We’ve all been there. We want to try something new. But we get to the art store and are suddenly overwhelmed by the options. At our shop, we try to help you make informed decisions about the best supplies for you. In honor of World Watercolor Month, today, I want to talk about why you might choose one kind of paper or another.
Paper can be made from several things, cellulose (aka trees), mulberry leaves, bamboo, cotton, or any number of fibers. Mostly watercolor paper is either tree pulp, cotton, or some combination of the two. Because there is so much variety in both weight (thickness) of paper, content, and texture, I tried to find the most similar types of paper in watercolor and mixed media to compare. I found these.
Strathmore Visual Journal, Mixed Media (left) and Handbook Journal, Watercolor (right)
These are both acid free 100% cotton papers with a slight texture. The Strathmore Visual Journal is 90 lb. (190 gsm) paper with a velum finish. The Handbook Journal is 95 lb. (200 gsm) cold press paper.
Today’s test is color diffusion. Did you know that the paper you choose can impact the way your watercolors spread on the page? I certainly didn’t, until I did this test.
I knew that watercolors spread out if they are put on wet paper. So, I set up a time lapse to capture how they spread on these two different papers.
Time lapse of watercolor moving in water on mixed media vs watercolor paper.
The paper on the left is the mixed media paper. The paper on the right is the watercolor paper. I applied clean water to both pages before touching them with a color loaded brush. I was astonished at how much more the color spread on the watercolor paper vs the mixed media paper!
Does this mean watercolor paper is ‘better’ for watercolor than mixed media paper? It depends. There is no wrong way to art. If you like the way watercolors an spread and create those wispy edges, I would recommend watercolor paper. If you don’t want you color to move as much, may try a mixed media journal instead.
This isn’t the only difference between these two papers and every paper, whether watercolor or mixed media, is created differently. But know that if your paint isn’t doing what you want it to, it may help to change your materials.
Until next time!
