1. Absorbent and varied, here’s all you want to know about watercolour paper…

2. HOW IS WATERCOLOUR PAPER MADE?

3. LAYERS
Watercolour paper is designed to take lots of water. To cope with this, it has multiple layers ready to
absorb it! Between the layers is a ‘size’ (a type of glue) that also prepares the paper for the paint.

4. SURFACE TEXTURE
The layers are then pressed to form a flat piece of paper. How flat it is is determined by how it is
pressed…

5. HOT PRESSED
Hot pressed paper has been pressed using heat to give a smooth surface. Good for fine detailed
paintings with no surface texture wanted.

6. COLD PRESSED
Cold pressed uses the same pressure to press the paper, but without the heat. The remaining
surface has a texture to it, referred to as cold pressed, or ‘not’ pressed (‘not’ heat pressed).

7. ROUGH
Rough paper has had the least amount of pressure applied to it. This results in a much more textured
finish. It really picks up the puddles when you wash over it with watercolour.

8. HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH?!

9. PAPER WEIGHT
Watercolour paper is available in different weights. The most common paper weight is 300GSM
(140lbs). This is a good thickness to use, as it can take heavy washes without buckling.

10. 190GSM – 425GSM
At Cass we stock watercolour paper from 190GSM to 425GSM. It does exist even thicker than that,
although it does get costly!

11. WHAT SIZE?

12. SIZE
Watercolour paper often comes in imperial sizes , rather than A-Sizes like most regular paper. Cass
Art have produced our own brand A4 and A3 watercolour paper pads for convenience! Watercolour
paper is rarely as big as A1.

13. DELICATE
Watercolour paper is delicate, any greasy marks will show up when applying paint, so it’s really
important to handle it with care, avoiding fingerprints and other marks.

14. DO I NEED TO STRETCH?

15. STRETCHING
Much like exercise, watercolour paper sometimes requires stretching to prepare it. If you’re using a
large sheet of paper and/or a large amount of water, stretching the paper will prevent it from buckling
and wrinkling.

16. HOW DO I STRETCH WATERCOLOUR PAPER?

17. SOAK IT
Start by soaking the paper under a tap for a few minutes. The amount of time you soak will depend
on the thickness of the paper.

18. LAY IT DOWN
Lay it onto a flat wooden board.

19. STICK IT
Use gum-stick tape to stick it to the board. Wet the tape, but don’t soak it, then apply it half on the
paper, half on the board.

20. DRAIN IT
Leave the board vertically to dry over night. This should allow any excess water to drain off the paper
ready for you to start painting!

21. IS THERE ANOTHER OPTION..?

22. BLOCKS
Watercolour paper blocks give a ‘no-need-to-stretch’ option for those who don’t want the hassle of
stretching paper.

23. BLOCKS
Gummed edges prevent the paper from buckling.

24. BLOCKS
Once the painting has been completed and has been left to dry, simply insert a palette knife into the
open slit at the top of the block, and carefully slice it around the edges.

25. BLOCKS
The page below is ready for your next masterpiece!