Arches Watercolor Pad 9x12-inch Natural White 100% Cotton Paper - 12 Sheet Arches Watercolor Paper 140 lb Cold Press Pad - Arches Art Paper for Watercolor Gouache Ink Acrylic and More

Great paper for a beginner artist!

Nothing did I dislike about Arches (real 100% cotton paper) as went through 4 (cellulose ones) and truly thought it was my fault but paper drys to fast while cotton holds water better!

My favorite go to paper

Ive been doing water color, using watercolor pencils and recently water color markers, for 5 or 6 years now. I always bought fairly good paper - Strathmore 400 series and other decent stuff, but frankly I dismissed Arches as snob appeal, I mean, its more than double the best quality competitors & I always figured it wouldnt really make that much difference. Unfortunately, however, it does. I say unfortunately because this stuff is pricey! If you dont flood your paper with water (I dont, I generally do ink drawings & I control the paint fairly carefully) - if thats how you paint, then save some $ and buy Arches pads instead of the blocks (the blocks are sealed down on all 4 sides, except for a small section on 1 side - that way you can really wet the paper & it wont buckle or curl...and you are less likely to pollute the page underneath). But wow - oh - wow, water a difference top quality paper makes. Im not a good enough artist to describe it well, but the paint just handles better on this paper...regardless of wet on dry, wet on wet, the color just moves better, blends better. And if youre like me & sometimes overflow your black ink lines, its surprisingly easy to clean up edges, even though this paper seems to take paint better than other papers. And if you like to layer, like to scrub in color, or do over-washes. - this paper can take it. Im lucky enough that my budget allows me to buy Arches for most of my work (it helps that Im not doing anything over 12 - 14) but I still use the other papers for practice & test layouts, it does cause me pain when I ruin a 5 x 7 piece of paper that cost $3.00 by doing something stupid! But when you can afford to treat yourself - buy some Arches paper - all the hype is true, in this case!

I really like this watercolor paper but its hard on the budget.

I had been trying to paint on cheap paper for a long time because, I reasoned, I was still learning and didnt want to waste expensive paper on crappy work. I was always struggling to get my work to look like the tutorials Id follow, even though I was making the same mixes and strokes. This paper though makes a huge difference. It stays wet longer than the cheap stuff, the colors blend better and can be reworked or scrubbed. The paint doesnt get reactivated and smeared as easily when you go to put a second or third glaze on. Anyone here saying that the cheap paper is just as good is objectively WRONG. Theres a reason professional painters use this paper. But even if youre still learning like I am, Its made painting a lot less frustrating for me and I feel like Im actually learning now that I can get the same results that I see other people getting.

Great paper.that soaks up water and retains shape. Excellent product.

This is the best price that I’ve seen on Arches paper so far. I thought I would try this paper because I’ve heard people say it’s the best. I’ve also heard it’s very expensive but it’s the most important thing in watercolors. They say if you’re just starting out with watercolor and want to invest in one good quality item, the best quality paper you can afford is the first thing you should buy. Then they say Arches is the brand of that high quality paper, always followed by, “it’s expensive but worth it”. I find that If you buy it from an art store at full price it is much more expensive. I have been able to find it on Amazon for a much better value. The paper is great and I do get better results when I paint on it. I feel like the paint behaves differently than on cheaper, cellulose paper. I buy this 9x12 paper pad then I cut the sheets down in halves or quarters. This stretches the value a bit further. I find that if I paint on an entire sheet of 9x12 I end up with a lot of empty space around the outside edges of the page anyway. I’m new to watercolor and have been working on composition but a lot of my practice focuses on single subjects. I do a lot of practice on cheaper paper and then bring out this Arches paper for the “higher quality” practice. The “practice” pieces that I don’t mind showing to other people. The cheaper, cellulose paper is a place for me to determine which colors work well for the subject I’m painting, to practice how to hold the brush or even the correct size of brush for the subject I want to paint. Like I said, I’m new to watercolor so I have to start from square one. Once I’ve figured that out I am able to bring out the cotton paper to practice my blending techniques, how much water to use, the different behaviors of all the colors on my palette, etc…. Arches paper is very forgiving for beginners like me because I find that the paper can stand up to the scrubbing and lifting of mistakes. If I accidentally use too much water the paper dries nicely (eventually) enough that the whole piece isn’t ruined. In the event that the piece doesn’t turn out well on the front of the paper I can still use the less textured back side of the paper so that it doesn’t go to waste. The paper is very durable since it’s so thick and made of cotton and it can handle being painted on the front and the back.

Want to improve your watercolor paintings? The BEST thing you can do for yourself is to start with good cotton paper. Expensive brushes wont do it neither will expensive paints yes they help but quality paper is your springboard. Buy this paper and you will see an improvement in paint control and flow. Happy painting !

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