Comments on: The Hidden Secret to Better Water Control

By: Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 06:59:17 +0000

In reply to Linda Lord. Hi Linda Love the Starbucks analogy! :-)

By: Linda Lord

Linda Lord — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 03:04:41 +0000

budding watercolorists need to realize that “practice” on lousy paper is not indicative of what happens on good 100% cotton paper. I have found that even 100% cotton papers have variable characteristics. The one that I can count on is Arches. I tell my students a 9×12 sheet of Arches is cheaper than a cup of Starbucks, you will enjoy it longer , and actually have something to show for the money spent.

By: Natasha

Natasha — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:49:28 +0000

In reply to Nel. Absolutely love NY Central paper. Discovered it in the painter's swatch book from Jerry's Artarama.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 06:13:36 +0000

In reply to Nel. Sounds like a great experiment Nel :-)

By: Nel

Nel — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 20:12:18 +0000

Great article (as per usual)! I’m trying to teach my students the difference between paper types and what each is good for. So far we’ve tested 100% cotton (NY Central), 25% cotton (Fabriano), and Canson wood pulp paper. As you’ve said, they’re all totally different and good for various things

By: Anthony

Anthony — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:00:23 +0000

In reply to Marshall Solomon. :-)

By: erna

erna — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:07:41 +0000

Thanks Anthony .very helpful!!

By: Marshall Solomon

Marshall Solomon — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:06:45 +0000

I too found paper to be a concern. I do my practice sessions on Wood based paper and my final paintings on Cotton. There are several good cotton papers that are cheaper than Arches and seem to do about the same for half the price. Best way is to try them.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 06:45:12 +0000

In reply to Nancy Trimper. Great idea! Practicing on Arches will really show you the difference - and you can always reuse the sheet for smaller studies afterwards.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 06:44:04 +0000

In reply to Mareta.

Well done on finishing the tomatoes, Mareta!
Struggling at this stage is completely normal… Each attempt teaches you something new, so trying again is exactly the right approach.
Sometimes just switching to better paper can make a big difference too. Keep going—you’re doing great!