WATER COLOUR PAPER

There are hundreds of excellent water colour papers on the market. I am always trying new paper - there are a few I constantly use, but experimenting with different papers is a good way to keep your work interesting and exciting.

Arches 300gsm cold pressed or rough is a good all round paper. It takes washes very well and can handle a fair amount of abuse. Saunders 300gram is also an excellent paper. Cotman 300gram is a cheaper paper with fairly heavy sizing. I use it for quick sketches and demonstrations. The paint tends to sit on the surface creating all sorts of interesting effects - it is not a good paper for large flat washes.

Store your paper in a dry acid free area. If possible leave the paper in the large plastic sleeve it comes in. If storing in a draw or on a shelf make sure the paper does not come into contact with acidic chip board or particle board. A couple of thick coats of paint or varnish will seal in the acid.

stretching paper
Anything larger than a quarter sheet of 300 gsm paper should be stretched. The easiest way to do this is as follows...

	First spray both sides of the sheet then let it sit for a minute. You will notice the paper swell up
	Next tape the paper to a *rigid board with gum paper tape (not masking tape). Once dry the paper will shrink back to its original size making a nice tight surface to work on. When your work is finished and completely dry run a Stanley knife around the inside of the tape to remove it from the board
	If you plan to work very wet, soak the paper in a tub of water for fifteen minutes and then stretch it over a soft rigid board, pinning or stapling it around the edge.

*To prevent acid leaching out of the board and ruining your paper, seal the board with a few heavy coats of gesso

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