Which Watercolor Paper Should I Use?

Aug 6
3 min read

One of the questions I get asked most often is, “Which watercolor paper is best?”

Watercolor paper can make or break your paintings, and I believe it’s the most important watercolor supply and the one most often overlooked by beginners.

So which watercolor paper is best? The short answer is…Arches 140lb Cold Pressed 100% Cotton Paper.

Yup. You can take my word for it and stop reading right there 😂

Or keep reading for more explanation on why I’m recommending professional paper for your practice sessions.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase any paper I link here, I’ll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Arches (or any equivalent professional-grade 100% cotton paper) is hands-down the best paper to use if you want to get good results with your watercolors.

But here’s the catch – it’s kind of pricey!

It’s always worth it to pay for quality paper for your final paintings, but what about when you just want to paint for fun or practice?

Which watercolor paper should you use for practice?

In my opinion, Arches paper is best even when you're practicing, but if it's cost-prohibitive, I'd rather you paint with what you have than not paint at all.

Many new artists will reach for either Canson paper or their local art store’s brand of paper.

These watercolor papers are completely fine to use if you’re just starting out; just know that they may make learning a little bit more frustrating.

These papers are not 100% cotton and are not well-sized, so you’ll encounter some struggles when painting with them.

If any of the following things happen to you while painting on cheaper paper, know that it’s not you – it’s the supplies!

Common struggles with watercolor paper that is not 100% cotton:

Water doesn’t sink into the paper as well and “sits on top” of it. This can cause pooling, which can lead to blotchy watercolor blooms in places you didn’t intend for them to be.
Paper buckles easily. Cheaper paper can’t handle as much water as 100% cotton paper. If you load it with lots of water while painting a background wash, it will buckle and warp a lot more than 100% cotton paper would.
Pilling when painting layers. Cheaper paper can start to pill when painting in layers. This can be frustrating for botanical watercolor artists like me who are constantly layering and glazing.
The paper dries VERY quickly. One of the things that makes watercolor special is the ability to paint wet-into-wet. Working on sections while they’re still wet gives you so much more versatility as a watercolor artist, and it’s harder to do with cheaper paper. For this reason, I always recommend that my students use 100% cotton paper for their final projects.

Oftentimes, you’ll need to pull out the 100% cotton paper even when you’re practicing because there are just some things that can’t be replicated on cheaper paper.

For example, in this hibiscus master project I taught in my watercolor membership, The Garden Studio, we used advanced wet-into-wet techniques to create the shadows and highlights in the flowers.

If students wanted to practice before moving on to their final piece, I encouraged them to practice on 100% cotton paper.

When to use Cheaper Paper

Here are some scenarios where you may want to use cheaper paper for practicing.

Swatching your colors
Practicing brushstrokes
Sketching out loose compositions
Casual painting practice

When to use Arches Paper

When it comes to practicing trickier watercolor techniques, you’ll want to practice on 100% cotton paper. You’ll also want to use nice paper for your final pieces!

There is a lot that goes into watercolor painting, but I don’t want you to get bogged down in which supplies are best.

Keep it simple, invest in a few high-quality supplies (paper, paint, and brushes), and start creating!