To ask for help with watercolour painting

[crochetmonkey74]

I'm a novice, but whatever paper I have bought so far (really thick and expensive) it always buckles and isn't flat
Googling seems to suggest ironing it . Any artists here? Is this what you have to do?

Tape it down to a board. A cheap chopping board and masking tape will do.
Whilst your learning techniques The Works are a good source of inexpensive items.

As above! I use wide washi tape.

Please can you let me know the brand, weight and finish of the paper you have bought. I can then signpost further. Please be aware that not all paper sold as watercolour paper is great to use. TBH most available in walk in shops as opposed to specialist online artist suppliers has dropped in choice and quality as costs have risen. You can try stretching the paper on to a board to see if that solves it. I would not iron the paper. Wait till it is dry and try placing it sandwiched between boards under weights.

The “proper” thing to do is to wet it all, then tape it and let it dry. Then it won’t buckle. I’m too impatient for that so I just tape it dry. If it’s terribly buckled afterwards you can wet the back of the painting and put it under something heavy for a while, which should sort it.

Youtube tutorials should help you here. I remember being taught to soak the paper, and then tape it to a board with that paste-backed tape, leaving it to dry before going at it with the watercolours.

Another suggestion to wet the whole page on a board before painting - then either let it dry, or experiment with wet on wet painting 😊

Ahh excellent advice here thank you. I will try the board trick. The brand is Windsor and Newton I think. Bought it in hobby craft . It's an a5 size spiral bound book

Have you pre wet the paper?
That's why watercolor paper needs to be pre soaked. Dried then you paint on it and he doesn't buckle.
Get a bigger than the paper receptacle. Ie if it's A3 you might need to use the bath.
Put paper in. Submerge for one entire minute.
Take out. Tape to a board. Let dry for a day. Then happily paint!

You need to plan doing water colour in advance!

Hobbycraft tend to stock the lower end of student quality watercolour papers with the exception of Arches. Have a look at the range offered by Cass Art online. Their own brand of watercolour paper in a block is better behaved as you learn and more economical to purchase. They also offer a wide range of quality paper as you gain in confidence and experience. In honesty I bulk purchase my cotton acid free watercolour papers from Jacksons Art supplies [London and Glouster based] As a rough guide the heavier the weight of the paper the more forgiving it will be of water washes. Look out for 200gsm.

If you use a good quality cotton paper with a decent size finish you can just sit down and paint.

Heavy papers are more forgiving and don't always need to be taped, but it is better to tape while you are experimenting and not sure what works and what doesn't. Strathmore make very good watercolour paper.

You don't need a bath to wet the paper to tape it!! Just use a big brush and make sure the paper is saturated, then tape to a board (plywood or stiff cardboard etc).

I don't know any professional who irons their paper! Entirely not necessary. If your paper has still buckled, you can wet the back carefully, and then lay under heavy books (put acid free tissue paper between your paper and the books to protect your artwork) for a few days.

If your paper is buckling a lot all the time you may be using too much water in your technique.

Yes you need to tape it flat or stretch before use.

As above, wet the paper thoroughly (submerge in the sink), then tape it to a piece of wood and wait for it to dry.