Arches Watercolor Paper Cold Press Vs Hot Press

Hot and cold press pagers and my recommended materials.

Arches watercolor paper cold press vs hot press.

A sheet of paper is basically a thin mat of tangled cellulose fibers to make cold pressed paper sheets of cellulose pulp are pressed through felt covered metal rollers at cold temperature hence the designation cold. Watercolor paper that feels smooth to the touch similar to mixed media or drawing paper just way way way thicker is called hot press paper. I ve actually been on the search for a months now for a cold press paper that has the texture similar to hot press. To keep this straight i like to think of the paper being hot ironed flat.

This is why the watercolor paper is such a personal preference. For comparison i used arches hot pressed watercolor paper and arches cold pressed watercolor paper. If you re reasonably careful you can paint 50 washes on arches paper. It tends to absorb paint faster.

Arches 100 rag watercolor paper natural white gelatin sized acid free arches aquarelle watercolor paper is one of the finest art papers in the world. Cold press watercolor paper is labelled cp or in england not meaning not hot pressed. Bumpy texture watercolor paper however that has a bumpy feel to the touch is known as cold press watercolor paper. Rough watercolor paper compared posted on april 23 2019 august 11 2020 by sudarshan kar disclaimer this article may contain affiliate links this means that at no cost to you we may receive a small commission for qualifying purchases.

Paint tends to sit a little more on its surface and may take a little longer to dry. Arches aquarelle has an even natural grain. Hot pressed papers are plate smooth and are ideal for traditional watercolor techniques as well as printmaking pen and ink drawing and airbrushing. Because personally i like the smoother.

When it comes how much water each kind of paper can hold without breaking down i found them very similar. Cold press paper has tooth aka texture. It tends to be a little thirstier in my experience. The really great thing about arches cold press versus a student grade paper is the sizing is heavy enough to let you really work with the paper.

These are the two main watercolor paper types. The overwhelming favorite amongst artists is arches but i ll include a variety for you to choose from. I am an absolute fan of. The rich cold pressed surface is a particular.

Cold pressed hot pressed and rough. I used quite a bit of water on both. The choice of texture will depend on the medium used by the artist. Here are some readily available hot and cold press papers.

Hot press paper has a soft surface. Maybe you ll find a favorite. A less sized watercolor paper only allows for one or two washes before it starts looking worn. 300 lb arches cold press.

The term cold press originates from the process used to manufacture the paper.