Paper Textures

John Lovett guides us through the varying properties of different watercolor surfaces

- John Lovett

Choosing a watercolor paper can be one of the most confusing aspects of watercolor painting. Each manufacturer offers a number of different textures, weights and sizes plus various paper qualities. Artist quality paper is expensive and needs to be properly treated, before and after use, to keep it in pristine condition. In this article we will look at how to choose a suitable paper and how to handle and preserve your paper.

Paper Texture

Watercolor paper comes in three main textures: smooth (called hot-pressed), medium (cold-pressed or CP) and rough. This photo shows the apparent change in tone due to the shading effect of the progressively heavy textures.

Hot-pressed

The smooth, flat surface of hot-pressed paper is most suited to fine, detailed work. The lack of texture gives the paper a whiter appearance than a textured paper so colors appear more saturated and tonal contrast is more pronounced. Hot-pressed paper is less forgiving when it comes to large washes due to its heavy surface sizing. Blooms can be a problem on hotpressed paper.

Cold-pressed

Cold-pressed paper sits halfway between hot-pressed and rough. It has a moderate texture so there is a slight shadow cast into the tiny pits in the paper. This reduces the appearance of whiteness and desaturates the colors slightly. However the paper is much more forgiving than hot-pressed when it comes to big washes or manipulating drying pigment. Cold-pressed is a good all round paper. It allows for plenty of fine detail while giving your work a subtle underlying texture.

Rough Paper

Rough paper is just what it says. Its heavy texture suits rustic, heavily textured subjects. Rough paper is not quite as good for fine detail, but like cold-pressed, it is very forgiving when it comes to washes and manipulation.

Paper Weight