PAPER

There are three main types of artist manufacture:

1 Handmade paper - infinitely variable and generally not suitable for coloured pencil work

2 Mould made paper – much more consistent and some makes are excellent for coloured pencil

3 Machine made (Fourdrinier) paper - still more consistent and therefore good for coloured pencil.

Mould Made paper – Mould made paper is made by a machine comprising a cylindrical mould and a stainless steel vat. The cylinder is placed in the vat, a very dilute mixture of and water is pumped into the vat and this mixture forms a fibrous web on the cylinder mould. This fibrous web is then pressed variously to form the different surfaces available and described below. Many artists favour mould made watercolour as they are more consistent in their durability than handmade papers but still have excellent surface textures.

Machine made (Fourdrinier) papers – This process uses a flat machine that comprises of a forming section (where a slurry of fibres is filtered out on a continuous loop to form thin ‘sheets’ of the wet mixture), the press section (where the sheets are then pressed to remove as much of the water content as possible), the drying section (where the sheets are then snaked through a number of heated cylinders to remove more of the moisture) and the calendar section (where the paper is smoothed into flat sheets). This is the most consistent method but less sensitive for texture and quality.

QUALITY Paper is made from either cotton pulp or a mixture of cotton and cellulose pulp (chemically created from wood) 100% is generally considered the best quality and essential for museum work. It is made from cotton linters which may have been taken from cotton rags. The length of these fibres is a lot longer than wood fibre and this makes cotton paper a lot stronger and more durable. It is also acid free which means that it will not deteriorate over time (acid can cause papers to yellow and become brittle). 50% or 25% is also OK for pencil work but make sure that whatever the paper it is labelled Acid Free. Wood pulp used in the paper manufacture has been broken down chemically and this removes the lignin which is the substance that holds wood fibres together, and by removing the lignin the paper is strengthened, whitened and made purer. The acid content is removed which minimises discolouration over time.

Extra white and high white papers at present cannot be described as having a bright white appearance. They are whiter than their traditional counterparts, but are still creamy white. The extra whiteness is achieved by adding a little bleach to the paper, as well as a small quantity of titanium dioxide pigment.

PAPER SIZES Loose sheets of watercolour paper often come in Imperial sizes while pads and blocks of watercolour paper usually come in European (ISO) A sizes.

A sheet of Imperial or Full Imperial is 30×22 inches (76x56cm).

A Full Imperial sheet of paper is a bit smaller than A1 which is 84.1×59.4cm. Other A sizes are half of the larger previous size. A2 is 42×59.4cm (half A1) A3 is 42×29.7cm (half A2) A4 21×29.7cm (half A3) A5 21 x 14.8cm (half A4)

Paper weight is either measured in grams per square metre or by lbs per ream.

WATERCOLOUR PAPER SURFACES Watercolour paper is available in 3 textures:  Hot Pressed Paper It is the least textured surface, and is completely smooth and therefore best suited to detailed and botanical work. The smoothness is achieved by pressing the paper between 2 hot metal rollers.  Cold Pressed or NOT (meaning NOT Hot Pressed) Paper

Not or Cold Pressed paper is the name given to paper with has a slight tooth to it and as such the most popular surface for watercolour painters as the paint will sink a little into the dimples on the surface of the paper. It is made by pressing through the cold metal rollers. The texture is too even for coloured pencil work.

 Rough surface paper This is the roughest texture paper available. It is pressed between sheets of textured felt during the drying process, which is why it has a felt like texture. This paper surface is not recommended for those interested in detailed work and is more suited to bolder, more expressive painting techniques.

WATERCOLOUR PAPER SIZING Watercolour paper is traditionally sized with gelatin so that the watercolour paint does not sink straight into the paper. The gelatin provides a little resistance and forces the paint to sit on the surface and only partially sink into the paper. Paper can be sized with gelatin internally or externally. Internal sizing is when the gelatin is added to the water and pulp mixture before the paper has been made, and external sizing is when the sheets of paper once made are soaked in a gelatin bath. Internal sizing ensures that the paper does not become more absorbent even after scratching or scrubbing the surface of it. Many high quality papers are both externally and internally sized. If the sizing on a paper has been too heavily applied then coloured pencil becomes more difficult to apply and layer up and reversely if there is not enough size the surface can become fluffy and too soft, sometimes resulting in lifting or tearing.

WHICH SIDE TO USE? All paper is made with differences between the two sides. With mould made artist papers the sides are called the 'felt side' and the 'mould/mesh side'. The felt side is the one that touches the woollen felts first during manufacturer and the 'mould side' is the side that touches the wire mesh around the cylinder called a mould. Both sides of the paper can be used for painting, but the 'felt side' is the side we use for coloured pencil work. This side often feels slightly rougher and when viewed through a magnifying glass looks the more uneven but strangely this side gives a smoother laydown of colour. The mould/mesh side feels smoother but when viewed through a lens looks textured like a canvas fabric and this will result in uneven colour and this linear texture will show up around highlights and areas where colour is applied less heavily.

It is difficult to tell the differences between the two sides - you need to look very carefully at the paper in a good light and with a magnifying glass to try to see the lines left by the fine wire mesh of the mould (this is the wrong side for coloured pencil work).

BRISTOL BOARD is an uncoated, machine-finished paper, layered or ply board said to be named after the city where it was originally produced, in England. Bristol board comes in two key finishes: vellum (with a slight texture and good for coloured pencil work) or smooth/plate (very smooth and more difficult to layer up with coloured pencil). There are various makes so check that it is Acid Free and has a high content of cotton.

WHICH PAPER TO CHOOSE?

It is really important to try out papers with a graphite pencil and with coloured pencils so you can get the feel of how the paper reacts to your touch. Some retailers sell tester packs so you can try them out or if you are in an actual shop rather than online ask if you can try the paper before you buy. am quite heavy handed so I choose a paper that suits me but it took a lot of trying before I found the paper I felt happy with and I still always try my paper first, if possible before buying, and certainly before starting a drawing. We are not all the same so different papers will suit some and not others. TEST OUT FIRST!

SUGGESTIONS FOR PAPER THAT WORKS WITH COLOURED PENCIL  Fabriano Watercolour Paper 25% Cotton (slightly creamy)  Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Paper 300gms (white)  Strathmore Bristol Board VELLUM 300series and 400 series (white/slightly greyish)  Stonehenge 300gms  Arches Watercolour paper 300gms (quite creamy)

STORAGE

Paper is sensitive to the environment so whatever type of paper you choose do keep it dry, cool, preferably flat and away from bright light. Make sure it is not in contact with any non-acid free paper such as copy paper or card, such as cheap packaging. If you look after it well your paper should keep for years.

When you have finished your work store the same way but preferably interleaved with either acid-free tissue or paper and stored away from the light. There will be notes on framing on the member page on the website.

LAYOUT OR MARKER PAPER this is very thin white paper 60gms in weight which is useful for doing your initial design work. It is thin enough that you can overlay with a clean sheet and see your original sketch through so you can then measure and refine your initial drawing several times until you are satisfied before transferring onto your final working paper, either using a lightbox, sunlit window or . This paper is also useful if you need to make additions to your final drawing; rather than draw onto the finished page overlay with the layout paper, draw the additional elements on the layout before transferring to your finished piece. This eliminates any mistakes and erasures on your finished piece.