Materials: Watercolor Paper

The first layer of my mixed media pieces is usually a painting on watercolor paper. The quality of the paper really matters and I prefer 140 lb, cold press paper for mixed media work. 140 lb refers to the thickness of the paper and cold press paper has a rough texture. Hot press paper has a smooth texture.

I find 300 lb paper too thick and stiff for the tapestry-like quality I like to achieve with a finished piece. Papers under 140 lb don’t quite have enough weight to support the multiple layers of painting, drawing, and embroidery in a given artwork.

This photo shows a prototype of the painted layer of a work currently in progress. You can see that this paper is lighter and can’t support the amount of water used in the painting. This is just a practice painting, where I’m sorting out ideas and won’t be used in the finished piece.

For the finished artwork, I’ll use Arches Aquarelle watercolor paper. In the photos below you can see the difference quality paper makes. Arches holds the water without any buckling. It’s also a gorgeous surface to paint on.

140 lb cold press paper holds a heavy wash beautifully.

This ring light, with a daylight temperature setting, allows for better color temperature in my studio lighting when working at night.

The paper has dried beautifully with no buckling.