Which watercolor paper should I choose? Tips and tricks for watercolor painting

Guide to choosing watercolor paper

Why is watercolor paper important?

When painting with watercolor, the quality of the paper is crucial to your result. Watercolor paint uses large amounts of water, which places high demands on the paper. If the paper cannot absorb the water properly, colors will flow uncontrollably, the paper may curl and your details may be lost.

300 grams vs. 200 grams watercolor paper

One of the most important factors when choosing watercolor paper is the gram weight. The most common types are 300 grams and 200 grams, but what's the difference?

300 gram watercolor paper

• Best for beginners and intermediates
• Can absorb a lot of water without wrinkling or waving
• Gives better control over colors and techniques
• Does not necessarily require clamping to plate
• Ideal for layering techniques

Why I don't recommend 200 gram watercolor paper

• The paper is best for sketches and light watercolor drawings
• Thinner and more vulnerable to large amounts of water
• Should be stretched on a plate as it undulates a lot and cannot carry the amount of water for landscape paintings
• Less suitable for heavier, wet techniques
• Often cheaper than 300 gram paper but you will be challenged because it is harder to succeed if you follow a course program.

If you're a beginner, I always recommend starting with 300 gram paper with a rough surface. This gives you the best conditions to get a good result from the beginning.

Different surface textures

Watercolor paper comes in three surface textures: rough, cold pressed (NOT) and smooth (hot pressed). Your choice depends on your style and the effects you want to achieve.

Rough surface

• High texture and clear structure
• Ideal for landscapes and expressive techniques
• Absorbs water slower and gives a softer effect
• Perfect for wet-on-wet techniques

Characteristics of cold pressed surface, denoted (NOT)

• Light texture, but less pronounced than rough paper
• Most used type among watercolor painters
• Provides a good balance between detail and color fading
• Suitable for most watercolor techniques

Characteristics of smooth hot pressed surface

• Almost no texture
• Perfect for fine details and illustrations
• Ink penetrates the paper quickly and flows less
• Less suitable for wet-on-wet techniques

Recommended watercolor blocks

There are many great brands of watercolor paper, but some of the most popular are:

• Saunders Waterford (300 g, raw or cold pressed)
• Arches (300 g, raw or cold pressed)
• Hahnemühle watercolor paper 300 grams rough surface
• Sennelier (300 g, raw or cold pressed)

These blocks ensure you get a good foundation for your watercolor painting.

How to succeed in watercolor

If you want to be successful with watercolor, you need to invest in good paper. 300 gram paper with a rough or cold pressed surface is ideal for most people. If you're looking for fine details, try hot-pressed paper, while 200 gsm paper is best for light sketches.

Want to know more about watercolor painting? Check out my watercolor courses here: www.kunstogkurser.dk