Watercolour paper pad - any artists who can help?

[BarnabySaidNo]

I want to try my hand at watercolour painting and am trying to buy myself a pad of paper from amazon. I want something decent that isn’t going to wrinkle but doesn’t need to be premium quality. There’s too much choice and reviews are so mixed. Can anyone suggest a decent pad I could use? Thanks.

Cass art do a really good entry level pad. You will also need some gummed tape and a drawing board.

Anything that’s 140lb Weight is good for water colours. I use any that are reasonable price but that weight.

Thanks! I’ll have a look again, I didn’t know about weight. I have stretched paper before painting (for acrylic though) so should be able to dig out a tape and board, thanks for the reminder. It is a long time (and two dc who are now teenagers ) since I have painted anything.

As someone who started out on cheap, rubbish, paper, I really don’t think you can overestimate the difference reasonable paper makes. You can work with a bad brush or do something reasonable with cheap paint, but it’s impossible to work with bad paper. You end up fighting the paper, and it’s just no fun!

Ideally you want a paper with cotton in it, which does put the price up. The best, budget friendly, paper I’ve found is Khadi paper. It doesn’t come in a pad, but does have nice deckled edges which instantly make your paintings look arty 😁

It comes in different sizes, but here’s a link to A5 watercolour paper:

www.jacksonsart.com/khadi-handmade-100-rag-watercolour-paper-320gsm-rough-20-sheets-pack-a5

Thanks crazzzycat I’ll have a look at that!
I’ve been looking up paper stretching and there seem to be a million different methods. My mum (who used to paint a lot but sadly hasn’t painted anything for years) swears by just taping the paper and painting over it with water first.
Some people actually soak the paper in a tray of water for 20 mins or so before taping it?! I’ve never heard of that before!

I only ever tape the paper to a board. Depending on how much water I use it can end up buckling a little, but to be honest I’m not creating master pieces, so I can live with that. In the unlikely event I create something I really want to keep, it’s easy enough to flatten it out by putting it under something heavy.

Soaking the paper before taping it down would help to minimise the risk of buckling. I’ve also heard of people who wet only the back of the paper before taping it down. That’s supposed to be quite effective too. I think it just depends on how much you mind a bit of buckling.

Do you have a branch of 'The Range' within easy reach? They've got a good range of entry-level artist materials. I like to see the texture of what I'm buying to get a feel for whether it will work with the painting I have in mind. I'm strictly an amateur, for-fun painter and The Range has the advantage of being within 'hobby' budget.

Cass arts 'student' papers are okay but they tend to buckle and cannot be heavily worked. Bockingford is a a good student choice but again be aware it can only take so much working. I use this paper for sketching. Be aware watercolour papers also come in a range of textures NOT, HP & Rough. Rough can be further divided into medium to extra rough. The texture will play a part in how the painting develops. It can take time to work out how to work with a type of paper. For my own [paid] work I prefer acid free heavy weight 100% cotton papers but they tend not to be carried in hobby shops. You might find it useful to read this guide on watercolour papers by Jackson's. www.jacksonsart.com/a-guide-to-watercolour-paper