Watercolour Paper

There are 3 surface textures of watercolour paper. HP hot pressed is the smoothest and is best suited for detail work such as botanical painting. CP cold pressed or NOT is the most popular as it is slightly textured and suitable for most types of work. ROUGH has a heavily textured surface and is best suited for landscape and seascapes, where the texture of the paper can enhance the artwork.

There are two main types of material used in watercolour paper. Cotton which is found in the highest quality papers and has excellent archival qualities.  The second raw material used is cellulose pulp which is created chemically from wood. This offers a more economical watercolour paper. Some papers use a mixture of the two materials to give balance between quality and budget.

There are a number weights of watercolour paper available. We recommend that papers of 300gsm or below should be stretched to prevent them buckling when wet.

Watercolour paper is traditionally white, but there are a number of tints available from cool, high white shades to warm, traditional cream shades. Bockingford Watercolour Paper is also available in 5 tinted shades, Blue, Cream, Oatmeal, Grey and Eggshell (green). These can give an instant mood and atmosphere to a watercolour painting.

If you can't find the watercolour paper you are looking for or want more advice on choosing the best watercolour paper, please contact us. We are always keen to help.

Read More