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

Don’t even think about using a cheap paper. Cotton paper makes all the difference.

Ive never found any watercolor paper comparable to Arches brand paper. So dont even try anything but.

my craft hobby

Often arrives with the corners crushed due to inadequate packing materials. Excellent product!

My favorite go to paper

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.

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!

I love to paint in watercolor, but have only used canson paper, which has served me well and I will absolutely still be using even for cards and things. I never thought Id be able to buy this paper and did ONLY because a wonderful friend gave me a gift card to specifically buy art supplies. But I had to get a little gift for my son and husband :) Then I splurged on a few pads of this paper since everyone says the paper is most important. But paying $20 for only 12 sheets of paper definitely made my stomach hurt and broke out in hives from nerves :) even as a gift it was hard to do. But, I did and was excited to get them....until I got them. 2 of the 3 pads were damaged. It was shipped loose, in a thin bubble envelope :/ 1 of them had the 2 bottom corners totally smashed and a spot in the center bottom was gouged. The 2nd had it corners smashed downward. The 3rd was fine, probably in the middle. I was in tears. It was hard to buy this for myself already, I felt super guilty or selfish I guess, but then to have them messed up was a bummer. They were supposed to be something cool to look forward to using after a major surgery in a few days, so anxiety is high in general. O contacted the seller who said it wasnt their problem. So after an hour or so on the phone with Amazon and sending pictures as proof, they will supposedly be refunding or return for new ones...though theres no time before surgery to deal with this. But, theyll work it out. I wish Amazon would package things accordingly as to what the item is...paper in plastic wrap needs protection from getting its corners or edges smashed. Yet a toothbrush could be in a 10x10 box rattling around. Makes no sense. Better packaging would be awesome :) I need the edges to be straight, full length, because I make cards for friends and family and I buy this size paper so I can cut it perfectly to make a few cards...so when sides are crunched, then I have to cut edges off on 3 of the side, hopefully straight, but that completely throws off my card size, which throws off the size of the envelopes I make too. So...when you need to be frugal, knowing this is all Ill ever have of this paper, you need every bit. But, Ill figure that out. But the paper is awesome paper for watercolor!!! I feel super fancy...even though Im definitely not :) ;)

Arches cold pressed paper is the best paper. I use it for all my finished pieces. It may not be the most affordable paper but it is so worth the money. I do use another brand for practice, so if your a beginner you may only want this paper for finished work.

Perfect for for watercolor excellent