of school and not quite so inspired, I am lucky to go through a pad of paper in a few months. I can sit on a painting for a month and not make any progress with it. Apparently this is fairly common, but depressing none the less.

[lillithium]

If you do a practice run, there isn't much sense in investing in really good paper to utilize for it.
Yeah, I used to use some Carson extra fine pad for practice purpose, but like you'd said it doesn't serve the purpose, as the results between them are so different. I ended up reusing the back side for practice run, but still the best is to use a new sheet for it.

I can sit on a painting for a month and not make any progress with it.
Ah. Yeah, me too, although my case is that the painting sits on the table and me having neither the time nor the energy to do anything about it. *curses RL work*
It's definitely depressing. *nods*

Thanks very much again for your suggestions and for sharing your experience.