Emrys Art - Watercolour Pads Information

 Water colour papers are available in three different surfaces, Rough, Not and Hot Pressed. 

Rough is the heaviest texture, embossed from the surface of the blanket between which the sheet is dried.  Not or Cold Pressed is a Rough sheet which has been cold pressed to flatten out the texture.  Hot pressed, is just that and produces a smooth sheet.  ‘Not’ water colour paper is the most popular. 

Weight
The weight is measured in two ways, either Imperial or Metric.  The Imperial weight is that of 500 sheets of Imperial sized [30” x 22”] paper.  A lightweight water colour paper might be 90lb.  The Metric weight is grammes per square metre [gsm].  A 90lb paper is equivalent to 190gsm.  Papers are generally referred to as heavy or light in weight.

A heavier paper is more resilient to tearing/general storage, being stronger simply because there is more interwoven fibre in a heavy sheet.  Heavier papers are preferred by many water colourists as they are able to take heavier washes without cockling.  Lightweight papers should be stretched if substantial amounts of water are to be used. 

Cockling is the wrinkling of the sheet when substantial amounts of water are used.  Heavier sheets used in printmaking should be soaked long enough to ensure suppleness, a 300lb sheet should be submerged for at least 20 minutes.

The three surfaces are relative to each other within each manufacturer’s range, ie. Rough from one brand could be smoother than Rough in another.  ‘Not’ is the most popular as it contributes a modest texture to the water colour painting.  Rough is used by water colour painters who rely more on granulation and texture to emphasize the surface.  Hot Pressed papers are used by illustrators and minaturists where a smooth finish blends with the image more comfortably.  ‘Not’ paper gives the brightest water colour paintings because its increased surface area holds more colour and therefore reflects more light.