Watercolor Paper: What It Is, Surfaces, and How to Pick the Right One
- Admin
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
by Charles Merritt Houghton
If your paintings keep looking washed out, overworked, or refuse to cooperate with your brush, there’s a good chance it’s not your paint or technique — it’s your paper.
Most beginner frustration in watercolor comes from using the wrong surface. Let’s fix that.
What watercolor paper actually is
Watercolor paper isn’t just heavy paper. It’s typically made from cotton or wood pulp, with sizing (usually gelatin) that controls how water soaks in, how it beads up on the surface, and sinks into the pockets.
Good watercolor paper is basically made to:
Hold up under repeated wetting
Let you lift and rework without tearing
Show off granulation and pigment flow beautifully
Bad paper? It buckles, pills, sucks up water instantly, or weirdly rejects it, and makes your colors look dull. Bad paper can make your life hell. Sure, it's inexpensive, but it comes with a cost, which is often your sanity.
The three main surface types
1️⃣ Hot Press (HP) – smooth
Hot press paper is rolled under heat, giving it a smooth surface.
Pros:
Great for crisp lines, pen work, or botanical illustrations.
Very little texture, so details stay sharp.
Cons:
Less pigment settling, so washes can look flat.
Harder to control large even gradients — water can slide unpredictably.
Use when:
You want super detailed, line-heavy work or plan to scan/print from it. It's also good if you're using sharp tools like a ruling pen or crow-quill/calligraphy nibs to have sharply defined, thin lines.
2️⃣ Cold Press (CP / NOT) – textured
Cold press is pressed without heat. It has a gentle texture (called “tooth”) that’s the go-to for most watercolorists. Some brands have more texture than others.
Pros:
Balance of texture and control.
Shows off pigment granulation beautifully.
Easy to handle big washes and small details.
Cons:
Slightly less crisp than hot press for ultra-fine work.
Use when:
You want expressive washes and control — which is why it’s the standard choice.
3️⃣ Rough – very textured
Rough paper isn’t pressed smooth, so it has a pronounced tooth. And by pronounced, I mean serious troughs and valleys. Light reflects, and pigments collect.
Pros:
Granulation goes wild — pigments break into stunning textures.
Washes sparkle with tiny variations.
Cons:
Harder to do fine lines or small detailed work.
Not ideal for scanning or printing.
Use when:
You want bold, organic texture and maximum granulation.
Famous artist picks (and what that tells you)
🎨 Thomas Schaller, a master of architectural watercolor and atmospheric washes, uses Baohong Cold Press 300gsm. It’s a robust cotton paper that holds heavy wet-in-wet passages beautifully. Baohong has gained fans fast for quality close to Arches at a slightly easier price.
🎨 Many pros (and me, frankly) still swear by Arches Cold Press 140lb (300gsm). It’s durable, pure cotton, beautifully sized, and handles everything from delicate glazes to aggressive scrubbing. Arches have been around since the 1400s, and they still set the bar. But it is expensive.
Why weight matters
You’ll see papers listed like 90lb / 190gsm, 140lb / 300gsm, and 300lb / 640gsm.
90lb (190gsm): Warps like crazy. Avoid unless you’re sketching lightly.
140lb (300gsm): Most popular. Needs to be taped or stretched for heavy washes, but solid. I love buying this in "block" form so I don't have to be careful about the edges curling up on a wet-on-wet extravaganza.
300lb (640gsm): Like painting on stiff board. No buckling, but expensive. Stretching your paper is unnecessary here. This stuff is THICK! (and expensive)
Shorthand advice
Want balanced washes + detail? Get cold press 140lb (300gsm) cotton. Watercolor blocks, with edges held in place by temporary gum, are a convenient way to keep paper taut until it dries. You detach it from the block when you're finished. Arches or Baohong are both stellar. (I have, but have not experimented with Baohong)
Want ultra-crisp lines? Try hot press.
Want dramatic granulation and texture? Go rough.
Final word: buy quality, not junk
Cheap watercolor pads (often cellulose / wood pulp) soak up water unpredictably. Your washes will look dull, hard edges buckle badly, and lifting destroys the surface, leaving little nodules of paper on the surface.
A good 100% cotton paper changes everything. It’s like switching from scratchy student brushes to sable — suddenly the paint behaves.
Quick hit:
| If you only buy one paper — get Arches Cold Press 140lb / 300gsm.
| It’s the gold standard for a reason.
| If you want something new, Thomas Schaller’s favorite Baohong Cold Press might be an excellent pick. He certainly knows his business.
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