Even though the watercolor is a wide spread subject across
the Internet among artists, you've probably been fooled once by
choosing the wrong sketchbook that’s supposed to work with watercolor.
Too often people fall into a trap here so it's no surprise. But why is that?!
To simply answer the question: it’s all about paper. If this doesn’t make sense to you
at all, keep reading…
You find it everywhere, in any art store that you come in, at
least one paper offer that seems to be the perfect deal for your next watercolor
project. There is a watercolor label on every shelf with products you see
around. Spiral binding pad sheets, nice looking sketchbooks that holds
intricate printed motifs on their covers, fancy logos and attractive prices, and
all that seems to hypnotize you and get you to the point where you’ll spend
money for just too little satisfaction in return. Unfortunately, you end up buying yet another one wrong product.
And thus, your project will disappoint you because it's to a
far distance from what you've been initially thought it’ll be. No matter if the
paper isn’t holding well water or if the colors aren’t vibrant enough on the
surface, it soon become clear that almost every aspect of your painting process
is more of a fight against your senses.
So, why is this happening?
To simply put, the real deal in watercolor technique, one that set you free from troubles, is a paper made of 100% cotton fibers (aka rag paper). But this simply means that such a paper is not cheap. The process involved in creating a paper like this is just above the normal standard, so added costs are necessary for making it.
So, why is this happening?
To simply put, the real deal in watercolor technique, one that set you free from troubles, is a paper made of 100% cotton fibers (aka rag paper). But this simply means that such a paper is not cheap. The process involved in creating a paper like this is just above the normal standard, so added costs are necessary for making it.
That’s being said, as you may already guess, getting cheap route
and thinking that someone will make an offer for a nicer stitch binding sketchbook
product, made with 100% cotton fiber sized paper in it, is just a dream! If
such thing exists, it’s most probable due to a limited edition directly derived
from a special demand, like a private need or a group effort. It won’t be easy
to find a deal like this from your typical local art store materials. I’ve
already seen a lot of products made from cellulose paper that people think
they’re too pricey. And these were just spiral binding blocks with some generic
cheap cardboard cover and nothing more. So to wait for another expensive product to happen it seems a
bit odd and therefore I don’t think the quality will increase anytime
soon on such products.
So, what’s the fuss with all these wood pulp made paper, aren’t
these supposed to be good enough? Why bother for more? It says watercolor, it
says acid free, it shows great thickness and promise to last forever. Can you
expect for more than that? Is using wood pulp fiber paper wrong if it's used with watercolor?
Well, there are some watercolor
approaches that do not require plenty of tricks to be done, but a more traditional
orientation on this technique require a fair amount of knowledge. There is much
to control at this level in order to comprehend the entire spectrum of a watercolor technique . In the opposite direction is to think, I need to put a light glaze to an outline ink drawing... In this type of scenario, it wouldn't be really necessary to seek for more than what a wood pulp paper has to offer. For that, it may be best for you to land on a cheaper paper rather than
spending extra cash with a rag paper.
The rule here is knowing your tool, learn how to use it, when to use it. You can rescue more errors on a cotton paper, it holds glazing and water very well, the colors blends nicely on its surface and it’s durable against multiple erasing attempts. In contrast with that, wood pulp fiber will play a less forgiving paper role in all of these key aspects, and that's why it is necessary to be a more experimented artist to master it. A cellulose paper works best if you do your paint with alla prima state of your mind in front of your eyes all the time. There’s no room for big mistakes with this paper because will break more rapidly compared to cotton fiber.
The rule here is knowing your tool, learn how to use it, when to use it. You can rescue more errors on a cotton paper, it holds glazing and water very well, the colors blends nicely on its surface and it’s durable against multiple erasing attempts. In contrast with that, wood pulp fiber will play a less forgiving paper role in all of these key aspects, and that's why it is necessary to be a more experimented artist to master it. A cellulose paper works best if you do your paint with alla prima state of your mind in front of your eyes all the time. There’s no room for big mistakes with this paper because will break more rapidly compared to cotton fiber.
So, is this paper so scary, so
bad when using it, that you'll need to avoid it for the rest of your life? Definitely
no if you ask me. To say you only
need cotton paper to deliver beautiful artworks is simply not true. You already
know that focus on a technique is the key for developing your skills, but again, thinking of watercolor is also true to say that paper is the
first thing you should pick wisely. Using a bad sheet of paper, you simply throw
out the potential of your color to behave like it really should. You simply stop them expressing
their greatness. That’s why you always need to keep a distance from something
that is just too low in quality. It’s a waste of time, a waste of energy and a shortcut
to failure if you begin with poor materials right from the start.
So, to sum up, you should always buy a good paper if you are serious with watercolor technique. If you aren't experienced enough, practice more on cotton paper and than try also the cellulose pulp, too understand the differences. Learn what's to expect. There are brands
that sell poor paper, decent paper and amazing paper. Get samples when you can. Choose wisely, because
even the cotton paper can be strangely made and therefore can lead to frustration. Some companies are
well respected for a reason, but other brands are rising just to grab some money.
In the end of this article it’s time for what I think it is a great tip. If you
need a good sketchbook filled with just the paper you like, buy a pack of sheets from that paper brand and make your own justice in a world were a good watercolor sketchbook is hard
to find. This is my friend, the most economical method of doing
it. To craft your own sketchbook from raw materials is to explore new
possibilities. You learn more, you get confident with your tools, and it’s a
moment so uplifting in the end. These days, you have no excuse to look for more,
you get plenty of information on how to do it properly for yourself, just search
the Internet and start the ride. I encourage you to do it!
I made my own books as you can see in the pictures I posted in the article. I hope you find this useful, I hope to back for more. That's for today!
Cheers!
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