Arches Watercolor
Posted in art supplies on 09/17/2010 02:33 pm by adminArches Watercolor
If you are an artist using the medium of watercolor, you will want to avail yourself of the very finest surface upon which to work. This is one area you do not want to cut corners and go for cheap. It is one of the most important choices you will make before you begin your painting project.
Arches watercolor paper products have been sold since the fifteenth century (1492 to be exact). That's over 500 years of time to develop, test, and improve the product so that, now, you and I can benefit from some of the finest painting surfaces known in the arts.
Most of the artists who use Arches watercolor paper do so because they do not like the experience of working with products that don't match the quality of the champion. Once they have used the best, it is difficult to use paper of lesser quality. And no other product for this medium provides such a huge selection of sizes, surfaces, and formats for creative expression.
The original Arches watercolor paper is sometimes referred to as Natural White. It is the choice of leading watercolorists all over the world. The product we know today it the result of more than five centuries of manufacturing experience. It is a product you can rely on to always be consistent.
Arches watercolor papers are manufactured in Arch, France using the same process that has been developed over the centuries. The manufacturing process involves rolling the 100% cotton fiber through a heavy cylindrical mold. Even though the product is made in France, the pure cotton fiber is imported from Tennessee where the world's best cotton is still grown. The products are so durable that they will remain beautiful and vibrant for centuries without conservation, if stored and handled properly. They are acid-free, pH-neutral, gelatin-sized, and air-dried to make them much more durable and colorfast.
And this excellent artist's surface is not just for watercolors. Many artists use them also for drawing, calligraphy, gouache, printmaking, acrylics, and even digital printing.
There are three different texture types. There are rough, cold pressed, and hot pressed textures. The textures act quite differently on each type of texture so that the artist can get much different looking work depending upon the texture used. The more detail the artist wants to show will have a bearing on which texture she uses. Therefore, cold pressed paper would be used for the most detailed watercolor work.
No matter which surface you choose to work on, Arches Watercolor Paper will give you the best results. Learn more about watercolor paper and other products and techniques for watercolor painting at www.watercolor-instruction.com.
Watercolor Paper Question. I am painting my first large format (32 x 38 inches) on Arches 140 pound paper. ?
I cut the sheet from a roll and the sheet is still really tightly rolled. How do I flatten it?
You need to stretch the paper. This is done by immersing the paper FLAT in a tub of water. I use my bathtub for this. The water must be cold. Soak the paper for 15-20 minutes. Remove the paper from the water and allow it to drip dry for 5 minutes. You DO NOT want the paper to dry completely. While the paper is still damp, you need to lay it on a board and tape it down, or staple it to the board. This is stretching. You must use watercolor stretching tape, or a good staple gun. Tape or staple the paper about 1/4 inch from the edge. When stapling, place a staple in the middle of each side, then work from the middle to each end. With a sheet the size of yours, I would use at least 3-4 staples on each side of the middle staple. Make sure your staples are far enough in on the paper to allow for shrinkage when the paper dries. Too close to the edge and the staples will either pull out, or the paper will tear.
I have never had good luck with tape. I can never get it to stick. I have bought tape made specifically for stretching watercolor paper, but I can't get it to work.
The board I use to stretch my paper on is a piece of material formerly used in the construction industry. It is becoming harder to find here in the US because it's not being used anymore. I can't remember what it's called, but it is compressed paper. It is NOT MDF. Check with some smaller hardware stores or lumber companies. They may have some. Since it has fallen out of use for the construction industry, it will be hard to find. They may cut it to size for you because it comes in 8'x4' sheets. Have them cut it to at least 2 inches larger than your paper. If you are planning to paint a larger picture in the future, you may want to have a board even larger. I would suggest having several cut to different sizes to accommodate different sizes of paintings, large and small. The smallest I use is an 19"x25", which I can place several small size paintings on, or 1 - 18"x24" sheet of paper.
Once the paper is completely dry, it is stretched. It can now be worked.
Master Disaster with Susan Webb Tregay
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