Monday, April 7, 2008

Paper


Watercolour/watercolor paper is surprisingly heavy, so consider how many paintings you might do each day. (Don't bring along old paintings! It is amazing to see how often students drag the sad old things along with them wherever they go.)
Always work with good quality rag paper. Coil pads may seem like good value, but will only result in frustration and poor results. Blocks will do, but I like loose sheets, torn to size.
Bring your favorite paper, weight and surface. My choices include Arches 140 or 300 lb cold press, Saunders Waterford 200 lb CP, Strathmore Gemini 140 or 300 lb.

Tear your paper into the sizes you like to work on before you leave home. I recommend that you work small. For travel, the dimensions I choose are - 5.5" x 7.5" and 7.5" x 7.5" the largest being 11" x 11".

The torn papers are then stacked and sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard or mat board and bound with an elastic band or tied with a string. Neat, organized and light! Each day you can select 2 or 3 pieces of paper of a variety of sizes to take along. The extras can be left behind for another day.

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