Best Watercolor Paper Ever
I often get asked what type of watercolor paper I use when painting flowers. Well, the simple answer is watercolor paper is kind of like dating. You try out all of them before you really love 1-2 and then you stick with those, but keep trying out new brands as they land on the market. Right now, I use 3 kinds of paper depending on the type of project. Here is a little discovery story of how I found this paper.
In 2019, I took a course at the Huntington Library through a chapter of the Botanical Artist’s Society. A French botanical painting instructor, Vincent Jeannerot, explained how to select watercolor paper. He swiftly sent me to purchase new paper from the art store when he saw my lower quality pad of watercolor paper. He also told me to pick out a new brush for painting flowers.
At the art store, I frantically browsed the paper section of Blick trying to find the paper brand the instructor recommended, but to my dismay they didn’t carry it. According to Vincent they don’t carry his brand of paper in the US. Fortunately, I discovered they had individual sheets the Acquarello paper. They were oversized, but I grabbed whatever I could get. In a hurry to get back to the class at the Huntington Library, I also grabbed two other packs of watercolor cold press paper as an experiment. I wanted to get his opinion of the paper.
Shopping for Watercolor Paper
I gave him back the borrowed pad of paper he let me use, his Acquarello watercolor paper hot press at 140lb 100% cotton. I knew it was expensive. Then I held up the paper I purchased from the store. We opened the packs of paper and he slid his hand across the first sheet. “No.” I knew that meant it wasn’t good enough. He turned to me and grabbed the Acquarello, and said, “use this instead.” The high end Arches paper was set aside, along with my new Stonehenge paper. These are the 3 paper brands I have stuck with since the course and keep going back to:
The Magic 3 Watercolor Paper Brands
I painted a dining room botanical set a year ago using the Acquarello. The reason was because I wanted the paintings to have longevity. Lower quality paper degrades over time and turns yellow. It’s best to stick with the highest quality of paper you can find in the store. Most watercolors are said to last for about 100 years.
Acquarello Hot Press Watercolor Paper
Extra White
Surprisingly, Stonehenge came in as a close second as far as quality. Acquarello cannot be found in the United States unless you are buy large individual sheets of it, and they are expensive. That’s why I would say Stonehenge is a second-best choice. The course continued, but the learning experience did not. Since then I have also been on a search for the perfect brush. I’ve found a really good one and you can read about it here or check out my watercolor course to find out what my magical combination of supplies are for painting amazingly beautiful works of art here.
Paper Quality
Not only did I notice a difference in the watercolor paper since the course and using Stonehenge and Acquarello, but I LOVED painting on both. The paper’s consistently smooth surface has very few impurities which makes for a consistent texture to paint on. Combine it with a soft brush and you have painting heaven. The Stonehenge sheets came as a pad with individual pages easy to tear out. I typically don’t like this style of a pad, but the cardboard backing provided a nice surface to paint on if you don’t choose to stretch your watercolor paper. If you’re interested in learning about stretching your watercolor paper, I have an article about that also.
Using the professional paper to paint Hydrangea
Paper Color
The color of the paper was bright white. The smooth surface of the paper was delicate but it allowed for layers of water to be used. It also absorbed very nicely. There wasn’t a lot of pooling of water or peeling of the paper. Paper color is a great topic because everyone has a different preference when it comes to painting. Some people add a layer of color to their paper so its tonal value is more eggshell. If you’re interested in tinting your watercolor paper, I show you how to do that here.
Conclusion
I highly recommend the Acquarello paper for professional painting or botanical subjects where you don’t want a texture in the middle of your flower painting. Also, if you are concerned about peeling, bubbling, or any grain, it makes for an excellent painting surface. As far as the color of the paper, it’s beautiful. Stonehenge comes in as a great second-best quality paper. I additionally provided a recommendation for the Fluid 100 paper. These packs of individual sheets come in different sizes which also makes them great for painting small gifts. They are affordable and great for learning. You can paint on a sheet and if you mess up, you don’t feel guilty about destroying an entire large sized sheet of watercolor painting. I love that they come in different sizes. They are easy to tape down. However, I would say I don’t think this paper would hold up to 400 layers. Vincent told us one of his botanicals took around 400 layers of color. If you’re painting that many, you might want to consider one of the other two brands.
If you’ve used either one and you have a review, please comment below. I love talking paper with my readers. Especially if you have found a paper that is better than these two!