Choosing the right paper for watercolor paintings and urban sketching

 This past summer we visited a working paper manufacturer in a side valley in northern Italy, along the western banks of Lago de Garda. The paper mill was remodeled into a museum which housed a small cafe and produced a small amount of hand screened (I think that is the right term) paper. At this museum I found out how watermarks were made as well as discovering some really interesting similarities between modern handmade paper and that which was produced during the middle ages. In the museum's workshop there were giant stone troughs in which old rags were soaked and allowed to deteriorate. The pulp, primarily consiting of fibers, was rinsed and placed on screens to form individual sheets. I don't really know what I had imagined when reading, 'Cotton rag' on paper before, but it certainly wasn't this. The paper maker showed us how, if a sheet turned out to be unsatisfactory, it could be simply immersed in the water, stirred, and rescreened to make a fresh sheet. If you want to see more of the process I am linking the post here. On that trip I bought a package of handmade paper which I have yet to use, I can feel that I am getting closer but I still haven't found the perfect project for it. However, I am including it in the list of papers which I love and use. It fits, as is probably easy to see into the category of rough paper.

Although I love acrylics I have been doing more and more work on paper. This is the direct result of the fact that my studio is not heated and I tend to work in my diningroom during the coldest parts of winter. I don't want to splatter it with paint so I do 'cleaner' projects. Watercolor, illustration, and when out and about urban sketching. I have tried a number of types of paper and have narrowed down my selection to my favorites.

There are many different categories of paper but for this post I will be dealing primarily with watercolor paper and dividing it into two diffent categories; rough and smooth.

Rough:

   Rough paper has a surface which lends itself well to holding larger amounts of graphite. I really appreciate it when sketching as there is more friction and surface tension allowing me to make rougher sketches. I ofter use Hahnmühle post cards with a rougher surface when doing urban sketching. These come in a metal tin and are wonderful for creating small vingettes. I like to use a pen afterwards to create a crisper image but the structure works well for initial sketches. I realize that many sketchers like to just use ink, I am for better or worse too much of an illustrator for that.

Althouh my favortite (Hahnemühle) sketch book is technically smooth, it is also on the rougher end of smooth, which again is great for gesture sketches of animals.

And finally, a semi smooth watercolor paper which I like is 'toothier' than my usual choice. It is however exceptionally good value for the price and quite absorbant.

Smooth:

 Here we enter the realm of the truely luxurious papers. Hot pressed paper, which is fairly explanatory, has a surface that is so smooth it feel like you are painting on satin. This, as with all luxuries, comes at a price.


My all time favorite is Fabriano. Produced in Fabriano, Italy, a small town in the middle of well, Italy. It is surising how good it is. We made a stop there on our way back from vacation a few years ago and although the factory was closed, the shops were open and I bought tons! These we visited the type of shops you find quite often in Italy, stacks upon stacks of paper products (in other shops it is books) heaped up along the walls, sometimes two stacks deep. Laden Tables groaning under the weight of notebooks. Shelves stuffed with blocks until they are almost falling out the ends and piles overhead precariously balanced and waiting to either collapse or be sorted into the shelves below as they are slowly emptied. These are the shops dreams are made of, and somehow grabbing five blocks of paper just seems natural in this atmosphere. So different from choosing one of the six beautifully packaged blocks in my local art shop.

  
   Obviously my supply is virtually gone, but they were well used and I enjoyed them. I am on one of the last items purchased there, a large A3 Sketchbook which I began using for urban sketching this past month. It is time.

   Comparable to Fabriano, but just slightly less wonderful, in my opinion, is Windsor and Newton. I bought this block to try as an alternative. I have been completely happy with it but it does not bring me the joy that Fabriano does.

   In the category of smooth paper but not watercolor paper is a natural, multipurpose painting paper. The surface of this paper is wonderful, unfortunately it is not uv safe and tends to fade, especially around the edges. I still use and like it but I cannot really recommend it for archival projects.

   When I figured out that it does fade, I took a lot of the remaining paper and turned it into a fun sketchbook with little bits of various papers inbetween. I am enjoying using it quite a bit as it challenges me when I am planning a sketch.

Well, that is it- those are my stocked paper varieties at the moment. If you have a favorite paper I would love to hear what it is in the comments.


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