How do I choose watercolor paper for beginners?

Gsm , thickness, cotton paper , grain… How should you choose your watercolour paper depends on a few factors. It also depends on how much water you use for an ideal rendering, it shouldn't buckle or bleed.

Here are a few pointers!

Weight - Gsm

Watercolour paper is ranked by number of grams per square meter, generally between 180 and 800 g. The higher the grammage, the more resistant the paper is to paint and water.

• 180gsm- Whilst the price point is attractive being  less expensive, this paper has the defect of buckling faster. So it is essential to stretch it before painting by attaching it to a backing. Ideally For beginners and those who can control the degree of wetness of the paint perfectly.

• 300 g/m: The industry standard and most popular for most watercolours, neither too thin nor too thick, 300gsm Watercolour paper offers the right thickness and a competitive price point. Ideal for everybody, because it is a good compromise, particularly for beginners and professionals.

• Over 600 g/m  Ideal for artist who like to use a lot of Water This heavier, thicker paper holds moisture better. Paint dries more slowly on it , so wait until you are more comfortable with wet techniques before using it. Ideal for those who like to take their time and/or do detailed work.

Are  Grammage & thickness the same thing?

NO  Grammage is not the same thing as paper thickness, just as thickness is not the same as paper weight. 

- Grammage: weight of a square meter of paper. 

- Thickness: that of one sheet of paper, measured in microns.

The grain of the paper Smooth, Medium or Rough, its really whatever you're most comfortable with.

The choice of grain depends entirely on what you want, on your subject, and on the way you'll be working with it. In a nutshell, everyone picks a grain according to their needs!

Hot Pressed (Smooth):  Hot Pressed Watercolour Paper provides a very smooth surface that works perfectly for narrow lines and doing details. 

Cold Pressed ( Medium)  Cold pressed Watercolour paper is the most frequently used texture. Its surface, neither too smooth nor too rough, slightly rougher than hot pressed finish, and easy to use and adapt to almost any situation.

Rough  (torchon grain) Rough Watercolour paper given its coarser texture tends to erase details, it requires considerable technical mastery. While not suited to highly detailed subjects, it works perfectly for colour and relief effects.

Test the paper!

To learn about the features of various papers, there's nothing like doing a little test. Load a dry brush with paint and apply the paint.

- On paper with a Smooth finish colour will be more uniform.

- On Medium grain paper the paint will fragment slightly and the edges will be irregular.

- On rough grain paper, the paint will not cover dips in the paper, producing a very fragmented rendering. 

Should I buy a Pad or loose sheets of Watercolour Paper?

• Gummed watercolour paper pad -  Glued on four sides thanks to its sheets stuck to each another, it allows the paper to remain perfectly tight while working.

• Paper pads -  non gummed and more affordable than the gummed paper, they contain sheets that can be easily torn from the pad and stretched for painting

• Loose sheets: first fastened to cardboard, a panel or a frame with adhesive tape or thumbtacks, they are essential for large format work.