Jackson's - Paper Guide

PAPER GUIDE

The production of today’s extensive variety of art papers benefits from centuries of papermaking traditions, as well as state of the art modern technologies. Set apart from low-cost mass production, artist papers are tailor-made to suit the working methods of modern artists. We believe that understanding the qualities of your paper will help you to get the very best results. This guide tells the story of the page in your sketchbook or the sheet on your board, and how it can enhance the colours and marks applied to it. We hope that you enjoy reading it and that it might inspire your next idea.

With thanks to Clifford and all the team at RK Burt & Co., Jim and the team at Two Rivers Paper Mill, and Cathy and the technical team at St. Cuthbert’s Mill.

Also thanks to our friends at Art Spectrum®, Clairefontaine/Exaclair, Crescent, Global Art Supplies, Hahnemühle, LuxArchival, Royal Talens, UART, and Winsor & Newton.

Design & Art Direction Hayley Connaughton Graphic Illustration & Design Kaki Wong Photography Darius J. Zomorodian Chief Editor Lisa Takahashi Editorial Team Dan Brady Julie Caves Evie Hatch Clare McNamara Gemma Thompson Jill Watton Printed in the UK by Pureprint.

This publication has been printed on G . F Smith Max which is an FSC® certified paper from responsible sources.

The information in this guide has been collected through consultation with paper suppliers or through in-house testing, and is known to be correct at the time of printing.

What is Paper?

History How is it made?

Paper Weight Surface Texture Colour Ingredients The Ethics of Paper Painting and Drawing Paper Map Watercolour Drawing Pastel Printmaking Oil Acrylic Synthetic Longevity Taking Care of Your Paper Glossary Size Charts About us

4-5 6-11 12-27 28-29 30-31 32-33 34-39 40-43 44-45 46-59 60-67 68-79 80-91 92-101 102-109 110-111 112-113 114-115 116-120 120 121

92-95 98

W H AT I S P A P E R ?

Paper, originating from the word ‘papyrus’, is a sheet material which can be manufactured from a variety of fibrous substances.

Papyrus is a material similar to thick paper (around 0.5mm) that was used in Egypt at least as far back as the First Dynasty, the accession of Narmer, circa 3100 B.C. While papyrus is a lamination of natural plant fibres, paper is manufactured from fibres with properties that have been changed by maceration; softened up and broken down in order to produce a slurry that is more even in its consistency, and finer than unprocessed plant fibres.

Paper has been used by artists for drawing, painting, and printmaking for centuries, and its wider uses make it a cornerstone of our everyday lives. Its inception has had a profound impact on the development of civilization throughout history.

Paper can be made in many different ways, but it is typically produced by processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetation in water. Papermaking, regardless of the scale on which it is done, involves making a dilute suspension of cellulose fibres in water and draining it through a mesh to produce a mat of interwoven fibres.

The most cost-effective, utilitarian papers are almost all now made on large machines - some capable of making 10 metre wide reels and producing up to 600 000 tonnes a year. The manufacture of such economical everyday papers, including printer paper, wallpaper, newspapers, and magazines, prioritises the lowest possible cost per unit and the maximum levels of output.

quality paper that will remain unchanged in its appearance for as long as possible, thousands of years or more with the right care and handling, and is both beautiful to look at and to work with. Before the invention of automated machinery, all paper was made by hand, formed or laid one sheet at a time by skilled paper makers. Many fine art papers are still made by hand for this reason, using tools and technologies that have been in use for centuries.

The uniqueness and character of handmade papers often inspire creativity, and can also produce a more robust end product, as the fibres are less likely to break into shorter lengths as a result of a more sympathetic production process.

By contrast, the aim of the best fine art paper makers is to produce

W H AT I S P A P E R ? | 5

HISTORY Paper is considered one of humanity’s most important inventions, helping to document and preserve information for thousands of years. In China papermaking is taught as one of their ‘Four Great Inventions’, along with printing, gunpowder, and the compass. While paper has been instrumental in keeping records of history, the history of paper itself is unclear. Nobody knows the exact origins of paper, however, we do have artefacts which point to its early inception.

Circa 3100 B.C. The first known usage of Papyrus, from which we get the modern word ‘paper’, is documented in Egypt during the First Dynasty. Papyrus is made from the pith of the Papyrus plant, known to grow on the marshy areas near the river Nile. It was also used to make items such as reed boats, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets. Whereas papyrus is a lamination (layering) of natural plant fibres, paper is manufactured from fibres whose properties have been changed by maceration (soaking in water). Papyrus is known to have been used as a writing surface until around 1100 AD.

200 - 101 B.C.

The oldest known fragment of paper found to date. A part of a map was discovered in 1986 at the archaeological site Fangmatan, near Tianshui in the Gansu province of China.

The remnant shows topographic features including mountains, waterways and roads, and is believed to have been placed on the chest of a man buried in the tomb in which it was found. It is thought to date back to the beginning of the second century B.C.

6 | HISTORY

Before the use of paper became widespread in the country, writers would write on bamboo or pieces of silk. Silk was lightweight and convenient, but expensive. Bamboo was cheap and readily available, but heavy to store and transport. Paper was both cheaper than silk and more practical than bamboo.

The Chinese were the first to have a rudimentary papermaking process.

The practice of this is thought to have begun at around this time. The first papers were used to wrap and pack delicate bronze mirrors.

105 A.D. A eunuch in the Han Court named Cai Lun improved and standardised paper production by using inexpensive materials.

A late Eastern Han (25–220 A.D.) Chinese tomb mural showing scenes of a banquet, dance and music, acrobatics, and wrestling, from the Dahuting Tomb in Zhengzhou, Henan province.

201 - 300 A.D.

300 - 650 A.D.

Papermaking is introduced to Vietnam.

Paper was introduced to Korea in around 350. A papermaking process was developed that produced glossy white paper, which was often sent to China as a tribute and gift for the knowledge they contributed to Korea’s papermaking expertise.

Korean paper at this time garnered a reputation for being particularly well suited to painting and calligraphy.

300 A.D. Paper began to be used as a writing surface in China.

In 610 the Korean Buddhist priest Doncho brought the Chinese method of making ink and paper to Japan.

The Prince Regent Shotoku of Japan found the paper was too fragile, and so introduced kozo and hemp fibres to the paper pulp, which made the paper stronger. Today Japanese papers, known as washi, are used internationally, in particular for relief printmaking. Many of these papers still use the same kozo and hemp fibres that date back to this time.

In around 620 block printing on paper began in China, which drastically increased the demand for paper.

Paper was also manufactured into hats, clothes, stiffened for armour, and thinned for windows, screens, books, maps, and money. At this time, the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, a fine paper was made from straw of rice and bark of wingceltis at Xuancheng. This is the earliest known production of what we call rice paper, although at the time, silk paper was a lot more popular for writing on.

In 751 A.D. at the Battle of Talas, it is often said that two Chinese papermakers were imprisoned in Samarkand. There they shared their knowledge of how to make paper, introducing papermaking to Central Asia. However historians dispute this as possible fiction, and there is archaelogical evidence of paper exisitng in Samarkand before the battle.

The relative economy of paper compared to vellum meant that libraries of the Islamic world were vast. Islamic calligraphers wrote with bamboo quills on plant fibre paper smoothed over with chalk and wheat starch.

Circa 750 A.D. From Central Asia, the Islamic civilisation spread papermaking practices, using hemp, flax, cotton, old rags and rope, to the MiddleEast. This knowledge eventually reached Europe a few centuries later, before spreading to other parts of the world. The word ‘ream’ also came from this time, derived from the Arabic word ‘rizma’, meaning ‘bundle’.

HISTORY | 7

1200s.

The process of papermaking by hand had arrived in Europe. Prior to this, artists and writers would use parchment (or vellum), a surface made of processed animal skin which looks and feels like paper.

Because paper was introduced to the West through the city of Baghdad, it was first called ‘bagdatikos’.

New European papers were made from fibrous materials - old fishing nets, fabric bags, clothes, and rags. Italy invested the most within the industry and implemented improvements to develop their technique.

In the second half of the 13th century, the Fabriano paper mill was founded in a small town in the Marche region, producing linen and hemp papers.

The mill mechanised rag grinding by using hydraulic hammer mills, significantly reducing the time it took to produce pulp.

When coated with gelatine size these papers resembled the vellum often used for the writing of manuscripts.

Left unsized it was ideal for printing copperplate engravings.

In 1282 the first watermarks were used in Italian paper manufacture.

Early wooden printing press. Such presses could produce up to 240 impressions per hour.

1492.

Arches began producing paper.

They provided most of the paper used in France up to the late 1700s.

In addition to fine art paper, Arches also produced paper that was used in documents and currency throughout France and during the French Revolution.

1483.

Spain became the first european country to produce paper money.

1636.

Linen and cotton rags imported by papermills were blamed for the spread of the plague in England.

8 | HISTORY

1690.

The first American paper mill was established near Philadelphia

by William Rittenhouse. The manufacture of paper is now one of America’s biggest industries - there are hundreds of mills in operation, producing millions of tonnes of paper each year.

Newspapers started appearing in the late 1600s and early 1700s.

Increased demand for paper in general stretched the supply of rags until the shortage became so severe that there were rag wars during the mid-1700s, and nations passed laws forbidding rags to be taken out of the country.

Song Dynasty Jiaozi, world’s earliest paper money.

1800s.

Steam driven papermaking machines were developed, decreasing the cost of production of paper. At this time papermills were exploring the possibilities of using wood to make paper. In 1801 Matthias Koops wrote and published the book Historical Account of the Substances Which Have Been Used to Describe Events, and to Convey Ideas, from the Earliest Date, to the Invention of Paper. The book was printed on to paper made from wood shavings, not pulped, but glued together. However, despite receiving funding from the Royal family, his book proved prohibitively expensive to make and he soon went bankrupt.

1700 - 1800s.

In the late eighteenth to nineteenth century, industrialisation greatly reduced the cost of manufacturing paper. The bleaching characteristics of chlorine was discovered, and at the end of the eighteenth century this knowledge was used to bleach cotton, the raw material for paper.

1744.

A process for removing printing inks from recycled paper, known as de-inking, was invented by German jurist Justus Claproth.

HISTORY | 9

1750s.

James Whatman invented wove paper at Turkey Mill, in Maidstone Kent. His initial explorations into wove paper were carried out with printer William Baskerville in 1754.

Prior to this development, all machine made paper was ‘laid’.

Wove paper was a much smoother, less irregular surface than laid papers, on which pigments tended to pool in the ridges of the texture.

Wove paper sheets were formed against a woven mesh material, which did away with the prominent uniform lines found in laid papers.

Consequently the quality of printed work, and the scope for what could be printed, increased significantly.

As well as wove paper benefitting the print industry, it was also an exciting development for watercolour artists, including JMW Turner. This was because it was surface sized with gelatine, made with hoofs and bones, making it incredibly strong and absorbent, and sufficiently robust to take wiping, scratching and scraping.

Such subtractive techniques were not previously possible for watercolourists, and Turner became a master of working in such a way.

Other notable artists who favoured working with Whatman paper include John Sell Cotman, William Blake and Thomas Gainsborough.

10 | HISTORY

The Phantom on the Terrace, Hamlet (1843) by Eugène Delacroix, Lithograph on Arches wove paper.

1798.

Nicolas-Louis Robert of France conceptualised the first machine to produce paper in continuous sheets. The French Revolution put his idea on hold, and he eventually gave his plans to his brother-in-law in England, where the machine was finally completed and patented

by Henry and Sealy Fourdrinier, in 1806. The Fourdrinier is still used to make paper to this day. As an aside, Nicolas-Louis Robert also launched the first hydrogen balloon, and in 1783 ascended in a gondola with his brother, carried by his discovery.

1844.

1950s.

1968.

Canadian inventor Charles Fenerty and German F. G. Keller independently developed processes for pulping wood fibres. The introduction of wood pulp meant that paper production was no longer wholly dependent on recycled materials from ragpickers. By the end of the 19th century, most papers were made from wood pulp with the exception of cotton artist papers.

Acid-free wood-based paper was developed. Prior to this, wood papers deteriorated quickly because of the alum in the pulp, slowly turning paper to ash. Many books and newspapers perished from this time, creating holes in our history. Important documents had to be printed on to expensive rag paper. With the advent of acid-free wood paper came a lower cost means of producing books and documents, as well as artist papers.

Paper that has not been de-acidified is still used to make most paperback books and newspapers.

Arjomari merged with fellow French paper producer PriouxDufournier, changing its name to Arjomari-Prioux.

1863.

The first newspaper printed on groundwood paper was created.

It was made from coniferous trees, using mechanically ground pulp. Such paper is low cost and non-archival, and is still used in newspaper production today.

By the end of the 1980s, Arjomari-Prioux was one of Europe’s top five paper producers. In 1991 Arjomari-Prioux merged with UK company Wiggins Teape Appleton (a company which had comprised previously of bought companies including the Buckland Mill in Dover and Appleton papers in the US) to form Arjowiggins Appleton.

Today Arjowiggins Appleton is one of the world’s leading producers of paper products.

1953 - 1956.

Four competing paper mills: Arches, Johannot, Marais and Rives merged, forming the French papermaking group, Arjomari (the name is formed from the first two letters of each of the merging companies).

2006.

The Blue Rigi: Lake of Lucerne, Sunrise by JMW Turner was sold at auction for £5.8m, and remains to this day to be the most expensive work on paper. It is painted on Whatman paper made at Turkey Mill, with watercolour, bodycolour, pen and brown ink, heightened with white chalk and with scratching out.

Although Whatman watercolour paper is no longer available, St Cuthbert’s Mill in Somerset today produces Millford paper, which is specifically designed to mimic the unique characteristics of Whatman paper.

Claus Rittenhouse House.

HISTORY | 11

MAKING PAPER STOCK No matter the method of papermaking, at the beginning of the process is the production of paper stock. The main constituent of the stock is pulp, a fibrous material made by beating or refining rags, wood, or other plant matter in order to extract the cellulose fibre, the key component of paper.

By the second century A.D., Chinese papermakers had developed a papermaking method which resembles that still used today, characterised by the dilute suspension of cellulose fibres in water. They made pulp using the bast fibres of the kozo plant, bamboo, hemp rags, straw, or scraps of fishing nets, beaten to make a fibrous slurry.

When papermaking reached Europe in the thirteenth Century, pulp was made primarily with hemp, linen, or cotton rags. These materials continued to be the main source of

The Hollander Beater at the Two Rivers Mill.

cellulose fibre in papermaking until the nineteenth Century, when the increasing demand for paper and the invention of industrial papermaking machines led to the use of wood as a source of cellulose fibre. The earliest industrial wood-based papers were made by mechanically grinding the wood into a pulp. This meant that the paper contained a high amount of lignin, a polymer found naturally in wood which causes paper to become yellow and brittle in a relatively short period of time.

As a result, chemical pulping processes were developed to remove lignin and other impurities in order to make longer lasting paper. This is what is known as ‘wood-free’ paper, in which the ‘woody’ components that compromise longevity have been removed during manufacture, leaving only the cellulose fibres.

Artist-quality papers are made using chemical pulp, while mechanical pulp containing lignin is still used to make newsprint.

HOW IT IS MADE? | 13

HANDMADE PAPER Rag papers, handmade printmaking papers.

The process of making paper by hand has barely changed for hundreds of years. Handmade papers are made sheet by sheet, not in a continuous roll. The sheet is formed by pouring the stock onto a mould, which is a hand-held wooden frame with a stainless steel wire mesh draining surface. The sheets are interleaved between woollen felts and pressed to remove excess water. The paper is then tub sized with gelatine or another sizing agent, and air dried.

Artist handmade watercolour paper is usually made with 100% cotton and/or linen rag, which is recycled cloth. Because of the longer fibre length, which in comparison to the cotton linters used in cotton artist papers forms a more robust weave within the pulp that makes each sheet, meaning that handmade is more durable and more able to withstand heavy treatment.

16 | HOW IS IT MADE?

HOW IS IT MADE? | 17

Printmakers utilise many Asian handmade papers which can be lighter and smoother than cotton rag papers. Fibres from the inner bark of shrubby plants have a high cellulose content and long fibres.

Processing involves teasing and beating the fibres apart as opposed to cutting them. The thinnest Japanese papers make use of neri, an addition to the pulp that slows down the rate at which the water drains through the mould. This delay creates time to tilt the mould in various directions, really intertwining the long fibres to increase the strength of the paper.

The smooth surface on the front of these papers is created by brushing them out to dry onto metal sheets.

The sizing and texture may vary between batches of handmade paper, and the sheets usually have four genuine deckle edges.

HOW IS IT MADE? | 19

CYLINDER MOULD-MADE PAPER Most artist-quality cotton watercolour and printmaking papers.

Cylinder mould machines consist of a vat and a cylinder mould. The paper stock is picked up from the vat by a slowly rotating cylinder mould. The cylinder is covered with a wire mesh and, as it rotates, the water flows through the mesh and the pulp forms a web on the outside of the cylinder. The fibrous sheet is transferred onto a continuously moving felt-lined belt and processed further through the different sections of the machine, depending on the requirements of the paper.

The paper is pressed, either between rollers lined with felt to create a rough texture, or hot metal rollers to achieve a very smooth surface.

As with handmade paper, the paper fibres are orientated in random directions, giving cylinder mouldmade papers excellent surface stability which is an asset to all painting and printmaking processes.

Cylinder mould-made paper can be seen as the ‘halfway’ point between handmade and Fourdrinier machine-made paper. The process makes more consistent paper than handmade paper, but is more sensitive to the characteristics of the material than industrial machines.

Full sheets of cylinder mouldmade paper have two genuine deckle edges, and may also have two edges which have been cut to resemble genuine deckle edges.

HOW IS IT MADE? | 21

A cylinder-mould machine.

FOURDRINIER MACHINE-MADE PAPER Cartridge paper, tracing paper, newsprint.

The Fourdrinier machine, named after Sealy and Henry Fourdrinier, was patented in 1806 in response to the growing demand for paper.

Instead of making each sheet by hand, the paper pulp could be dried, pressed, and textured by a series of mechanised rollers, allowing manufacturers to make consistent batches of paper very quickly.

Although there were developments following the first Fourdrinier machine, the process today still remains very similar.

The paper stock is spread over a mesh conveyor belt which removes the water from the fibres with a vacuum. It is then pressed through

large heated rollers to squeeze out even more moisture. Further series of rollers are also used to smooth the paper surface, or add texture if necessary, and to ensure uniform thickness throughout the sheet.

The paper emerges from the machine in giant reels.

Fourdrinier machines are known for their efficiency, producing high volumes of low cost, utilitarian papers, usually used for stationery and printed matter.

However some of the oldest and most renowned mills use their Fourdrinier machines to make artist papers. Using high grade cellulose, they benefit from being strong and archival as well as economical.

HOW TO TELL FRONT FROM BACK? When the paper pulp is captured on the cylinder mould, or on the machine belt, the water will drain through some form of mesh. Contact with this mesh will form a pattern on what is considered the back of the paper.

The paper is then placed or pressed onto natural woollen felts, metal sheets, or in the case of machinemade paper, pressed with marking felts to give a particular texture, or run through calendar rollers to polish the surface smooth.

For many machine-made papers, like cartridge paper, there is no discernible difference between

the two sides. For cylinder mouldmade papers you will find a regular texture on the back (the mould side) and a more random texture from the natural felts used on the front (the felt side). The exception to this would be papers stated as offering a completely smooth drawing or painting surface, which may have more texture on the underside. If the paper has a watermark, when you hold it up to the light, the side on which the watermark is the right way round is the felt side. However, it is down to personal preference and there is no reason why you can’t use either side.

HOW IS IT MADE? | 23

Stock

Rotating cylinder mould

Felt-lined belt

CYLINDER MOULD MACHINE

Press section

Drying section

Sizing bath

Calender rolls

Reel

Pulper

Stock

Headbox

FOURDRINIER MACHINE

Vacuum assisted drainage belt

Press and drying section

Sizing bath

Calender rolls

Reel

SIZING Sizing is added to paper pulp or fully formed sheets of paper to prevent it absorbing colour like a sponge. Size allows paint or ink to partially sit on the surface of the paper, allowing marks to appear crisp and vibrant.

If you were to look at paper under a microscope, you’d see a mass of fibres interweaved every which way, chemically bonded with one another.

In its natural, unsized state, this mass of fibres is as absorbent as the cotton, wood or linen it is made of.

You can see this in action if you apply ink or paint to blotting paper - an example of an unsized paper, which will soak up any liquid colour almost instantaneously. It also impacts upon dry media such as graphite too, which can be more difficult to deposit onto unsized paper, because it is softer and the friction between drawing media and surface is less.

Permeating paper fibres with sizing reduces their absorbency and allows for more of the colour to sit on the paper’s surface. Papers are usually sized internally with alkyl ketene dimer, a purpose made

synthetic wax. Some papers are also externally sized which adds strength to the paper. While some are surface sized with a plant-based ingredient, gelatine (a by-product of the food industry) is usually used.

This process is sometimes referred to as tub sizing, because the process involves immersing the formed sheets in a tub of size.

You can test the absorbency of a paper by putting a drop of water on it; if it sits high without sinking into the paper whatsoever then it is hard sized. Over-sized paper may cause the paint to gather in pools on its surface and give irregular results. You can stop this happening by lightly wiping the surface with a damp clean sponge.

There are three degrees of sizing in paper. Unsized paper is sometimes known as waterleaf paper, and includes examples such as blotting or filter paper. Weak sized paper is also known as soft sized or slack sized and includes newsprint and non ‘waterleaf’ printmaking papers which have a comparatively high degree of absorbency. Hard sized papers include the majority of coated fine art papers.

It’s worth being aware that soap can dissolve paper size, so if you are stretching watercolour paper and intend to soak it, be sure that the container in which you immerse your paper is free from any soap residue, and always use a completely clean sponge to smooth your paper to the board you are stretching the paper to.

Some papers are deliberately oversized to compensate for the loss of sizing that can happen if the paper is soaked for stretching purposes, a preparation that keeps paper flat even if it is saturated with large amounts of liquid.

HOW IS IT MADE? | 27

2 8 | PA P E R W E I G H T

PAPER WEIGHT Paper weight is often stated in two ways - pounds (lbs) and grams per square metre (gsm or g/m2). These two figures are calculated in slightly different ways and can be a little confusing.

Measuring paper weight in pounds originates from the United States of America. The figure denotes how much a ream of 500 sheets of a particular paper would weigh if the sheets are cut to its standard size. For example, the standard size for a sheet of watercolour paper is full imperial, which is 22” x 30”, so if you’re looking at a sheet of 140lb weight paper on jacksonsart.com, the figure of 140lb is actually the weight of the 500 full size sheets.

Unfortunately, not all paper is 22” x 30” as standard. And for this reason, a sheet of 80lb drawing paper is not the same weight as a sheet of 80lb watercolour paper, because a standard size drawing paper sheet is 24” x 36” and therefore larger than the watercolour paper.

Grams per square metre is more straightforward. As the unit name suggests, it tells you what one square metre of the paper would weigh and does not consider standard sizes. Consequently you can compare different types of paper in terms of weight if you look solely at the weight as it is stated in gsm. If we were to return to our example of comparing our 80lb sheet of drawing paper with our 80lb sheet of watercolour paper, the difference in weight is clear when we see that the watercolour paper is 170gsm while the drawing paper is 130gsm.

The ideal paper weight varies depending on what you intend to do with it. For example the lightest papers at 30 - 90gsm would require less pressure in relief printmaking processes and are often favoured by printmakers who hand burnish their prints. Our lightest available paper is the Kitakata washi by Awagami, just 36gsm and perfect for mokuhanga techniques. Cartridge papers that weigh 100 - 200gsm will be easy to

WEIGHT IN IBS.

WEIGHT IN G/M2

24” × 3 6”

22” × 3 0”

500 sheets

500 sheets

roll and transport home from a life drawing class, but a heavier 200 - 300gsm paper will be more robust and able to take heavier applications of media. Watercolour paper that weighs 300 - 425gsm is the most popular. It is sufficiently robust for all water-soluble media applications and costs less than heavier watercolour papers because less raw materials are used to make each sheet.

Papers heavier than 425gsm are less likely to need stretching prior to use. 850gsm+ papers are as stiff as card and could be considered a good alternative to a canvas panel for acrylic painting, or oil if sufficiently primed.

Determining weight in grams is based on 1 square metre for all types of paper.

130 g/m2 170 g/m2 80Ibs.

Drawing paper 80 lb.

80Ibs.

Watercolour paper 80 lb.

1 square meter sheet of watercolour paper (80 Ib.) weighs 170 g/m2

1 square meter sheet of drawing paper (80 Ib.) weighs 130 g/m2

Paper have different basis sizes for detemining weight in Ibs.

PA P E R W E I G H T | 2 9

S U R FAC E TEXTURE There are a wide variety of paper textures available, made to suit all artist mediums and techniques.

Usually, texture is created while the paper is being formed.

Chain and laid papers, like Ingres pastel papers and some drawing and printmaking papers, have a linear, sometimes grid-like, pattern in the surface. The pattern is best seen when the paper is held up to the light, similar to a watermark.

This is created by forming the paper on a wire mesh which carries the chain and laid pattern. This creates lines where the paper fibres are thinner, leaving the impression of the wire mesh in the sheet.

metal rollers, to give them the smooth surface that makes them suitable for highly detailed work.

Handmade watercolour papers are also pressed between natural woollen felts.

Some oil and acrylic papers are embossed with a canvas-like texture.

This is pressed into the paper while it is still in a wet state.

For some papers, a textured coating is added after the paper has been made. Sanded pastel papers, for example, are coated with a gritty abrasive to give them a rough tooth, suitable for holding multiple layers of soft pastel.

Most cylinder mould-made watercolour papers are textured using woollen felts, which give them their distinctive natural-looking texture. Hot pressed watercolour papers are pressed between hot

S U R FAC E T E X T U R E | 3 1

32 | COLOUR

COLOUR The majority of artist papers are various shades of white.

Having a light background allows you to apply a variety of nuanced tones and textures, and the reflective qualities can help transparent colours appear their most luminous. Brightly coloured papers are often used in collage, or when the surface appears between applied marks, such as on pastel paper, and can help optically to bring elements of a composition together. Black paper offers the opportunity to build up light tones, inverting the usual approach to drawing or painting.

The colour of your paper is determined by a number of factors - the colour of the natural fibres that the paper is made of, the amount and nature of any sizing used to influence paper absorption, and the presence of any additives such as Optical Brightening Agents (OBAs), pigments or dyes.

The majority of artist grade, cotton watercolour papers are not bright white. Instead, they are naturally white, without whiteners added, because brightening agents have a lifespan and will stop working over time. Consequently papers that do not contain OBAs tend to maintain their colour over a longer period of time, but may look a little creamier

in colour. Their colour largely comes from the colour of the fibres it is made of, and may be slightly yellowed by any sizing added to the pulp in production.

Papers made of groundwood-free cellulose fibres may appear whiter than cotton papers because the pulp is often bleached during production.

If you’re working on a bright white paper, you might like to check if it contains OBAs by consulting jacksonsart.com. These additives absorb light in the ultraviolet and violet region and re-emit light in the blue region, causing the paper to appear a brighter and cooler shade of white. Unfortunately OBAs do have a limited capacity to function, and over exposure to UV can wear their effectiveness out. As a result it’s advisable to keep such papers away from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, in order to protect their brightness.

with dye are more likely to fade than those coloured with pigment, although technical advancements have allowed for some dyed papers to achieve a higher lightfastness rating.

Black papers are either coloured with dyes or pigments, however some handmade cotton rag papers are made with black cotton offcuts of fabric that may have been dyed for their original use as t-shirts. Unfortunately such papers have poor lightfastness but are a great surface for sketches and experiments that will be stored in a folder, book or drawer.

It is worth noting that no paper is completely lightfast. To preserve paper colour long term it is advisable to protect it behind a UV resistant glass, UV varnish or simply keep it away from direct sunlight as much as possible.

Coloured papers that haven’t been primed or coated are likely to have pigment or dye added to the pulp in production. If you intend to exhibit or sell your work, it is worth checking if your coloured paper has a degree of lightfastness before you work on it. If it doesn’t, it will fade comparatively quickly with prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Papers that have been coloured

COLOUR | 33

Cotton and linen rag being mechanically beaten to maintain the long fibre length.

INGREDIENTS A quality fine art paper can only be made with the highest grade ingredients and production methods.

wood used, however it is not an automatic accreditation and so not all sustainably sourced papers will show the badge on their paper.

Put simply, paper is cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other plant sources that have been treated in water before being pulped and formed into sheets. However other ingredients such as pigments, dyes, buffers and size are also often added to produce papers that look and behave how you might want them to for centuries to come.

In order for the wood to be usable for papermaking, it first has its bark removed, and then is turned into chips which are made by grinding with a rotating grindstone. These are then cooked in an alkaline solution in order to remove as much of the lignin as possible. This is the acidic content of the wood which is a vital component of the plant in life, but in the papermaking process needs to be removed as it would cause the paper to yellow and become brittle over time.

Unfortunately not all the lignin can be boiled away like this, as this would also break down too much of the cellulose fibres needed for the paper. Instead buffers are added, which neutralise the remaining acidity in the paper pulp. This process is known as chemical pulping, and contrasts with mechanical pulping, the lower cost alternative used to produce papers that yellow quickly over time because of their acid content, such as newsprint.

Fibres Used in Papermaking The base ingredient is cellulose fibre. So what are the differences between the various fibres and the papers made from them?

Wood The wood used to make artist paper is a combination of both hardwood and softwood. Softwood trees tend to be evergreens, with needles rather than leaves, and include Pine, Spruce, Cedar and Fir. Hardwood trees tend to be deciduous broadleaf trees, such as Maple, Elm, Birch, Aspen and Poplar. Where softwood trees produce comparatively long (approximately 3.60 mm long and 0.035 mm wide), soft fibres that help with the paper’s strength, hardwood trees offer fibres that are shorter and narrower, denser and comparatively bulkier. The combination of the two types of wood offers the best of both worlds; strength and bulk. Artist papers tend to contain more softwoods than everyday papers because it offers a greater degree of surface strength. Paper is usually made with fast growing trees to make it as sustainable a material as possible.

Many papers will have the FSC mark to indicate the sustainability of the

Fine art wood papers are used for both drawing and painting media, and while being acid-free they are generally not considered fully archival because they have had to undergo chemical pH neutralisation.

Cotton Rag Cotton rag refers to 100% cotton textile remnants used to make paper. The availability of cotton textiles that can be used for this purpose has decreased as more synthetic fibres are used in textile production, which are unsuitable for papermaking. Cotton rag fibre is considered stronger than

wood-based fibre or cotton linters because it is longer, which means it has greater ability to form a tighter weave when pulped. It is also better able to withstand changes in temperature and humidity, giving it the potential for a considerably longer lifespan than wood-free papers. In order to make paper from cotton rags, impurities (such as buttons and zips) need to be removed before they are cleaned, shredded and pulped in order before being set into sheets. Cotton is naturally acid-free and so alkaline buffers such as calcium carbonate are not required.

Cotton Linters Cotton linters are the fine fibres left attached to the seed after the ginning process (as a matter of interest, ‘ginning’ derives from ‘cotton engine’ and is the machine used to separate the cotton from its seed so it can be used to make cotton thread for textiles). The fibres that are still stuck to the seed after ginning are shorter and so therefore the paper made from cotton linters tends to be less strong than cotton rag papers.

However, that said, high-quality cotton fibre paper is known to last hundreds of years without fading, discolouration, or deterioration, and is therefore a very popular surface for fine art applications. Many fine art papers use a combination of cotton linters and cotton rag, in order to make a robust, long lasting paper that is less expensive than a 100% cotton rag paper. Cotton linters are also sometimes blended with woodfree cellulose to make good quality fine art paper for dry and wet media.

INGREDIENTS | 35

Linen Rag Linen rag was the predecessor to cotton rag in papermaking.

The remnants of linen textile were first used to make paper in Europe in the thirteenth century, although there is evidence of linen fibres being used in papermaking that date back to as early as 960 A.D. in Arabia. Linen fibres, derived from the flax plant, are very long and strong. However their availability is limited and so it is comparatively very expensive. Today linen is only used in a few papers, and is often combined with cotton rag or cotton linters.

Bamboo Bamboo fibre has been used to make paper in China for thousands of years, and high-quality, handmade bamboo paper is still produced in small quantities, particularly for printmaking. Bamboo papers are mainly produced in China, Myanmar, Thailand, and India. Bamboo is a very fast growing plant and as a result bamboo paper is considered highly sustainable. Bamboo papers are suitable for a variety of media including sumi-e, graphite, charcoal and printmaking.

Rice The term ‘rice paper’ is a bit of a misnomer. Rice paper for fine art applications is either made from the pith of a small tree, Tetrapanax Papyrifer, or from the bark fibres of the mulberry tree. Tetrapanax Papyrifer, or ‘the rice paper plant’, is indigenous to the swampy forests of Taiwan and Southern China. It is made into paper by stripping the boughs of the tree of its bark, and then extracting the white pith from the rest of the plant stem. This white pith is then swelled with water

and then dried, before being sliced with a knife to produce a continuous sheet. The resulting paper has a fine ivory like texture that is not suited to being used as a writing surface, but was popular for watercolour and gouache in 1900s Europe. Unlike paper made from a pulp, ‘pith paper’ (as it is most accurately known) maintains aligned plant cells from the tree’s natural state. As a result of this watercolours and gouache works made on pith paper require specialist treatment in conservation, and are particularly sensitive to changes in atmospheric humidity.

On the other hand, mulberry paper is stronger than wood cellulose paper. It is made by stripping the bark from the mulberry tree in autumn, cooking it in a solution of water and soda ash before the fibres are carefully prized apart by hand to ensure their lengths are maintained.

Following this process the inner bark fibres are then pulped and formed into sheets. Different types of mulberry tree produce different papers, such as gampi, mitsumata and kozo, all of which are popular relief printmaking papers.

Polypropylene Synthetic fine art papers are made from heated polypropylene pellets which are then extruded to form the base and surface layers of the paper. The resulting paper is opaque, very smooth, and tear and buckle-resistant, though similar in appearance to regular smooth paper. It is also possible to produce clear synthetic paper which can be useful in creating works of art intended to be backlit. As the paper is completely non-absorbent it is more important than with natural cellulose-based paper to spray finished works with varnish to ensure it remains stable.

INGREDIENTS | 37

Other Ingredients Water It is very easy to contaminate paper pulp and so it is vital for paper makers to use the purest available water to avoid this from happening.

Many paper mills are situated by natural lakes and rivers to make use of the readily available water supply, often naturally filtered through limestone.

Calcium Carbonate Calcium carbonate (chalk) is alkaline and is added to groundwood-free, wood-based pulp in order to act as a buffer and neutralize the acidity of any remaining lignin following cooking the wood. This also helps to reduce the dark brown colour that lignin gives the paper pulp, making the final paper whiter. Additionally, Calcium carbonate also makes the paper smoother and more opaque. calcium carbonate also aids the binding of the fibres in the pulp, however too much can reduce the tear strength, burst strength and tensile strength of the paper.

Talc and china clay are alternative ingredients to calcium carbonate, and are able to fulfil a similar role in papermaking.

(optical brightening agents), however it is very expensive and can also impact upon the strength of the paper. For this reason it tends to only be used in heavier weight papers.

Optical Brightening Agents OBAs are additives added to the pulp in order to produce a whiter paper. They absorb light in the ultraviolet and violet region and re-emit light in the blue region, creating the illusion that the paper is whiter than it is. Unfortunately OBAs have a limited capacity and over exposure to the UV rays of natural daylight will eventually cause the OBAs to stop functioning. It is generally thought that papers that contain OBAs are not archival. If you were to take one piece of paper which contained OBAs, and one that did not, into a dark room with a UV blacklight, the paper with OBAs would glow while the ‘optically dead’ paper would not. So, while whiter paper may hold more appeal at first glance, two advantages of fine art paper that does not contain OBAs is that it is more likely to be archival, and it will not change its appearance under different lighting conditions, thus remaining more constant.

Sizing

Pigments and Dyes Both pigments and dyes are known to be used by some paper manufacturers to colour papers, with pigmented papers being more resistant to the harmful effects of UV light than dyed papers.

However if the paper is coloured in manufacture, how it is fixed to the pulp is of equal importance to the quality of the pigment or dye being used. Most coloured papers use a synthetic fixing agent to help with the retention of pigments and dyes.

Titanium dioxide has been added to some papers to make it appear whiter without the use of OBAs

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The amount of size used in papermaking will alter the absorbency of the paper. Unless the paper is waterleaf and completely absorbent (like blotting paper), most fine art papers (both soft sized which is quite absorbent i.e. most cotton and wood-based relief print papers, and hard sized, which is much less absorbent, i.e. the less absorbent watercolour papers) will have a degree of internal sizing. This is usually made of methylcellulose or alkyl ketene dimer (AKD), both low cost and readily available. External sizing is when the formed paper sheets are soaked in a tub of gelatine

(made from animal bones and hides), modified vegetable starch (potato, rice or wheat) or acrylic co-polymer to form a water repellant film on the surface of the paper.

Calcium carbonate (chalk).

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THE ETHICS OF PAPER How Environmentally Friendly are Fine Art Papers?

Making papers specifically for drawing and painting requires quality materials to ensure that they are strong, archival, and beautiful. As with everything we produce and consume, there is an environmental impact. However, the key resources used in fine art production can largely be considered ethically sourced.

Cotton Paper Cotton plants require vast amounts of water, and in some places around the world, have been known to drain rivers for farming. That said, the fibres used in cotton paper production are a by-product of the textile industry and would most likely otherwise go to landfill.

The cotton linters used in cylinder mould-made paper are taken from cotton seeds following ginning; the process undertaken to extract longer cotton fibres, used for making textiles. What remains on the seed after this process is too short to be used for this purpose which is why they are classed as a pre-consumer waste.

Handmade cotton rag papers are made from post consumer fibres, such as old t-shirts. They have the potential to achieve the lowest carbon footprint during production. For instance, the pulp of Jackson’s Eco paper is dried slowly in the sun, and the water used to turn the rags into pulp is run off to irrigate the fields neighbouring the papermaking factory. Because cotton paper pulp is naturally pH neutral the water does not impact upon the surrounding environment.

Wood Paper It’s easy to automatically think that cutting down trees is not particularly kind to the environment.

However the majority of trees used to make paper are farmed and sustainable. The trees you find in a tropical rainforest are not suitable for so papermaking does not contribute to their destruction.

Fine art paper mills mainly use virgin pulp imported from West Europe because the quality of the fibres means that the resulting paper can withstand heavy treatment, such as being scrubbed or laden with watercolour washes. Trees for papermaking are grown specifically for purpose, in a way that ensures consistent supply. Countries such as Finland, Sweden, Canada and the US are all growing trees faster than they are felling them. The wonderful by-product of this is the rate of photosynthesis that these farmed trees are capable of, feeding off carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and combining it with sunlight and water to feed itself with sugar, and to feed the air, and us, oxygen. Without growing trees for papermaking we would inevitably reduce the number of trees being planted and also consequently the rate of photosynthesis.

Recycled Paper Virgin paper production and paper recycling are fully dependent on one another, as this allows production to remain sustainable. It is not possible to only use recycled paper for fine art use, because the re-pulping process necessary when recycling can shorten the fibres, reducing the strength of the end product.

Additionally, when making recycled paper, there is very little certainty

of the various chemicals that might be present in the pulp. Paper that has had a previous life serving nonfine art purposes is likely to contain lignins or bleaches which will prevent the resulting paper from being archival. When recycled fibres have been used to make drawing paper, some virgin pulp has to be added to compensate for the fibres that are no longer usable as well as to minimise the percentage of impurities. Additionally, recycled paper requires additional processes such as de-inking, degreasing and the removal of additives. Each of these comes with its own set of challenges, whether it’s the toxic sludge accumulated from de-inking or the undermining of the strength of the end product as a result of grease in the pulp. Ultimately, these problems can only be solved with solutions that require more energy and more chemicals. This is another reason why recycled paper isn’t always the most environmentally friendly choice.

Water Water is a vital component in nearly all stages of papermaking, including pulping, sizing, cleaning and sheet formation. If water is to be returned to source it needs to be carefully filtered to remove any additives such as lignins and pigments, that may be harmful to local plant and river life. Wastewater treatment is categorised into primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments. Primary treatment uses sedimentation to remove suspended solids from wastewater, forming sludge. Secondary treatment removes organic matter using biological processes. Tertiary treatment provides final polishing to remove any other contaminants

T H E E T H I C S O F PA P E R | 4 1

required before discharge into the receiving environment. Those three standard steps are altered or augmented depending on the nature of the facility and its processes.

In the UK, paper mills such as Two Rivers (Exmoor Water) and St Cuthberts (River Axe) are situated by a source of fresh flowing, naturally filtered water. All materials used are chosen to ensure that the mill does not harm the surrounding environment. The mill returns the water it uses to the river, free from any papermaking additives, often purer than when it was first extracted from the source (the thriving population of freshwater trout in the Rive Axe are testament to the cleanliness of the water).

Energy The principal source of energy for paper mills is natural gas and electricity, although coal, oil, biomass and solar energy are sometimes also used. The production of most fine art paper is not as energy efficient as the production of low cost packaging papers, for example. This is because the cylinder mould-made process is much slower. Fine art paper mills favour this slower process because it allows heavier weights of paper to be made, and it also successfully ensures that the paper made is robust and has a surface suited to painting, drawing and printmaking.

There are only three mills making fine art paper, out of nearly 70 mills in total in the UK, so while it may not be a very energy efficient industry, the net energy usage accounted for by fine art paper manufacture is comparatively very low.

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The Use of Animal Products in Paper Most papers are sized - that means, a substance is added to pulp in production to control the absorbency of the paper, optimising its properties for drawing and painting. This is most commonly done with a chemical called alkyl ketene dimer. Only some papers are externally, or tub sized. This is an additional process that strengthens paper, and this is when gelatine (or sometimes a plant-based alternative) is used. Gelatine is made of collagen extracted from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of animals. In the case of fine art papers this gelatine sizing comes from cows, and is a by-product of the meat industry.

Even if only plant-based and synthetic additives are used to size paper, it doesn’t always mean that it can unequivocally be classified as vegan, as most papers come into contact with woollen felts during the sheet formation process. When synthetic felts are used instead, the surface texture of the paper is much more regular, more mechanical looking and generally considered less attractive. As well as this, there is the added concern of those felts gradually releasing micro-plastics as they inevitably wear with use.

Overall, the production of fine art papers does not have a big ecological impact in comparison to the production of other papers, such as packaging or printer paper.

Thankfully, because it is hardwearing and made to last, we can use it and value it for longer.

St Cuthberts Mill (left), Two Rivers Mill (right).

PAINTING & D R A W I N G PAPER MAP While the majority of artist papers are purpose-made for specific media, many are also compatible with other materials.

This map presents the papers that can be used with a variety of painting and drawing materials. As well as serving as a quick reference guide for mixed media work, this map can help show you where you can break with convention, and try painting and drawing on papers that may be different from your usual choice. Each of the papers mentioned here have their own unique qualities that will play a role in the character of your finished work.

The paper’s weight, colour, texture and absorbency will alter how marks applied to the surface behave. These aspects are considered throughout this guide, in relation to specific media.

GRAPHITE & CHARCOAL Ingres Paper

COLOURED PENCILS

SOFT & HARD PASTELS

Gritty Coated Pastel Paper

Cartridge & Drawing Paper

Uncoated Pastel Paper

OIL PASTEL

Marker Paper

Bristol Board

ALCOHOL-BASED MARKER PENS Primed Watercolour Paper

Oil Paper

OIL PAINT, OIL STICKS & BARS, WATERMIXABLE OILS SKETCHING PENS & INK

Acrylic Paper

ACRYLIC BASED PAINT, GOUACHE, INK & MARKERS Watercolour Paper

Synthetic Paper

WATERCOLOUR, GOUACHE, & WATER-BASED INK

ALCOHOL INKS

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W AT E R C O L O U R PAPER Watercolour paper is a versatile surface which has a degree of absorbency that allows transparent colour to appear its most luminous. Watercolour paper is not only for use with watercolour paints - it can also be used for acrylics, gouache, pastels, pencils, graphite, charcoal, and it can also be primed for oil.

With many options that are 100% cotton, it can make a durable and archival support for many different mediums.

Most 100% cotton watercolour papers are made using cotton linters.

Content

Cotton rag papers are made with recycled cotton textiles.

Cotton textiles are made using the longest fibres from the cotton plant, so cotton rags make even stronger paper than cotton linters alone. Cotton rags are mechanically beaten in such a way as to maintain this long fibre length.

The material that watercolour paper is composed of determines its strength, ability to withstand heavy treatment, longevity, and price.

Acid-free Wood Pulp The most affordable watercolour papers, as well as those found in many watercolour sketchbooks, are made with wood pulp that has had naturally occurring acidic components, like lignin, removed.

As a result, these papers resist discolouration and yellowing, but they are not as durable as cotton papers.

A Blend of Acid-free Wood Pulp and Cotton Linters A percentage of cotton linters in these papers adds strength and durability, while being more affordable than 100% cotton watercolour paper.

Cotton Rag

Cotton and Linen Rag Blend In addition to cotton rag, some papermakers add recycled linen cloth to their papers. Linen is derived from flax and is even stronger than cotton. Its long, thin fibres interlock with the cotton fibres, adding even more durability.

Cotton Linters Cotton is the purest source of cellulose and its fibres are longer than in wood-free pulp, making a durable paper that can take heavy treatment.

Cotton fibres: Jackson’s Eco (top), Cotton and linen rag blend Jackson’s Two Rivers (bottom).

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Hot pressed paper has the least textured surface, having been pressed between hot metal rollers during production. Hot pressed paper is favoured by those who like to work delicately with a lot of detail, such as botanical artists. Hot pressed paper tends to be the least absorbent of all of the textures, and watery washes can sit on the surface for a long time.

Beyond watercolour painting, hot pressed watercolour paper makes an excellent support for detailed pen, ink and graphite drawing.

Cold pressed (NOT) paper is made by pressing the sheet through cold metal rollers, and it has a slight texture to it. It is the most popular watercolour paper surface to work on because it is well adapted to many painting approaches. The paint will sink a little into the dimples on the surface of the paper, but it will also be sympathetic to some more detailed work. Cold pressed paper tends to be a little more absorbent than hot pressed paper.

From left: hot pressed, cold pressed (NOT), rough watercolour paper.

Rough paper is the roughest texture paper available, it is pressed between sheets of textured felt during the drying process and is not pressed between smooth rollers. The heavier texture means that granulating (irregular settling of pigment particles) effects are enhanced. This paper surface is suited to bold, expressive painting techniques.

While hot pressed, NOT, and rough are used almost universally by watercolour paper manufacturers to describe the texture of their papers, the actual surface textures vary greatly between manufacturers, or even between batches (particularly with handmade papers).

Granulating pigment on rough watercolour paper.

From left: Stonehenge Aqua Black, Somerset Black Velvet, Khadi Handmade Black, Royal Talens Van Gogh Black.

Colour Because watercolour paint is transparent the colour of the paper, even different shades of white, will affect everything on top of it in both the painted and unpainted areas. The colour of 100% cotton watercolour papers vary depending on whether it is tub sized or not (external gelatine sizing will impart a slight brownish tinge), the purity of the water used in production, and the raw materials used for manufacture. Many 100% cotton papers are an off-white colour which is often referred to as ‘traditional’ white. Some ranges have a separate line of ‘extra-white’ or ‘high-white’ alongside their traditional white papers.

Optical brightening agents, or OBAs, can be added to the pulp during production to make the paper whiter and brighter. These brightening agents are prone to deteriorating over time, which can cause a colour shift in the artwork as the paper fades to off-white.

Because of this, makers of archivalstandard watercolour papers avoid the use of optical brightening agents and add a lightfast white pigment, like titanium dioxide, instead.

While lightfast extra-white watercolour paper is noticeably whiter than traditional white papers, they are not as white as optically brightened paper. This is because there is a limit to the amount of pigment that can be added to the

stock without compromising the bonding strength between the paper fibres.

Similarly to extra-white watercolour papers, tinted and black watercolour papers, such as Bockingford Tinted and Stonehenge Aqua Black, are made by adding lightfast pigments to the stock. Khadi Handmade Black watercolour paper is made using black cotton rags. However, because the dyes used in the rags are not lightfast, the paper is prone to fading, particularly if exposed to sunlight.

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The effect of very hard sizing.

Watercolour Paper Sizing Watercolour paper should be absorbent enough to stabilise the paint, but not so absorbent that the colour becomes dull. Sizing provides a little water resistance, so that the paint does not sink too much into the paper, and partially sits on the surface. Watercolour paper can be sized internally, externally, or both, with gelatine, starch, or a synthetic size.

Internal sizing is when the size is added to the water and pulp mixture before the paper has been made.

External sizing (also known as tub sizing) is when the formed sheets of paper are pulled through a gelatine bath. Some papers are both externally and internally sized which increases the wet strength of the paper. Papers that are externally and internally sized are usually best for masking fluid.

All watercolour paper manufacturers size their paper differently. A wash of semi-dilute paint, without any attempt to work it into the paper, is a good test to see how a watercolour paper is sized.

Watercolour papers that have been

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treated with a lot of size have a high resistance to water and are known as hard sized papers. On them, dilute washes of paint will want to sit on top of the surface or even bead up. Another sign of a hard sized paper is a feathery ‘tidemark’ around the edges of the wash, created as the paint sits on the surface and the pigment migrates to the edges. Hard sized paper tends to withstand more vigorous painting techniques, like scrubbing and reworking of the paint. It is also ideal for lifting techniques because the colour does not penetrate the fibres of the paper and is more easily removed (depending on how staining the pigment is).

Watercolour papers that are less heavily sized (sometimes called soft sized papers) are less resistant to water. The paint will be absorbed more readily into the paper which makes it ideal for techniques like glazing, where transparent layers of paint are applied on top of previous layers of colour. Soft sized watercolour papers might have a softer surface texture.

Sheets of handmade papers are individually sized by hand, so the

sizing can vary from sheet to sheet.

This is part of the character of the paper and can enhance the enjoyment of working on it.

Synthetic and gelatine size is broken down by detergents present in soap, household cleaning products and even brush cleaner. Even a small amount can cause the paper to become extremely absorbent, behaving like blotting paper. If soaking watercolour paper, it’s best to do so in a dedicated tray rather than in the bath or a sink. If using a bath or a sink then it’s important to ensure that all soap residue is removed. Brushes should also be thoroughly rinsed after using brush cleaner.

Why Does Paper Buckle When Wet? Buckling occurs because paper fibres expand when wet. If you use very little water in your technique, then very little buckling will occur, if any. For more watery applications a heavier weight paper (425gsm and above) will buckle less.

Stretching watercolour paper involves deliberately saturating the paper with water in order to expand it, fixing it to a board, usually with gumstrip around the edges, then allowing it to dry before painting.

Preparing your paper like this is the best way to ensure a completely flat surface.

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HOW TO STRETCH W AT E R C O L O U R PAPER What you will need: - A clean, soap-free tray of water, with one dimension slightly longer than the shortest edge of your sheet of paper or, if you don’t have a tray, a clean spray bottle.

- A clean, soap-free sponge or paper towel.

- A rigid board - plywood or plastic is ideal.

- 4 strips of gummed tape, to glue each edge of your paper to the board. It helps to pre-cut each length so that it is 3cm longer than each edge.

The most common and inexpensive method of stretching paper is to begin by soaking it in clean water for a few minutes (140lb weight paper will need up to 8 minutes, heavier paper may need more). If your sheet of paper does not fit in the tray you can hold it at opposite edges and feed it through the tray multiple times to ensure the whole sheet is soaked. Lift the sheet from the tray and allow any excess water to drain from it before placing it flat on your board. If you do not have a tray simply place your paper on to the board you wish to stretch it on to, and spray generously on both sides of the paper with clean water. Try to only touch the paper on its edges as it’s possible to leave visible finger marks on the stretched paper.

in the tray of water for too long as this can wash away too much of the adhesive, and and it may not be able to hold the paper in place as it shrinks. Place the gumstrip tape on the edges of the paper so that half the width is covering the paper’s edge, and half is stuck to the board.

When doing this, take care not to let water from the tape drip onto the paper, as this will leave spots on the paper when you start to paint on it.

Sponge off the excess water gently, with a clean sponge – the outward motion you use to do this will help flatten the paper onto the board.

Once you feel that the paper is adequately stretched out, wet your gumstrip using a clean paint brush or sponge, but do not immerse it

When your painting is finished leave it to dry completely before cutting the paper free from the board using a sharp craft knife. You can remove gumstrip from the paper by soaking it with a sponge to rewet it, and then carefully lift it off with a palette knife or craft knife.

Use a dry paper towel to press the tape down, which will also soak up any excess water. Lay the board flat and allow it to dry (it may need to be left for a few hours, or overnight to be completely dry) before you start your painting.

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Is There a Correct Side to Work on Watercolour Paper?

Cylinder mould-made watercolour paper has two sides which vary slightly in texture. The ‘felt side’ is the side which is formed in contact with the woollen felts and usually has a more irregular texture than the ‘mould side’, which is formed in contact with the wire mesh. Both sides of the paper are pressed between felts (in the case of rough and cold pressed papers), or between hot metal rollers (for hot pressed papers) later on during production, which evens out much of the difference between the two sides.

If the paper is watermarked, you can identify the felt side by holding the paper up to the light and finding the side from which the watermark reads correctly. Additionally, pads, blocks, and packs of cylinder mouldmade paper are generally presented with the felt side up. However, because the paper is evenly sized on both sides, they are equally suitable for painting on. We recommend inspecting and feeling the texture on both sides of the paper before you start painting to see which one you prefer.

Handmade paper is pressed between back to back felts and the texture is the same on either side.

The slightest differences in texture may occur from sheet to sheet.

Either side can be used.

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Pseudo-deckle edge being created on a cylinder mould machine.

Deckle Edges

Deckle Mould

From left: Pseudo-deckle edge on cylinder mould-made paper and a genuine deckle edge on handmade paper.

A deckle edge is an irregular edge to the paper (as opposed to a clean edge) found on many handmade and cylinder mould-made papers. The edge is formed when some of the wet pulp goes beyond the frame of the mould. Because handmade papers are individually formed, they are the only papers that have four true deckle edges. Cylinder mouldmade watercolour papers only have two true deckle edges, and often the two remaining edges are torn with a specialist knife, or cut with a water-jet to create pseudodeckle edges.

In the 19th century, deckled edges were seen to be imperfections in the papermaking process, and would be trimmed. Today, however, many artists find a deckle edge pleasing to the eye and like to frame their work in such a way that keeps the deckle edges on show.

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PAPER

CONTENT

SU R FAC E TEXTURE

F O R M AT S

WEIGHT (GSM)

Yupo

polypropylene

ultra smooth

glued pads, sheets, rolls

153, 200, 390

Jackson’s Two Rivers

cotton linters, cotton rag, linen rag

NOT (rougher than most NOT papers, heavier weights are more textured)

sheets: 22x30in, 16x20in

300, 425, 640

Global Fluid 100

cotton linters

hot pressed, NOT

blocks

300

Royal Watercolour Society

cotton linters (80%) and linen (20%)

hot pressed, NOT, rough

sheets

300, 425

Arches Aquarelle

cotton linters

hot pressed, NOT, rough

glued pads, blocks, sheets & rolls

300, 640, 850

Winsor & Newton Professional

cotton linters

hot pressed, NOT, rough

spiral pads, blocks, sheets

300, 640

Canson Heritage

cotton linters

hot pressed, NOT, rough

glued pads, blocks & sheets

300, 600

Global Fluid

acid-free wood pulp

hot pressed, NOT, rough

blocks

300

Hahnemühle Brittania

acid-free wood pulp

NOT, rough

blocks

300

Millford

cotton linters

NOT

blocks & sheets

300

Hahnemühle Andalucia

acid-free wood pulp

NOT, rough

blocks

500

Saunders Waterford

cotton linters

hot pressed, NOT, rough

glued pads, spiral pads, blocks, sheets & rolls

190, 300, 425, 640

Hahnemuhle Cornwall

acid-free wood pulp

NOT, rough

blocks

450

Winsor & Newton Classic

acid-free wood pulp

NOT

glued pads & sheets

300

Canson Moulin Du Roy

cotton linters

hot pressed, NOT

glued pads, blocks & sheets

300

Fabriano Artistico

cotton linters

hot pressed, NOT, rough

blocks, sheets & rolls

300, 640

Stonehenge Aqua

cotton linters

hot pressed, NOT

glued pads, blocks & sheets

300, 600

Jackson’s Watercolour Paper

acid-free wood pulp

hot pressed, NOT, rough

blocks, sheets

300

Khadi Paper

cotton rag

smooth, rough

stitched pads & sheets

210, 320, 640, 1000

Jackson’s Eco Paper

cotton rag

smooth, medium, cold pressed, extra rough

sheets: 22x30in, 15x22in, 11x15in

300, 425, 1200

St Cuthberts Botanical

acid-free wood-free pulp (50%), cotton linters (50%)

smoother than most hot pressed papers

glued pads & sheets

300

Fabriano Watercolour

wood-free pulp (75%), cotton linters (25%)

NOT

spiral pads & sheets

280, 300

Fabriano 5

wood-free pulp (50%), cotton linters (50%)

hot pressed, NOT

spiral pads & sheets

300

Bockingford

acid-free wood pulp

hot pressed, NOT, rough

glued pads, spiral pads, blocks, sheets & rolls

190, 300, 425, 535

5 8 | W AT E R C O L O U R

All information in the table is a result of in-house testing, or supplied by manufacturers.

Products are listed in descending order of price.

COLOUR

SIZING

C O N TA I N S A N I M A L PRODUCTS

S U R FA C E WAT E R R E S I S TA N C E

R E S I S TA N C E T O REWORKING OF PAINT AND R O U G H T R E AT M E N T

opaque white, translucent

unsized (polypropylene is non-porous)

no

completely water-resistent

very high

natural white

internal and external

gelatine sizing

very high

very high

white

internal and external

gelatine sizing

moderate

moderate

natural white

internal and external

gelatine sizing

high

very high

natural white

internal and external

gelatine sizing

very high

very high

natural white

internal and external

gelatine sizing

very high

high

natural white

internal and external

no

high

moderate

white

internal and external

no

moderate

low

bright white

internal

no

moderate

low

natural white

internal

no

high

moderate

bright white

internal

no

moderate

low

traditional (natural white), high white

internal and external

gelatine sizing

moderate

high

bright white

internal

no

high

moderate

bright white

internal and external

gelatine sizing

high

moderate

bright white

internal and external

no

moderate

high

traditional (natural white), extra white

internal and external

no

moderate/high

moderate

natural white, black (lightfast)

internal and external

no

high

moderate

natural white

internal and external

no

moderate

low

natural white, black

external

gelatine sizing

high

moderate

natural white

internal and external

gelatine sizing

moderate

low

bright white

internal

no

moderate

low

bright white

internal and external

no

moderate

low

bright white

internal and external

no

moderate

low

White, Tinted Blue, Tinted Eggshell, Tinted

internal

no

high

low

Cream, Tinted Oatmeal, Tinted Grey

For the purpose of comparison, surface resistance to water and resistance to rough treatment have been tested using 300gsm NOT papers from each range (or the closest available option). Hot pressed papers are usually less absorbent than NOT and rough papers. The heavier the paper, the higher its resistance to rough treatment, and heavier papers are often more water resistant than lighter papers.

W AT E R C O L O U R | 5 9

From top (surface): cartridge paper, layout paper, illustration board.

From top (lines): indian ink, archival ink, marker pen, pencil, charcoal, Nitram Liquid Charcoal.

D R AW I N G PAPER Drawing incorporates all manner of dry and wet art materials, and different papers will be suitable depending on what media you are working with.

Cartridge Paper - Best for Dry Media The paper most commonly associated with drawing is cartridge paper. It is so-called because it was used in the making of paper cartridges in the sixteenth century, holding the ammunition of gunpowder and bullets together for loading into hand-held firearms. Cartridge paper is most commonly made of woodfree cellulose and is primarily made for dry drawing media such as graphite and charcoal, however heavier cartridge papers (200

60 | DRAWING

gsm+) will take some watercolour and ink with minimal buckling. It is available in a variety of weights and shades of white. Quality cartridge paper will have a slight texture to it - this is known as grain or tooth, and provides the resistance needed to hold marks in place and increases the depth of range achievable in graphite or charcoal.

Other Papers Suited to Dry Media Bristol board, marker, and layout pads are all smooth surfaces that are particularly well suited to ink pens of all varieties; the lack of texture is sympathetic to delicate nibs whether they’re made of metal or felt, and lines are kept crisp and sharp.

From left: tracing paper, newsprint, charcoal on Bristol board.

Bristol board is a wood-free cellulose, multi-ply drawing paper available with either a completely smooth or vellum surface, offering a slight texture that is better suited to dry media such as coloured pencil, graphite and charcoal.

Marker pad paper is another acidfree wood pulp paper . Some are as light as 70gsm (these are sometimes called layout paper), while others are heavier, around 220gsm.

Marker pen papers serve two main functions - either a drafting paper for quick sketches and ideas, or for more laboured, layered drawings.

The ultra smooth, satin sheen surface accentuates crisp edges and vibrant marks, without bleeding or feathering. It is usually bright white in colour.

Layout paper is even thinner, only 45 - 50gsm. It is semi-transparent and also designed to minimise bleed-through. It is the white, lightweight paper that is often used in illustration and design sketches.

Tracing paper is made of woodfree cellulose that has been pulped repeatedly to the point where the fibres are made so short and so compressed the internal reflection of light is removed, allowing it to appear clear. When you crease tracing paper you are breaking up the bonded fibres, so the light then starts to reflect between the fibres again, which is why the paper looks white when creased. The shortness of the fibres is the reason why tracing paper is so brittle and only suitable for dry and very quick drying wet media, such as ink and acrylic.

Newsprint is an inexpensive wood pulp paper that contains lignins, so will yellow rapidly if exposed to UV light. It’s only suitable for quick disposable drawings, will buckle when wet media is applied to it, and easily disintegrate under heavy pressure such as excessive erasing.

DRAWING | 63

Nitram Liquid Charcoal on Yupo paper (top) and Jackson’s Indian ink (bottom).

Paper Well Suited to Taking Wet and Dry Media If you intend to combine drawing with washes of watercolour or acrylic, watercolour paper will take the wet media better, although the sizing that stops the paper from being too absorbent can cause felt nibs of Indian ink or acrylic marker pens to wear out more quickly - this is even true of the smoothest hot pressed papers. Additionally any texture can sometimes make it difficult to apply thin technical pen lines with precision.

Watercolour paper is made of cotton, acid-free wood pulp, linen, or a mix. Linen and cotton papers are more robust - you can scrub and scratch into the surface without necessarily making a hole, while acid-free wood pulp papers are less forgiving of rough treatment, because the fibres that they are made of are shorter, resulting in a comparatively less resilient paper.

Watercolour board is essentially watercolour paper mounted onto a rigid lightweight board, and will not buckle or warp as a result of heavy applications of paint or

water. Watercolour boards and watercolour paper are available in three textures - hot press (completely smooth), NOT surface (slight tooth) and rough (heavy tooth).

Yupo is a 100% polypropylene surface that will not buckle, resists tearing and is non absorbent. Painting on this surface is a completely different experience to working on a cotton or woodfree cellulose paper. Work in wet or dry media should be given a coat of spray varnish to hold them in place.

DRAWING | 65

CARTRIDGE PAPER

PAPER

CONTENT

SU R FAC E TEXTURE

F O R M AT S

WEIGHT (GSM)

Snowdon Heavyweight

acid-free wood pulp

smooth, matt

A1 sheets

300

Recycled (e.g. Seawhite Cupcycling)

recycled disposable coffee cups (80%), acid-free wood pulp (20%)

smooth, matt

glued pads

140

off white (e.g. Surrey Cartridge)

acid-free wood pulp

smooth, matt

glued pads & sheets

200

lightweight (e.g. Norfolk)

acid-free wood pulp

smooth, matt

A1 sheets

150

Light (e.g. Snowdon)

acid-free wood pulp

smooth, matt

spiral pads & sheets

130

Value

acid-free wood pulp

smooth, matt

A1 sheets

100

Various brands, 100% cotton watercolour

cotton linters or rag

hot pressed, NOT, rough

glued pads, spiral pads, blocks, sheets & rolls

300 - 850

hot pressed, NOT, rough

single boards

n/a

OTHER PAPERS

Various brands, Watercolour depends on if it is pro (100% cotton) or student (woodfree cellulose) illustration board

Yupo

polypropolene

smooth, satin

glued pads & sheets

153 - 390

Canson Mi-Teintes

acid-free wood pulp (40%), cotton linters (60%)

imprinted honeycomb

glued pads, spiral pads & sheets

160

Various brands, 100% woodfree watercolour paper

acid-free wood pulp

hot pressed, NOT, rough

glued pads, spiral pads, blocks, sheets & rolls

190 - 535

Daler-Rowney Ingres

acid-free wood pulp

Ingres

spiral pads

160

Sennelier pastel paper

acid-free wood pulp

Ingres

spiral pads

130

HahnemĂźhle Ingres

woodfree cellulose pulp

Ingres

glued pads & sheets

100

Fabriano Tiziano

acid-free wood pulp (90%), cotton linters (10%)

imprinted dimples

glued pads, sheets & roll

160

Winsor & Newton Tints

acid-free wood pulp (75%), cotton linters (25%)

imprinted natural grid

glued pads

160

Daler-Rowney Murano

acid-free wood pulp, cotton linters (approx 30%)

imprinted dimples

glued pads & sheets

160

Clairefontaine Ingres

cotton linters

Ingres

glued pads, spiral pads & sheets

130

HahnemĂźhle Lanacolour

acid-free wood pulp (55%), cotton linters (45%) *black is not acid-free

imprinted natural grid

50x65cm & A4 sheets

160

Fabriano Ingres

acid-free wood pulp

Ingres

50x70cm sheets

160

Strathmore 300 Charcoal

acid-free wood pulp

Ingres

glued pads

95

completely smooth

glued pads & sheets

70

Goldline/Faber Castell/Daler acid-free wood pulp or cotton Rowney, marker pad

Various brands, Tracing paper

acid-free wood pulp

smooth

glued pads & sheets

62 - 112

Daler Rowney / Goldline, Layout pad

acid-free wood pulp

completely smooth

glued pads & roll

45 - 50

Various brands, Bristol board paper

acid-free wood pulp or cotton

completely smooth or vellum texture

glued pads, spiral pads & sheets

varies, usually around 250

Newsprint

wood pulp

smooth

glued pad & sheets

45 - 49

66 | DRAWING

All information in the table is a result of in-house testing, or supplied by manufacturers.

Products are listed in descending order of price.

COLOUR

SIZING

C O N TA I N S A N I M A L PRODUCTS

WET MEDIA?

WRINKLES WHEN WET?

natural white

internal & external

no

yes

a little

natural white with flecks, slightly darker in colour than other cartridge papers (Cupcycling)

internal & external

no

not well - visible fibres lifting from the paper while applying a light application of colour

yes

cream

internal & external

no

some fibres lifted from the surface of paper (but not as may as with recycled paper or norfolk paper)

yes

natural white, very slightly more cream than value paper

internal & external

no

not well - visible fibres lifting from the paper while applying a light application of colour

yes

natural white

internal & external

no

yes

yes

natural white

internal & external

no

some fibres lifted from the surface of paper (but not as may as with recycled paper or norfolk paper)

yes

white-cream

internal only or internal & external

dependent on brand

can take heavy applications of wet media

the lighter the paper, and the wetter the application, the more the paper will wrinkle (200lb weight or more can withstand light washes without wrinkling)

white-cream

internal & external

no

can take heavy applications of wet media

no

white or translucent

-

no

colour sits on the surface

no

29

internal & external

gelatine

small quantities

only with heavy applications of liquid

white-cream

internal only or internal & external

Depends on brand - the following do not: Bockingford, Strathmore, HahnemĂźhle Andalucia/Britannia/Cornwall, Global Fluid

can take heavy applications of wet media

the lighter the paper, and the wetter the application, the more the paper will wrinkle (200lb weight or more can withstand light washes without wrinkling)

9

internal & external

no

small quantities

a little

1

external

no

small quantities

a little

12

internal

no

small quantities

yes

40

internal & external

no

small quantities

a little

6

internal & external

no

small quantities

a little

35

internal & external

gelatine

small quantities

a little

20

internal

no

small quantities

a little

32

internal

no

small quantities

a little

5

internal & external

no

small quantities

yes

1

internal & external

no

small quantities

yes

bright white

internal & external, the latter being specially designed to be resistant to the absorption of solvents in marker pens

no

fluid colour soaks through to the underside

yes

clear

internal & external

no

When a heavy application of dilute colour is applied the paper absorbs the paint but it isn’t soaked through to the underside

heavily

bright white

internal & external, the latter being specially designed to be resistant to the absorption of solvents in marker pens

no

fluid colour soaks through to the underside

yes

white

internal & external

no

most can take light - moderate applications of wet media

a llittle

pale grey

Internal & external, but designed for printing gravure on reels

no

soaks right through to the other side instantly

yes

DRAWING | 67

From top: Canson Mi-Teintes Touch, Clairefontaine Pastelmat, Art Spectrum® Colourfix™, Fisher 400, Sennelier Pastel Card, UART, Hahnemühle Velour, LuxArchival, Global Pastel Premier.

PASTEL PAPER Pastel papers are textured so that they can hold layers of pastel pigment. The wide variety of textures cater for every kind of approach to the medium. They are either coated or have an imprint of texture.

The paper you choose to work on will greatly affect the marks you are able to make and the final look of your painting. They tend to be available in a wider range of colours than paper made for other media, as the paper is often visible between marks.

Coated papers that are coarse to the touch do not necessarily hold more colour than a surface that feels softer; while the feel of a conventional sandpaper is very similar to some sanded pastel papers, it is not guaranteed to have the same pastel holding qualities, and would not be archival. Sanded pastel papers aren’t usually made with any sand - the name refers to the feel of the surface and refers to pastel paper that grabs colour as you apply strokes of pastel to it.

The texture of coated papers can range from coarse grit to the softness of tiny polyester fibres (known as velour). Coatings, when not screen-printed, are applied electrostatically over a layer of glue to ensure an even coverage. Some of the glues used will be rewetted with alcohol or water, and when this happens the coating can become loose from the paper, however this is not true of all the coated papers. Coated papers will allow a thick layer of pastel to be built up, giving a bolder, stronger colour, with very little or no texture from the paper showing through. Noncoated papers may be imprinted during the production process, with regular lines or a grid, or a honeycomb texture. Which is best suited to how you work will depend on considerations such as whether you wish to build up many layers, apply subtle blending techniques or combine pastel with other media.

PA ST E L | 6 9

From top: Canson Mi-Teintes Touch, Clairefontaine Pastelmat, Art Spectrum® Colourfix™, Fisher 400, Sennelier Pastel Card, UART, Hahnemühle Velour, LuxArchival, Global Pastel Premier.

Sanded/Coated Papers

Touch has a ‘micro-abrasive’ texture of screen-printed sanded primer, but with a less regular pattern on its surface than Colourfix™. The coating is only resistant to very small amounts of water or alcohol, providing you do not scrub its surface. It’s also suited to chalk and neat acrylic paint, sanguine and charcoal, and great for layering colour.

of the coating gives a total weight of 340gsm for this paper. The texture appears as a regular pattern which is visible through layers of pastel - which sets it apart from Pastelmat or Mi-Teintes Touch, where heavy layers of pastel appear completely smooth. It is both alcohol and water resistant. The softer tooth of Colourfix™ Smooth will still hold multiple layers of pastel. Pots of the textured ground they apply to this paper are available in the same range of tooth and colours (plus a clear version), so that you can prime your own surfaces.

Clairefontaine Pastelmat, 360gsm, 14 Colours

Fisher 400, 360gsm, Light Buff Colour

Canson Mi-Teintes Touch, 350gsm, 10 Colours

The sanded texture is compacted and more velvety than other sanded papers. Made from a fine coating of cellulose fibres that holds pastel like other sanded papers while remaining soft on your fingers. The paper also comes laminated to 1.8mm board.

It holds many layers of even the softest pastels, and its coating is also resistant to water and alcohol.

Art Spectrum® Colourfix™, 340gsm, 20 Colours Coloured, gritty Colourfix™ Primer containing silica particles is screenprinted onto 300gsm hot pressed European watercolour paper, and is available in three grades: Original (medium grit), Smooth (fine) and Rough (formerly known as Supertooth). The additional weight

Similar to UART, this paper is excellent for grabbing colours.

It allows for crisp, fine, bright marks of pastel pencil, so is good for detail. Additionally it is resistant to both water and alcohol, therefore blending with liquids is possible (although a brush may wear quickly on its surface). It is also well suited to watercolour or acrylic, should you wish to prepare the paper with a coloured ground/tint. Blending is best done with a paper stump or colour shaper, rather than your fingers.

PA ST E L | 7 1

Sennelier Pastel Card, 360gsm, 14 Colours A fine grit of acid-free pigment and powdered cork adhered to Bristol board. Sennelier say that “it is this natural composition which gives it its soft appearance, which is not comparable to the appearance of sanded papers.” The coating is the least water and alcohol-resistant of all the coated papers. However if you allow any droplets to dry without wiping, the surface will remain intact. Allows crisp, fine, bright marks of pastel pencil, so is good for detail. Holds a good amount of pastel and is not hard on fingers when blending.

UART, 300gsm + Coating, Black and Beige Colour This surface is excellent for holding colour in place and is available in four grades - 400, 500, 600 and 800.

400 is the coarsest and allows you to build up the most layers. 800 is the finest and is the only one that you could blend colour with your finger; it’s also suited to crisp, fine, bright marks of pastel pencil, and is great for detail. It is resistant to water and alcohol. This paper has a natural curve and may need to be taped down flat to work on it.

Hahnemühle Velour, 260gsm, Sheets Available in 8 Colours, Pads Contain 10 Colours The coating of soft fine polyester fibres is applied with glue that is not water or alcohol-resistant, but it is possible to apply neat gesso to its surface with a light touch. It holds pastel well - the harder the pastel the more colour it will hold - and

7 2 | PA ST E L

very little dust is produced.

It is difficult to erase marks from its surface and it is easily creased so should be handled with care.

The contrast between the soft fur-like surface of velour with the chalkiness of pastel allows pastel marks to really ‘pop’.

LuxArchival, 300gsm + Coating, White Colour The fine, slightly gritty texture is invisible, and pastel lays down smoothly, without trace of any texture from the paper. Its resistance to alcohol and water makes it possible to tint the paper before working, combining pastel with watercolour or acrylic, and using blending liquids. Dries quickly after using solvent. Erasures and corrections are easy to perform by lifting applied medium with mounting putty, kneaded eraser or magic tape. Blending on LuxArchival Sanded Paper can be performed with short bristle brushes or sponges. A finger cot is recommended when blending with fingers.

Global Pastel Premier, 310gsm, 5 Colours Made by double priming the 100% cotton base paper, then coating with an aluminum oxide abrasive. It has good ability to rework areas, and can take water and alcohol, although heavy applications of alcohol can lift the coating; the manufacturers say it is best used with Turpenoid.

Available in medium, fine and extrafine textures, and five earth hues.

From top: UART Sanded / Fabriano Ingres / Canson Mi-Teintes (left).

Ingres Papers Named after the French painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), this type of paper is produced on a cylinder mould, and its faint grid texture (‘laid’, the lengthwise, closer lines, and ‘chain’, the less frequent lines running across its width) is an impression of the screen of the mould. It is usually lighter weight than other pastel paper and has a more subtle tooth. Ingres paper will only hold a few thin layers of colour so is suited to work with a lighter touch and quick sketches. It will take light applications of wet media such as blending liquids or watercolour.

The paper’s texture will show through your marks as either faint lines or dots. It is soft enough for finger-blending and sponge tools, and it is easy to erase marks.

Assorted Ingres pastel papers (left).

PA ST E L | 7 3

160gsm Ingres papers Daler Rowney Ingres and Fabriano Ingres These two papers are heavier weight Ingres papers, and so feel marginally more substantial than the others.

Daler Rowney Ingres is available in nine colours; three shades of white and six natural tones, while Fabriano Ingres is available in five light neutral tones: ice, cream, off-white, sand and warm grey.

130gsm Ingres papers Sennelier Pastel Paper and Clairefontaine Ingres

Assorted sanded pastel papers.

Sennelier pastel paper is available only in a warm grey shade while Clairefontaine Ingres comes in twenty colours across the whole spectrum, and is the only Ingres paper that is 100% cotton. Cotton is naturally acid-free, which means it has more longevity than wood or other plant fibres as it has the fewest impurities. The long fibres of cotton are also stronger so the paper can take more rubbing when you erase or blend, and it is also less likely to discolour over time.

Lighter weight Ingres papers HahnemĂźhle and Strathmore

300 Charcoal At 95gsm, Strathmore 300 Charcoal paper offers a lightweight, natural white surface that is equally suited to charcoal or pastel. HahnemĂźhle Ingres is available in twelve neutral shades of varying tones, from black to bright white.

74 | P A S T E L

Water on Clairefontaine Pastelmat (left) and Sennelier Card (right).

Other Uncoated Pastel Papers All the other non-coated papers are 160gsm, and so are heavier than most of the Ingres papers. Winsor & Newton Tints, Fabriano Tiziano and HahnemĂźhle Lanacolour all have a similar texture which consists of naturally irregular lines going along and across the sheet, with Tiziano having the most subtle texture.

Daler Rowney Murano has a more dimpled texture, while Canson MiTeintes (not to be confused with Canson Mi-Teintes Touch) has a regular and distinctive honeycomb texture on one side, and a fine grain on the other. They are all described as being suited to other media such as pencil, charcoal and craft work, and Fabriano Tiziano, HahnemĂźhle Lanacolour, Daler Rowney Murano and Canson Mi-Teintes will also support watercolour and gouache.

Unlike most of the Ingres papers, they each contain a percentage of cotton fibres which lends strength (allowing for a greater degree of erasing and reworking without damage to the paper) and longevity (preventing the paper from discolouration when kept in dry and constant conditions).

They are smooth enough to allow for blending with your fingers.

media to avoid the paper buckling; otherwise you can tape any textured paper to a board to keep it flat, and remove it from the board when it is fully dry. You can also prepare any paper with a coarse ground to improve its pastel holding capacity.

Can I Use Other Papers for Pastel?

Any paper with a little tooth can be used for pastels. Each will give a different look depending on how much pastel it will hold. A rough watercolour paper is ideal if you wish to start with a watercolour underpainting, and heavier weight cotton papers are best if you wish to combine pastel with liquid

PA ST E L | 7 5

Preparing Your Own Sanded Papers The following pastel primers allow you to prepare your own sanded substrate for pastel work. These coatings work well applied to watercolour paper (300gsm or heavier) but can be applied to any surface that can take some water, including mountboard or wooden panels. You can apply ground with a brush, sponge or palette knife, and tint with acrylic or watercolour.

- Colourfix™ primer.

- Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastels.

- Golden pastes, gels and gritty paints such as fine or coarse pumice gel and micaceous iron oxide.

- Sinopia Absorbent Chalk Gesso and Silverpoint Ground.

- Acrylic gesso mixed with one of the Derivan Matisse dry powders which include a variety of sands, crushed stones and powders or with marble dust.

- Clear gesso, tinted with watercolour or applied over a watercolour wash.

Oil Pastels Oil pastels are wax-based and can be used on either smooth or textured paper, including watercolour paper, cartridge paper, and papers for soft pastels.

Sennelier oil pastel card is the only purpose made oil pastel card, however it is not suitable if you intend to blend the oil pastels with solvents on it as its surface has a tendency to swell and blister when it makes contact with solvent.

Heavy applications of oil pastel on soft sized papers may result in any oil content seeping into the paper fibres.

Fixing Work Fixative can help to keep your applied marks of pastel looking fresh, crisp and increase their smudge-resistance, however fixatives also have a tendency to darken colours, and whites tend to become transparent. Work on coated papers will require fixing less than those on uncoated papers as their texture is more able to hold colour in place. However if you wish to further secure your marks onto the surface without using fixative you can ‘pressure fix’ your work: lay a sheet of glassine over the artwork and press it gently and evenly without moving the glassine.

This will push the particles more firmly into the paper texture.

Protecting Work with Glassine

The Importance of Framing Pastel Works Pastel is one of the more stable of the painting mediums, not changing as it ages - it does not contain any binders that are susceptible to yellowing and the surface will not crack as it dries.

However, it can have a fragile surface, so it is important to protect it behind glass in order to keep the surface from being disturbed and shield it from dust.

Mounting pastel paper to a board using a sheet of adhesive film can make it easier to keep the work flat. A mount will prevent the glass from touching the surface of the painting, which can stop condensation or temperature changes causing the paper to wrinkle, or stick to the glass.

Glassine paper is a supersmooth, heavily compressed, thin, translucent paper made with very refined pulp that can be used to protect the surface of dry media artworks from smudging during storage, shipping or in books.

It is found interleaved between sheets in Daler Rowney Ingres, Sennelier Pastel paper and Clairefontaine Ingres spiral pads, where work is likely to be kept indefinitely, and so benefits from the protection glassine offers. It is not usually found in glued pads, where sheets are most likely to be removed once work is finished (although the Sennelier card pad is an exception). Resistant to grease, air and water, it is acid-free to ensure archival protection. Although newsprint may seem smooth enough to do the same job, it is not archival, and is not a good alternative for long-term storage. Both newsprint and tissue paper attract pastel particles more readily than glassine.

PA ST E L | 7 7

PAPER

CONTENT

SU R FAC E TEXTURE

F O R M AT S

WEIGHT (GSM)

LuxArchival

cotton linters

coated - 400 grade grit

3 sizes of sheets & roll

300 + coating

Global Pastel Premier

cotton linters

coated - primer and fine aluminium grit in 3 textures

3 sizes of sheets

310

UART

acid-free wood pulp

coated - 4 textures of fine grit - 400 to 800

4 sizes of sheets & roll

300 + coating

Sennelier Pastel Card

acid-free wood pulp

coated - medium fine ground cork

glued pads & sheets

360

Clairefontaine Pastelmat

acid-free wood pulp

coated - velvety cellulose grit

glued pads, sheets & boards

360

Fisher 400

acid-free wood pulp

coated - 400 grade grit

50x70cm sheet

360

Canson Mi-Teintes Touch

acid-free wood pulp

coated - micro abrasive

glued pads & 50x65cm sheets

350

Art Spectrum® Colourfix™

acid-free wood pulp

coated - fine grit primer in soft, original and rough

3 sizes of sheets

340

Hahnemühle Velour

acid-free wood pulp

coated - polyester fibres

glued pads & 50x70cm sheets

260

Daler-Rowney Ingres

acid-free wood pulp

uncoated - Ingres

spiral pads

160

Sennelier pastel paper

acid-free wood pulp

uncoated - Ingres

spiral pads

130

Winsor & Newton Tints

acid-free wood pulp & 15% cotton

uncoated - imprinted natural grid

glued pads

160

Daler-Rowney Murano

acid-free wood pulp & approx. 30% cotton

uncoated - imprinted dimples

glued pads & sheets

160

Canson Mi-Teintes

acid-free wood pulp & 60% cotton

uncoated - imprinted honeycomb

glued pads, spiral pads & sheets

160

Clairefontaine Ingres

cotton linters

uncoated - Ingres

glued pads, spiral pads & sheets

130

Strathmore 300 Charcoal

acid-free wood pulp

uncoated - Ingres

glued pads

95

Hahnemühle Lanacolour

acid-free wood pulp & 45% cotton (black is not acid-free)

uncoated - imprinted natural grid

2 sizes of sheets

160

Fabriano Tiziano

acid-free wood pulp & 10% cotton

uncoated - imprinted dimples

glued pads, sheets & roll

160

Hahnemühle Ingres

acid-free wood pulp

uncoated - Ingres

glued pads & sheets

100

Fabriano Ingres

acid-free wood pulp

uncoated - Ingres

50x70cm sheets

160

7 8 | PA ST E L

All information in the table is a result of in-house testing, or supplied by manufacturers.

Products are listed in descending order of price.

COLOUR

SIZING ( N O N - C O AT E D PAPERS)

GLASSINE INTERLEAVING IN PAD

C O N TA I N S ANIMAL PRODUCTS

BLEND WITH A L C O H O L?

BLEND WITH WAT E R ?

H O W M A N Y L AY E R S O F PASTEL CAN IT HOLD

1

-

-

no

yes

yes

30+

5

-

-

no

no

yes

30+

2

-

-

gelatine sizing

yes

yes

30+

14

-

yes

no

no

no

30+

14

-

yes

no

yes

yes

30+

1

-

-

no

yes

yes

30+

10

-

no

no

no

no

30+

20

-

-

no

yes

yes

30+

10

-

no

no

no

no

30+

9

internal & external

yes

no

small quantities

small quantities

12

1

external

yes

no

small quantities

small quantities

16

6

internal & external

no

no

small quantities

small quantities

12

35

internal & external

no

gelatine sizing

small quantities

small quantities

16

29

internal & external

spiral only

gelatine sizing

small quantities

small quantities

20

20

internal

spiral only

no

small quantities

small quantities

11

1

internal & external

no

no

small quantities

small quantities

18

32

internal

-

no

small quantities

small quantities

28

40

internal & external

no

no

small quantities

small quantities

12

12

internal

no

no

small quantities

small quantities

10

5

internal & external

-

no

small quantities

small quantities

2-4

PA ST E L | 7 9

PRINTMAKING PAPER There is an interwoven history of papermaking and printing criss-crossing back and forth over centuries. Paper was not necessary for the invention of printing, but printing would not have been a commercial success without it and led to the explosion in paper production across the globe. Block printing was practiced in China 1400 years ago using paper, a multifunctional product manufactured into hats, clothes, stiffened for armour, and thinned for windows, screens, books, maps and money. The relative economy of paper compared to vellum meant that libraries of the Islamic world were vast. Islamic calligraphers wrote with bamboo quills on plant fibre paper smoothed over with chalk and wheat starch.

Early European paper became very refined and resilient with the utilisation of old linen garments as opposed to unspun plant fibres. Coated with gelatine size it resembled valuable vellum for the writing of manuscripts, left unsized it was ideal for printing copperplate engravings. It was just such fine white paper that Gutenberg printed on using his intense black inks, with sensational results. When printer John Baskerville wanted to redesign his metal type in a refined and elegant manner he demanded a paper that was smooth and even, and purpose-made for letterpress.

He collaborated with James Whatman, inventor of the wove mould, to develop a machine that could smooth and polish the surface of fine paper creating ‘hot pressed’ sheets.

Awagami kozo paper.

What is Printmaking Paper?

In theory you can print on any type of paper so long as ink will adhere to it. The paper that you choose will become integral to your work and if you experiment by printing the same plate on a selection of papers you will see how each makes a unique contribution to the finished result. Not only will the image vary but the overall feel of the print as an object will change with the weight and texture of the paper. Margins around the image and the edges of the paper traditionally remain on show. They differentiate the hand printed piece from a reproduction.

Artists will commonly sign and edition the print in the margin and collectors will appreciate the choice of paper and whether a deckle edge remains or has been trimmed.

Somerset printmaking paper (left).

PRINTMAKING | 81

Composition Generally speaking papers recommended for printmaking benefit from being strong and dimensionally stable, meaning they hold their size and shape well. The paper you select is likely to undergo ample handling and treatment. It might be picked up by the corners, left to soak in a water bath, squeezed through an etching press, vigorously rubbed with a baren or covered with multiple layers of silkscreen ink.

Western papers with a high cotton content and Eastern papers formed with long plant fibres are perfectly suited to the rigours of printmaking.

Alpha cellulose papers of high quality are manufactured for and trusted by printmakers around the world and less expensive papers such as cartridge work well, particularly for proofing. How the paper receives the ink is an important factor.

Printmaking paper contains a lower amount of size than a watercolour paper, enabling the ink to penetrate the surface. Size is added to the pulp before forming the sheet, this ‘internal’ sizing renders the paper soft and absorbent in varying degrees depending on how much is added.

Some printmaking papers contain no size at all and are referred to as ‘waterleaf’. If we outline the most common printmaking techniques we can see what stresses the paper is put through and what properties we might look for. It should be said though that many papers will print effectively across all print techniques and printmaking papers can work wonderfully with other artistic mediums.

Stonehenge grey (top left), Zerkall rough antique (top right), Awagami kozo natural (bottom left), Awagami Okawana student (bottom right).

From top: Awagami Kitakata Select, Awagami Kitakata Select, Awagami Kitakata Green, Awagami Kitakata SH-16, Awagami Kitakata SH-16, Awagami Kitakata Green.

Relief Printing Relief printing includes linocut, woodcut, wood engraving, letterpress and collagraph. The print is taken from the ink on the block’s surface with the cut-away areas remaining unprinted. Printing can be done by hand or by press and you will want to consider the paper surface and how it makes contact with the ink, so a smoother surfaced paper, such as Fabriano Rosaspina, is ideal for relief printing. If printing is done by hand then lighter weight papers are ideal. Smooth surfaced papers by Zerkall and delicate washi papers such as kozo and Kitakata will pick up the finest of detail. The silky delicacy of many washi papers belie their incredible strength, especially when dampened. They can withstand the pressure exerted by the printmaking baren as it rubs the back of the paper and still retain their shape.

If you are experiencing picking of paper fibres when using fast drying water based inks, it is worth looking to try some of these resilient printmaking papers.

PRINTMAKING | 83

Intaglio Printing Intaglio printmaking incorporates etching, engraving, drypoint, mezzotint and some forms of collagraph. Marks made in the plate hold the ink below its surface and when dampened paper is pressed down into the marks, the ink is transferred to the paper under the pressure of the press. The ink will penetrate the paper and an internal size that softens during soaking is ideal for this. The printing plate will be embossed into the paper along the image lines as well as all around its outer edge creating a ‘plate mark’. Papers used for intaglio need to be exceptionally strong even when damp, especially for printing multiple plate images which require passing the paper through the press several times. They need to be compressible and supple as well as being dimensionally stable such that they won’t distort and affect registration. The linen papers of Renaissance Europe perfectly fitted the bill and cotton papers of today come a close second, Somerset being just such a favourite. Much can be said for alpha cellulose papers in intaglio printmaking; for many years Hahnemühle have manufactured etching papers made from 100% alpha cellulose that are soft, pliable and very sensitive to detail.

Fabriano Unica (top), Stonehenge grey (bottom).

Legion Coventry Rag.

Silkscreen and Lithography Flat printing techniques where the ink and paper are on the same level are referred to as planographic and include lithography, silkscreen and monoprinting. Again many papers are suitable with a smoother surface working better for these techniques. In lithography strong papers with a high cotton content will help avoid picking, where a tacky ink can lift surface fibres from the paper, and internal sizing will allow the paper to absorb both the oil based ink as well as the water from the

surface of the stone or plate. The smooth, absorbent Arches 88 was designed specifically for screen printing with oil based inks, it is ‘waterleaf’ with no size at all.

However when laying down multiple layers of water-based screen ink, papers with a modest amount of surface size, referred to as tub sized, will cope best. Legion Coventry Rag and Somerset Tub Sized are examples of such.

PRINTMAKING | 85

Genuine deckle edge.

Considerations When Choosing a Paper for Printmaking Fibres 100% cotton rag or ‘rag’ paper is how manufacturers describe paper made from cotton linter fibres.

They are strong papers that retain their shape during printing, so are dimensionally stable, which is helpful when registering multiple plates for colour printing.

Genuine rag papers, those made from the spun fibres of discarded garments, are rare and occasionally used for watercolour papers such as Jackson’s Two Rivers and Khadi 100% Rag. Papers made from a combination of cotton and wood cellulose make strong archival papers designed for printmaking. Plant fibres in Asian papers are naturally very long enabling incredibly strong papers to be made very thinly, if you try tearing a Japanese kozo paper you will appreciate its inherent strength. The type of fibre can affect how the ink penetrates the paper, and how the paper takes up water, a consideration to bear in mind across all print disciplines.

Surface Surface texture can affect ink pick up as well as how your colour looks. A textured paper can work very well for deeply etched intaglio prints and a smoother paper can work better for lithography or silkscreen. How colour reflects from the surface of the paper will affect how bright it will appear. A more textured paper will bounce back the colour in a more diffused manner and look less bright than a smooth paper.

Unsized waterleaf papers will be occasionally referred to as ‘copperplate’, will only require a sponge over or spray of water to dampen. These are better suited to oil based inks. You can tell if a paper has more or less size by touching it with the tip of your tongue. If your tongue sticks it is likely to have little or no size.

Edges A genuine deckle edge occurs when the paper slurry slips between the mould and deckle of a hand formed sheet and is a beautiful aspect to hand made paper. These can be left in place and other edges torn down to compliment them depending on your registration system. You can tear down a machine made paper to create a similar effect. Of course if you want to register using the paper edges you will want to trim them off, ensuring that your edges remain perfectly square to one another.

Colour This is a very subjective area with colour choices extending from radiant white to deepest black. Some printmakers love a bright white paper for their cool black inks and a warmer white for the browner blacks.

Metallic inks look fabulous on a deep black paper such as Somerset Velvet Black.

Weight

Internally sized printmaking papers will be soft with a porous surface to take up the ink. Most size used today is synthetic as opposed to animal gelatine.

Thinking about what and how you print will inform this aspect of your choice. A thicker etching plate or deep collagraph will need a thicker, heavier weight paper, perhaps over 300gsm to mould around the sculptural aspect of the plate and adequately emboss.

A delicate drypoint on a thin plate could take a much lighter paper. A hand rubbed relief print will take less effort to execute on a lighter weight paper such as 36gsm Awagami Kitakata.

Awagami kozo paper fibres.

36gsm Awagami Kitakata (left), 300gsm watercolour paper (right).

Sizing

PRINTMAKING | 87

Preparing Your Paper When it comes to preparing your paper for printing you will want to consider the margins around the image and what form of registration you are using. Traditionally the margins will be of equal width on both sides and above the image, with a slightly wider margin at the bottom. This gives the effect of the image being placed centrally on the paper, an optical effect especially evident if you sign and number your print in the bottom margin. If you are printing an intaglio you could be registering your plate on the press bed while holding the paper trapped under the top roller and the beautiful deckle edges can remain untrimmed. There are numerous forms of print registration and you can leave your paper edges, tear down or trim to a crisp straight edge accordingly. Some editioning studios will print with the paper larger than intended and trim down afterwards, this has the advantage of removing any unwanted inky finger marks or damage but can be costly.

If you are dampening your printing paper then each will have its own optimal soaking time depending on the amount of sizing, sheet thickness and fibre content. Cotton papers with their long fibres need to be dampened or soaked longer than wood cellulose papers because wood

fibres will take up water faster.

Waterleaf papers that contain no size will only need a sponge over or spray of water before stacking and covering to damp through. You want to achieve evenly dampened fibres throughout, the paper should feel limp and cold without any visible water remaining on the surface.

A good way to ensure this is to prepare your paper the day before printing and form a damp pack.

A damp pack consists of wetting your paper either by dipping or sponging, creating a stack and wrapping it in plastic and placing under a board to add some weight.

Any paper you do not use can be dried and then re-damped at a later date. This will avoid mould forming and staining your paper.

Your beautiful sheets of paper will be handled quite a lot during printing. Always use (at the least) two hands to avoid cockling the sheet. Large sheets are best picked up at diagonally opposite corners.

After printing dry sheets can be hung up or placed on a drying rack. Dampened sheets will need flattening out during the drying process. Acid-free tissue should be placed over the image before placing the prints between sheets of blotting paper underneath boards to add weight. You can change the blotters periodically if required.

PRINTMAKING | 89

PAPER

CONTENT

SU R FAC E TEXTURE

F O R M AT S

WEIGHT (GSM)

COLOUR

Awagami Kozo Natural Select

kozo (80%), alpha cellulose (20%)

smooth transluscent with long fibres visible within the paper

52x43cm sheets & 10m rolls

46

warm white

Arches Velin

cotton linters

subtle texture

sheets

200-300

soft white

BFK Rives

cotton linters

very soft slight surface structure

sheets

250-300

soft white

Arches 88

cotton linters

smooth HP

sheets

300

white

Awagami Kozo Natural

kozo (80%), alpha cellulose (20%)

smooth transluscent surface slighty laid reverse

98x66cm sheet

46

warm white

Awagami Okawara Select

kozo (25%), alpha cellulose (75%)

smooth surface and slight transluscency

52x43cm sheet

51

warm white

Awagami Kitkata

gampi (90%), alpha cellulose (10%)

smooth surface with subtle gloss from the gampi content

52x43cm sheet

36

warm buff and greeny white

Stonehenge

cotton linters

smooth vellum effect, crisper than European cotton papers, good for fine detail

glued pads & sheets

250

wide range of subtle colours inc. black

Awagami Okawara Student

kozo (50%), manila hemp (50%)

smooth surface and slight transluscency

64x45cm sheets

51

warm white

Somerset Satin

cotton linters

soft silky smooth

sheets & rolls

250-410

Somerset Velvet

cotton linters

very slight natural felt structure

sheets

250-300

Somerset Textured

cotton linters

visible natural felt structure to surface

sheets

250-500

wide range of subtle colours inc. deepest black

Awagami Bamboo Printmaking

bamboo (70%), recycled paper pulp (30%)

soft fine grain surface

glued pads and sheets

110-170

warmish white

Zerkall (light)

alpha cellulose, cotton linters

extra smooth/smooth or rough that has a fine toothy texture

sheets

120-150

white and antique warm buff

Zerkall (heavy)

alpha cellulose, cotton linters

smooth or rough that has a fine toothy texture

sheets

225

white and antique warm buff

Legion Coventry Rag

cotton linters

smooth HP

sheets

290

white

Fabriano Tiepolo

cotton linters

smooth soft surface

sheets

290

warm white

HahnemĂźhle Etching

100% cotton OR 100% alpha cellulose

natural subtle texture

sheets

300

soft white and bright white

Fabriano 5

cotton linters (50%), alpha cellulose (50%)

fine textured NOT surface or very smooth hot pressed surface

spiral pads & sheets

160-350

white

Strathmore

alpha cellulose

soft surface texture

glued pads

120-280

white

Fabriano Rosaspina

cotton linters (60%), alpha cellulose (40%)

smooth soft surface

sheets

220-285

white and ivory (pinkish hue)

Canaletto Velino

cotton linters (20%), alpha cellulose (80%)

smooth

sheets

125-300

warm white

Sunome Senaka

alpha cellulose, recycled paper pulp

Smooth surface with laid pattern

sheets

52

white

Fabriano Unica

cotton linters (50%), alpha cellulose (50%)

medium textured paper

glued pads & sheets

250

white and ivory (pinkish hue)

Awagami Masa

alpha cellulose

smooth surface textured reverse

79x53cm sheet

86

cool white

90 | PRINTMAKING

All information in the table is a result of in-house testing, or supplied by manufacturers.

Products are listed in descending order of price.

wide range of subtle colours inc. deepest black wide range of subtle colours inc. deepest black

SIZING

C O N TA I N S ANIMAL PRODUCTS

DECKLE EDGES

no size added, fibre has own size properties

no

fibres are hand processed/ sheets formed by slow moving cylinder mould machine 4 deckle edges

internal

yes

cylinder mould 4 deckle edges

very soft internal size

no

cylinder mould 4 deckle edges/ silkscreen has 2 trimmed edges

none/waterleaf

no

cylinder mould 4 deckle edges

no size added, fibre has own size properties

no

light sizing fish derivative

yes

RELIEF RELIEF PRINTING I N TA G L I O PRINTING HAND

BY PRESS BURNISHING

SILKSCREEN

LITHOGRAPHY

oil based silkscreen

fibres are hand processed/ sheets formed by slow moving cylinder mould machine 4 deckle edges fibres are hand processed/ sheets formed by slow moving cylinder mould machine 4 deckle edges

no size added, Gampi fibre has own size properties

no

fibres are hand processed/ sheets formed by slow moving cylinder mould machine 4 deckle edges

internal and minimum surface size

no

machine-made 2 deckle edges

light sizing fish derivative

no

fibres are hand processed/ sheets formed by slow moving cylinder mould machine 4 deckle edges

soft internal

no

cylinder mould 4 deckle edges

soft internal

no

cylinder mould 3 or 4 deckle edges

soft internal

no

cylinder mould 3 or 4 deckle edges

medium sizing fish derivative

yes

fibres are hand processed/ sheets formed by slow moving cylinder mould machine 4 deckle edges

internal gelatine size

yes

cylinder mould no deckles

internal gelatine sizing

yes

cylinder mould 4 deckle edges

internal and surface tub sized

no

machine made

internal

no

cylinder mould 4 deckle edges

minimal internal size

no

cylinder mould 4 deckle edges

internal and external hard size

no

cylinder mould 2 deckle edges

internal size

no

machine made

soft internal

no

cylinder mould 2 deckle edges

internal and surface size

no

machine made

not known possible fish derived sizing

possibly

machine made

soft internal

no

machine made

medium sizing fish derivative

yes

machine made

water based silkscreen

water based silkscreen

oil based silkscreen

PRINTMAKING | 91

From top (left): Clairefontaine, Strathmore, Daler Rowney Georgian, Figueras, Hahnemühle, Clairefontaine, Jackson’s, Arches Huile, Fabriano Tela, Clairefontaine, Strathmore, Rembrandt.

OIL PAPER Oil painting papers have a special coating that prevents the paper from absorbing the oil content of the paint.

They usually have an embossed linen texture on their surface, although Arches Huile, which is a specially treated watercolour paper, has a cold-pressed surface. It’s important that paper for oil painting is sealed in order to prevent the paint from being absorbed by the paper, which would darken colours, and eventually rot the natural fibres of the paper.

Additionally, unsightly oil rings and unintentional ‘tonking’ may occur.

This is when so much of the oil from the paint is absorbed that the pigment can become underbound, making it look matt and crumbly, and can in some cases cause the pigment to come away from the surface.

Oil painting papers are either both internally and externally sized, or just internally sized. Arches is the only oil painting paper that is sized with animal gelatine, while all others are free of animal derived products.

Absorption In comparison to other fine art papers that have not been prepared for oil painting, oil papers significantly reduce the amount of oil absorbed into the fibres of the paper. As a result, colours remain brighter and more glossy. Those that are externally sized absorb the least amount of oil. However oil

papers are not 100% resistant to forming oil rings around brush marks as a result of oil absorption. If you wish to guarantee your finished work will be on a substrate that does not absorb oil we recommend applying a layer of acrylic gesso or medium to the surface of the paper, or using fast drying oil painting mediums which also minimise oil seepage.

Why Would You Paint on Paper Instead of Canvas?

Oil painting paper takes up less room and is lighter and less expensive than stretched canvas, which makes it easier to store, carry and post. It is a great surface on which to experiment with techniques and produce quick sketches. It’s also possible to make notes on the reverse of each sheet.

Composition Fine art oil painting papers are acid-free, with the majority being made of wood-free cellulose pulp.

Arches Huile paper is the exception, being made of 100% cotton. As a result it is considered a professional grade paper, with a longer lifespan than wood pulp paper because it can better withstand changes in humidity and temperature. The long fibres of cotton also give the paper strength and the ability to withstand rough handling and wiping without easily tearing.

The effect of oil seepage on paper.

Weight and Formats Oil painting papers vary in weight from 187 - 300gsm. Loose sheets of heavier paper are better able to hold thicker applications of oil paint. Blocks are pads glued on all four sides, and can help keep paper flat if you allow the painting to dry before you slice it away from the rest of the block. Blocks also have the added benefit of stopping your painting from flapping about in a breeze, making them ideal for painting outdoors. Oil painting paper is also available in pads glue-bound on one edge only, loose sheets and rolls.

Colour Oil painting papers are available in various shades of white, as well as a natural linen colour and black.

While the lightest colour papers optimise the reflective properties of the paper allowing colours to appear bright and luminous, a black surface can effectively allow you to build up light tones. Opaque or metallic pigments are particularly well suited to painting on black paper.

Clairefontaine linen shade (left), Fabriano Tela (centre), Strathmore (right).

94 | OIL

OIL | 95

Preparing Other Papers for Oil Painting It’s possible to prepare most papers over 100gsm for oil painting. This opens up the choice you have for what you’d like your oil painting substrate to be made of, how much it weighs and what kind of texture it has. Preparing paper for oil painting usually involves two steps - sizing and priming. Sizing prevents absorption of the oil paint by the paper while priming is the final layer of preparation, giving the surface its colour, tooth and sheen. You can add texture and control how absorbent your surface is by how you apply your primer. Paper and mount board offcuts have potential as oil painting surfaces, allowing you to practice economy and minimise waste.

Which Paper?

The best paper for longevity is allcotton or cotton & linen rag paper, made from similar fibres used to make artist canvas. 140lb/300gsm watercolour paper works well as it is heavy enough to take the weight of layers of primer. If you work with cold pressed or rough watercolour paper the surface texture will most likely still be apparent even after a couple of coats of primer.

Sizing (left), priming (right).

OIL | 97

Fixing Paper to a Board Because paper is a flexible surface and swells as it reacts to temperature and humidity changes, it easily warps, creases and can cause any paint on its surface to crack. As with canvas, thicker applications of paint are more likely to crack in the future than thinner applications. Paper fixed to a rigid surface will help prevent these issues, as well as offer a lower cost option that’s easier to frame than a loose sheet of paper. It’s best to use an archival pH neutral glue for this purpose so that the glue does not discolour or become brittle. If you don’t want to glue your paper to board, temporarily fixing it with masking tape on all four sides will make it easier to move on and off your easel while you’re working.

a second layer of matt medium. You could think of the first layer of matt medium as the sizing and the second as a transparent ground.

What Shall I Use to Prime My Paper?

You can prime your paper with either acrylic or oil based primer.

Sizing your paper is much more important when priming with oil based primer, and for this reason we advise applying two coats of acrylic size or primer before applying oil primer. Acrylic primer tends to feel slightly chalkier than oil primer and can be applied without applying an acrylic size beforehand. The more coats of primer you apply to your paper the more rigid it will become.

In the case of oil primer, it will also become smoother, allowing you

to more easily wipe paint or move it around on its surface. Acrylic primers vary in their character; some become more absorbent the more layers you apply, and some become less absorbent.

The usual way to apply a priming ground is with a soft, wide brush in the opposite direction to the brush marks of your first sizing layer. This is to minimise furrows and give a more even surface. Applying two thin layers is better than one thick layer, as thinner layers will dry more quickly and evenly, minimising the risk of cracking. Applying gesso with a palette knife or a squeegee will create a smoother surface. Some gessos can be made thinner by adding up to 10% water, this will be specified on the label.

What Shall I Use to Size My Paper?

Any fluid acrylic medium can be used to size paper in preparation for oil painting. Matt medium tends to be better suited to this purpose than gloss medium because it is usually less absorbent. It is best applied with a soft wide brush in thin layers.

If you find that the paper is buckling in response to the water content of the size, then it is advisable to tape or clip the paper down to a board around the edges, covering as little of the paper as possible. If you find when the paper or board is dry that it has curved from the moisture you can size the back of the paper which will help to flatten it out.

It usually just takes one coat of matt medium to seal (or size) the paper from oil paint absorption if you are adding a ground layer of acrylic or casein gesso primer as well. If you do not wish to add a ground because you want the colour of the paper to be visible or because you like to paint on the matt medium surface, then it’s advisable to apply

OIL | 99

PAPER

CONTENT

SU R FAC E TE X TU R E

F O R M AT S

Arches Huile

100% cotton linters

NOT, cold-pressed

glued pads, Imperial sheet & roll

Canson Figueras Oil & Acrylic

acid-free wood pulp

Subtle undulating fine linen weave

glued pads, 50 x 65cm sheet

Fabriano Tela

acid-free wood pulp

uniform, tight linen weave (slightly more prominent than Rembrandt / Strathmore)

blocks, 50 x 65cm sheet & roll

HahnemĂźhle

acid-free wood pulp

medium linen, slightly undulating weave

blocks

Rembrandt

acid-free wood pulp

uniform, tight medium-fine linen weave

blocks

Clairefontaine

acid-free wood pulp

Subtle undulating fine linen weave

glued pads, blocks & sheets

Strathmore

acid-free wood pulp

uniform, tight medium-fine linen weave

glued pads

Daler-Rowney Georgian

acid-free wood pulp

Subtle undulating fine linen weave

glued pads, artboard pads & sheets

Jackson’s

acid-free wood pulp

Subtle undulating fine linen weave

blocks & 10 x 12in sheet

100 | OIL

All information in the table is a result of in-house testing, or supplied by manufacturers.

Products are listed in descending order of price.

WEIGHT (GSM)

COLOUR

SIZING

C O N TA I N S ANIMAL PRODUCTS

300

natural white

internal & external

gelatine sizing

290

natural white

internal & external

no

300

cool white

internal & external

no

230

natural white

internal

no

300

cool white

internal & external

no

240

natural white & oatmeal colour

internal

no

187

black

internal & external

no

290

natural white

internal & external

no

230

natural white

internal & external

no

OIL | 101

Jackson’s acrylic paper.

ACRYLIC PAPER Acrylic painting papers either have an embossed texture that replicates a canvas weave, or a cold pressed surface identical to watercolour paper. The texture provides resistance, so when you drag a brush loaded with paint across its surface, the paint adheres to the texture and is held in place. Acrylic painting paper takes up less room and is lighter and less expensive than stretched canvas, which makes it easier to store, carry and post.

It is a great surface on which to experiment with techniques and produce quick sketches. It’s also possible to make notes on the reverse of each sheet.

Composition Acrylic papers are made of woodfree cellulose paper - this is paper derived from wood that has been boiled to remove lignins, which contain acid (which if left in the pulp would cause the paper to yellow and become brittle in under UV exposure at a rapid rate). The linen texture is embossed into the surface of the paper during production, and some papers, such as Canson Figueras, then have a special coating applied to reduce absorption.

Weight Acrylic papers are available at a variety of weights, ranging from 230gsm - 450gsm. The lighter weight papers may become slightly wavy if thick applications of acrylic paint are applied - however this can be avoided if you tape the paper to a board and keep it taped until the painting has fully dried. However none of the papers will wrinkle significantly when loaded with paint.

Colour Papers are available in a variety of shades of white, from bright white to pale cream. Transparent colours may appear marginally brighter on whiter papers as they are more reflective, while creamier papers won’t optically ‘jump’ out as much in the gaps between brush marks.

What Papers Can I Paint on?

The short answer is that acrylic paints can be applied to any surface.

The longer answer is that factors such as paper absorbency and thickness of the paint you are working with will affect how the paint dries. In order to gain a firm

understanding of what happens when acrylic paint dries on paper we need to understand how it dries at all in the first place.

How Acrylics Dry Acrylics dry when all the water content in the wet paint moves away from the paint; it either seeps into the support that the paint has been applied to, or it evaporates into the air. What remains is the acrylic polymer binder; tiny solid transparent particles that move closer together, causing the layer of paint to contract and form a solid ‘film’. When acrylic paint moves from its wet to dry state it also changes from being water-soluble to being water-resistant. This process happens fastest at the top of the layer – where the paint can easily evaporate into the air. Next fastest is at the bottom of the layer, where the absorbency of the surface to which it has been applied pulls the water out of the paint. This explains why acrylic paint dries faster on absorbent paper. The paint between the top and bottom layers dries slowest as it is encased with no where to immediately evaporate to.

This is why thick layers of paint dry slower than thin layers.

ACRYLIC | 103

What Other Papers Can I Use? Aside from acrylic painting papers, there are a variety of options, the most suitable of which will depend on the kind of acrylics you are working with.

Papers that can take fluid and heavy-body acrylic paint: Watercolour paper is made of cotton, woodfree cellulose, linen, or a mix. Linen and cotton papers are more robust - you can scrub and scratch into the surface without necessarily making a hole, while woodfree cellulose papers are less forgiving of rough treatment, because the fibres that they are made of are shorter, resulting in a comparatively less resilient paper.

Illustration board is essentially watercolour paper mounted onto a rigid lightweight board, and will not buckle or warp as a result of heavy applications of paint or water.

Illustration boards and watercolour paper are available in three textures - hot press (completely smooth), not surface (slight tooth) and rough (heavy tooth).

Mixed media and art board pads are heavier weight drawing papers that have additional sizing to enable them to take wet and dry media.

Yupo is a 100% polypropylene surface that will not buckle, resists tearing and is non-absorbent.

Painting on this surface is a completely different experience to working on a cotton or woodfree cellulose paper. Work in wet or dry media should be given a coat of spray varnish to hold them in place.

Acrylic marker pen papers that will buckle if wet acrylic paint is applied to it: Cartridge paper is made for drawing and is an ideal surface for acrylic marker pens. The

Yupo Paper (left) and Cresent Illustration art board (right).

bottom line is if you work with acrylics on cartridge paper, your applications of paint need to be low in water content and relatively thin. Cartridge papers are made from either cotton or woodfree cellulose, can be any colour from white - cream, and tends to have a slight texture (referred to as grain or tooth) which optimises the colour and depth of the marks applied to it.

Bristol paper is another good surface for acrylic based drawing work. The name derives from the early days of European papermaking when mills would send their finest papers to Bristol, England to

be pasted together. It is a wood cellulose, multi-ply, bright white paper that is glued together under pressure to form multi-ply sheets, with a completely smooth or vellum texture. The smoothest varieties of Bristol are ideal for pen and ink work, mechanical pencil drawings, airbrush and marker pens. These are often bright white and reflective, and allow pen marks to appear their most crisp. The subtle tooth of the vellum surface varieties are better suited to graphite, coloured pencil, charcoal and pastel work.

ACRYLIC | 105

Marker pad paper is another woodfree cellulose paper. Similarly to Bristol paper, marker pen marks appear crisp and bright on this flat white surface. It is coated to minimise bleed-through, despite being a light weight paper of only 70gsm. There are heavier papers called ‘marker pen paper’, which are better to suited to layers of colour, but have very different properties to these lightweight papers.

Layout paper is even thinner, only 45 - 50gsm. It is semi-transparent and also designed to minimise bleed-through. It is the white, lightweight paper that is often used in illustration and design sketches.

Heavy use of marker pens on lightweight tracing paper may cause it to wrinkle.

Newsprint is an inexpensive wood pulp paper that contains lignins, so will yellow rapidly if exposed to UV light. It’s only suitable for quick disposable drawings.

Should I Varnish My Acrylic Painting on Paper?

Varnishing your work on paper will offer a protective coating, and help keep it safe from dust and surface damage. Some varnishes also have UV light resistors which will help to prevent colour fade. We recommend applying an isolation coat over your painting prior to varnishing - a soft gloss gel medium would be ideal for this. This will allow for the varnish to be removed in future, if necessary, with no damage risk to the painting itself.

All work on paper needs to be kept flat to avoid the paint cracking, however this is especially true of varnished paintings, which will be even less flexible.

Clairefontaine Goldline Marker Pad (right).

106 | ACRYLIC

CARTRIDGE PAPER OTHER PAPERS

PAPER

CONTENT

SU R FAC E TEXTURE

F O R M AT S

WEIGHT (GSM)

Crescent Canvas board

acid-free wood pulp paper bonded to heavy weight board

very uniform canvas texture

Heavy & Medium weight boards

n/a (2.2mm thick)

Clairefontaine

acid-free wood pulp

NOT (cold-pressed)

glued pads & blocks

360

Hahnemühle

acid-free wood pulp

NOT (cold-pressed)

blocks

450

Canson Figueras Oil & Acrylic

acid-free wood pulp

linen

glued pads & 50x65cm sheet

290

Winsor & Newton

acid-free wood pulp

linen

glued pads

300

Daler Rowney System 3

acid-free wood pulp

linen (‘threads’ slightly thicker on the emboss than Jackson’s Acrylic paper)

glued pads (standard and heavyweight) & artboard pads

230 / 360

Jackson’s

acid-free wood pulp

linen

blocks & 10 x 12in sheet

290

Various brands, 100% cotton watercolour paper

cotton linters or rag

hot press, NOT, Rough

glued pads, spiral pads, blocks, sheets & rolls

300 - 850

Various brands, Watercolour illustration board

depends on if it is pro (cotton linters) or student (woodfree cellulose)

hot press, NOT, Rough

single boards

n/a

Yupo

polypropolene

smooth

glued pads & sheets

153 - 390

Various brands, 100% woodfree watercolour paper

acid-free wood pulp

hot press, NOT, Rough

glued pads, spiral pads, sheets & rolls

190 - 535

Various brands, Bristol board paper

acid-free wood pulp

smooth or vellum texture

glued pads, spiral pads & sheets

varies, usually around 250

Various brands, cartridge paper

acid-free wood pulp (majority, some may contain cotton linters)

smooth or medium grain

glued pads, spiral pads, sheets & rolls

100 - 370

Goldline/Faber Castell/ Daler Rowney, marker pad

acid-free wood pulp or cotton linters

smooth

glued pads & sheets

70

Various brands, Tracing paper

acid-free wood pulp

smooth

glued pads & sheets

62 - 112

Daler Rowney/Goldline, Layout pad

acid-free wood pulp

smooth

glued pads & sheets

45 - 50

Newsprint

wood pulp

smooth

glued pads & sheets

45 - 49

108 | ACRYLIC

All information in the table is a result of in-house testing, or supplied by manufacturers.

Products are listed in descending order of price.

COLOUR

SIZING

C O N TA I N S A N I M A L PRODUCTS

ABSORPTION

WRINKLES WHEN WET?

PALETTE KNIFE TEST

natural white

internal

no

Colour sits largely on the surface of the paper, appearing bright and luminous when dry

no

Yes - no visible paper deterioration after scratching into surface with palette knife.

natural white

internal & external

no

Colour largely sits on the surface of the paper

hardly

Yes - no visible paper deterioration after scratching into surface with palette knife.

bright white

internal

no

Colour largely sits on the surface of the paper

hardly

Yes - no visible paper deterioration after scratching into surface with palette knife.

natural white

internal & external

no

Colour largely sits on the surface of the paper

hardly

Largely yes but when I added a lot of water to paint and then scratched into it with a palette knife some fibres from t he surface of the paper lifted away a little, this in itself makes for an interesting effect.

natural white

internal & external

no

Colour largely sits on the surface of the paper

hardly

External sizing adds strength, so cotton paper with Internal & External size the most robust

bright white

internal

no

Heavy body and fluid colour largely sits on the surface of the paper, although acrylic ink did soak through to the reverse

Hardly - and this was only when working with watercolour consistency dilute acrylic paint.

It did not warp at all with heavier applications.

Moderately - some paper fibres lift away from surface with heavy scratching

pale cream

internal & external

no

Colour sits largely on the surface of the paper, no soaking through to the underside, even with a heavy application of dilute acrylic ink.

hardly

very

white-cream

internal only or internal & external

Dependent on brand

Can take heavy applications of wet media

The lighter the paper, and the wetter the application, the more the paper will wrinkle (200lb weight or more can withstand light washes without wrinkling)

Yes - very robust (tested 140lb paper)

white-cream

internal & external

no

Can take heavy applications of wet media

no

External sizing adds strength, so cotton paper with Internal & External size the most robust

white or translucent

n/a

yes

Colour sits on the surface

no

very

white - cream

internal only or internal & external

Depends on brand - the following do not: Bockingford, Strathmore, HahnemĂźhle Andalucia/Britannia/ Cornwall, Global Fluid

Can take heavy applications of wet media

The lighter the paper, and the wetter the application, the more the paper will wrinkle (200lb weight or more can withstand light washes without wrinkling)

Yes - very robust (tested 140lb paper)

white

internal & external

no

Most can take light - moderate applications of wet media

a little

very

white - cream

internal & external

no

Depends on quality and weight of paper, most cartridge paper will takelight applications of wet media

yes

Most papers will withstand heavy erasing of dry media, more fragile with wet media

bright white

internal & external, the latter being specially designed to be r esistant to the absorption of solvents in marker pens

no

Fluid colour soaks through to the underside

yes

Withstands light scratching only

clear

internal & external

no

When a heavy application of dilute colour is applied the paper absorbs the paint but it isn’t soaked through to the underside

heavily

Will take moderate scratching

bright white

internal & external, the latter being specially designed to be r esistant to the absorption of solvents in marker pens

no

Fluid colour soaks through to the underside

yes

Moderately robust

pale grey

internal & external, but designed for printing gravure on reels

no

Soaks right through to the other side instantly

yes

not robust

ACRYLIC | 109

SYNTHETIC PAPER Synthetic paper is a relatively new surface option for artists that provides an interesting alternative to traditional cellulose-based art papers and allows for new ways of working with a variety of watercolours and mixed media.

Originally developed for printing labels and packaging, Yupo by Legion is bright white, plant-fibre free and 100% recyclable. It is made from heated polypropylene pellets, extruded to form the layers of paper and then stretched using a cross direction technique called biaxial orientation. This process means that Yupo paper is exceptionally strong, tear-resistant and has an incredibly smooth surface.

There is no need to stretch, soak or prepare synthetic paper in any way before working as it is naturally buckle-free and remains perfectly flat. The smooth non-porous surface can be used with a combination of media, including watercolour, gouache, alcohol ink, acrylic paint, monotype, offset printing, debossing, oil pastel, graphite and silkscreen and crayon.

Painting on synthetic paper can be described as being like painting on glass but it also has enough tooth to work in pencil and crayon. When using watercolour it is best suited to a loose painting style as layers of wet medium will sit on top of the paper and may take a little longer to dry because it is completely non-absorbent. Both waterproof and stain resistant, synthetic paper allows for exceptional lifting with all mediums and can virtually be wiped completely clean, even after they have dried. Therefore, it is also important to use finishing spray in order for the work to remain stable.

It is recommended to use several light, even coats of a non-yellowing acrylic fixative, rather than one heavy coat which could pool or drip.

characteristics as Yupo and is available in 200gsm pad or sheets.

Synthetic papers normally enter the waste stream at a far slower rate than conventional papers.

Since it is a polypropylene plastic film, it is fully recyclable and will remain inert in any approved landfill.

If safely incinerated in a modern incinerator with an atmosphere of excess oxygen, it will yield only water, carbon dioxide, and ash.

Yupo is available in 3 weights: Heavy opaque (390gsm), Medium opaque (200gsm) and Translucent (153gsm) - especially useful for backlit applications. Each weight is available as either single sheets or gummed pads in a range of sizes.

Similarly to Yupo, Lana Vanguard is a 100% polypropylene paper.

It possesses the same appealing

SYNTHETIC | 111

LONGEVITY Longevity in artists paper refers to how long the paper will last, taking into account how it reacts to UV light, and whether it will fade or deteriorate over time. If you intend to exhibit your work it is advisable to be mindful of these factors and select materials that guarantee that your work will last a long time.

To ensure longevity, artist paper is typically acid and lignin-free, which helps to optimise the structure of the paper, minimising deterioration over time, including fading, yellowing, or even preventing the paper from falling apart.

Cotton papers are often used for professional grade artwork because they are acid-free and known to last a very long time without deterioration or discolouration.

They are naturally lignin-free and far more durable than wood pulp based papers such as wood cellulose.

This is important as it allows them to erase repeatedly, lift colour with ease, scrub and scratch, without holes, tears and breaks appearing in the paper.

How Long Will My Paper Last?

When choosing paper, you will encounter lots of different terms that are used to describe permanence: Lignin-free Lignin is an acid which is naturally occurring in wood pulp. If it is not removed, it will cause the paper to yellow and become brittle (newsprint is an example of a paper that goes yellow very quickly due to its lignin content) Wood-free ‘Woody’ components, including lignin, are removed from the woodpulp so it is only cellulose fibre.

Acid-free This means that if the paper is ‘infused’ in water, the pH of the water is neutral (pH 7 or slightly higher). It doesn’t always mean it is lignin free. Some papers are called acid-free because the manufacturers do not use any

acids in the process, but it doesn’t guarantee that all lignin has actually been removed from the actual wood pulp. Usually, it contains a ‘buffer’, most likely calcium carbonate, which neutralises any acids present and protects the paper against acid migration.

Archival There is no universal standard of what this means in practice.

But, generally, it refers to the fact that lignin and other acids have been removed and optical brighteners are not used.

Optical Brighteners (OBAs) Brightening agents which are added to paper to make it brighter and whiter. Be aware that optical brighteners will eventually fade, causing the paper to return to its natural colour, especially if exposed to direct sunlight.

The images show newsprint that has yellowed as a result of being exposed to natural daylight for 14 days alongside paper kept in the dark.

LONGEVITY | 113

TA K I N G C A R E OF YOUR PAPER Paper is a biodegradable material and should be treated as such. The longevity of paper is dependent on the conditions in which it is stored, and how it is handled.

Storing Paper Before Use Paper should be stored in a cool, dry place. As an absorbent material, paper is sensitive to atmospheric moisture. A damp environment could cause buckling, while humidity can lead to mould growth. Paper that is sized with gelatine, such as some watercolour papers, is particularly susceptible to mould or fungi.

Paper should also be kept out of direct sunlight, as prolonged exposure could cause it to become brittle. Additionally, papers that contain optical brighteners could fade back to their natural colour.

While environmental factors are important to consider, handling paper correctly is equally as important. It is best to handle paper as little as possible. The more frequently it is moved around, the more likely it is to be dented, marked, or get dog-eared. Paper often arrives packaged in plastic wrapping, and the paper can remain in this wrapping until it needs to be used to protect it from fingermarks or spillages in the studio. When taking a sheet of paper from a stack, take one sheet at a time from the top.

Of course, not all paper has to be treated in the same way. A sheet of watercolour paper that is intended for a developed artwork should be handled with care, but cartridge paper used for quick studies may not need the same careful attention.

1 1 4 | TA K I N G C A R E O F Y O U R P A P E R

Tearing Paper to Size You may need to tear your paper to size, either to even out the margins on an original print, or to create a faux deckle that complements a true deckle on an adjacent edge.

To tear down your paper you will need a heavy metal ruler or tear bar.

It works best if the tearing is done from the back of the paper. Holding the bar down firmly simply pull the excess paper from it’s top corner, back across the bar at an angle of 45 degrees. Any raised fibres left along the edge can be smoothed down with a paper folder. For long fibred washi tearing can be quite tricky. You can best achieve this by running a wet paintbrush along the side of the tear bar. You will create a line of wet paper where you want to tear, which you can do whilst firmly holding down the tear bar. If you are trimming washi to a straight edge the long fibres can pull against your knife and wrinkle the paper. Trimming is best done with a very sharp knife held at a low angle against the washi’s surface.

Should I Apply a Coat of Varnish?

Varnish is usually applied to oil and acrylic paintings. Although watercolour varnishes are available, these are a recent development and framing finished watercolours behind glass is generally standard practice.

Varnish Does Four Things: 1. Gives a protective surface to the painting to prevent scratching 2. Acts as a removable barrier between the surface of the painting and any dirt or dust that lands on its surface 3. Seals the surface so that no more oxygen can be absorbed by it, preventing the paint from cracking.

4. Evens out the sheen of the surface.

Varnishing papers lighter than 100gsm is not advised as such papers are likely to wrinkle. Varnish is more inflexible than paper and will crack along any bends or creases, so it is a good idea to first fix it to a rigid board. Using archival glue for this purpose, such as acid-free PVA or adhesive film, will ensure maximum longevity. Weigh the work down with clean heavy boards while it is drying to ensure the paper dries flat against the board. All work must be fully dry before it is varnished.

Acrylic Paintings For acrylic paintings, application of an isolation coat prior to varnishing will allow the layer of varnish to be removed and replaced (if it becomes dirty). There are purpose made isolation coat mediums available, or alternatively you can apply soft gel gloss, watered down so it is two parts gel to one part water.

Oil Paintings A thinly painted oil based work can take up to six months to dry, while a thick impasto piece can take many years, although the use of a fast-drying medium will speed this up considerably. An isolation coat is not required prior to varnishing an oil painting. Removing a layer of varnish can be done carefully and slowly with solvent without the painting itself incurring damage.

Oil paintings can be protected while drying with a layer of retouching varnish.

Keeping artworks on any support away from direct sunlight is particularly important, as certain pigments are prone to fading.

Framing If work is likely to be put on display, then framing it behind glass will always offer a greater level of protection from dirt and humidity changes, even if you have also varnished or fixed your work.

Pastel, charcoal and other soft, dry media works often benefit from being presented behind glass, as the surface can be fragile, and often loose pigment is easily brushed from its surface.

Framing works such as this will offer a superior (yet more space consuming) alternative to using fixative alone, which does not offer the same level of protection and can distort colours. UV resistant glass will help to minimise the risk of colours fading. However, unless you use non-reflective glass, framing behind glass will also introduce reflections.

As always, a mount should be used to prevent the glass from touching the surface of the work because condensation and temperature changes can cause the paper to wrinkle or stick to the glass. If you don’t want the mount to be visible it can be very narrow and hide under the lip of the frame moulding, or you could use spacers. Float-mounting the work will allow the work on paper to be seen right up to its edges.

Storing Finished Artworks on Paper Once an artwork is finished, it is best to keep the work flat in an archival portfolio rather than stacked. If the paper needs to be stacked, then a sheet of glassine paper between the sheets will protect the painted surface from abrasion.

TA K I N G C A R E O F Y O U R P A P E R | 1 1 5

GLOSSARY Abrasion Resistance The level at which a paper can withstand continuous scratching or rubbing.

Acid Migration When acid passes from an acidic material to a less acidic paper, such as exposure of atmospheric pollution or the acid found in mechanical pulp paper to acid free, archival paper. Acid can also migrate from acidic adhesives, boards, protective tissues, and cheap art supplies.

Acid will cause lignins in the paper to break down, which can lead to the paper yellowing. In order to avoid this happening it is advised to only use acid free or pH neutral art materials, or apply a pH neutral isolation coat (such as acrylic matt medium) to materials known to be acidic prior to combining them with acid free papers.

Acid-free Paper Paper that has a neutral pH (i.e. its value is 7 or higher). Paper can be naturally acid-free or neutralised in the manufacturing process. Cotton and linen papers are naturally acid-free, while wood-based papers will contain acidic lignins. These are neutralised with a buffer, most likely calcium carbonate, which protects the paper against acid migration.

Alkyl Ketene Dimer (or AKD) A synthetic sizing agent commonly used in the manufacture of artist papers. It was introduced as a pH-neutral size in the 1960s. It is not derived from any animal products.

Alpha Cellulose Alpha cellulose is the longest and strongest fibres used in plant based paper pulp. It is made up of multiple sugar molecules bonded together to form a chain. During the paper manufacturing process this chain is broken down, refined to remove undesirable elements (such as lignin, which is acidic) and then reformed to give strength to the finished sheet of paper. To optimise the strength of certain papers, alpha cellulose fibres from various sources are sometimes combined, for example wood and cotton. Chemical wood pulps have a high percentage of alpha cellulose but not as high as cotton, which is usually around 99%.

Archival There is no universal standard of what ‘archival’ means in practice.

But, generally, it refers to the fact that in addition to the paper being acid-free, the paper should be free from groundwood, unbleached pulp and not contain optical brightening agents. Alkaline buffers are often added to wood cellulose in order to counter any trace of acids remaining, in order to make it more archival.

Blocks Pads of paper that have been glued on all four sides. Sheets can be worked on without them wrinkling as they become more saturated with watercolour, and once dry, sheets can be sliced off the pad with a craft knife.

Bone Folder A dull edged smooth tool for creating folds and creases in paper crafts and book binding, made from animal bone or synthetic alternatives.

Bristol Board A completely smooth or vellum texture surface paper that comprises at least two layers of paper (and often more) that have been glued together under pressure to form a robust drawing surface. It is especially suited to ink or dry media. So-called because in early european papermaking the ply sheets would be sent to Bristol, UK to be glued together. It is made of acid-free wood pulp.

Buckling A term used to describe the uneven rippling of a paper caused when it has been over-saturated with liquid and then left to dry without influence from stretching or pressing under weighted boards.

Bursting Strength A description of how much pressure a sheet of paper can withstand.

Calcium Carbonate Calcium carbonate is often added to paper pulp in papermaking and acts as a buffer, neutralising the pH of the paper and protecting it

116 | GLOSSARY

from the harmful effects of acid. Calcium carbonate will help paper to maintain its archival properties. It also increases whiteness, however there is a limit to how much can be added to paper without it reducing the tear strength, burst strength and tensile strength of the paper.

Caliper The thickness of a sheet of paper, measured in points, where one point equals a thousandth of an inch.

Cartridge Paper The paper most commonly associated with drawing. It is so-called because it was used in the making of paper cartridges in the 16th century, holding the ammunition of gunpowder and bullets together for loading into hand-held firearms. Cartridge paper is most commonly made of woodfree cellulose and is primarily made for dry drawing media such as graphite and charcoal, however heavier cartridge papers (200 gsm+) will take some watercolour and ink with minimal buckling. It is available in a variety of weights and shades of white.

Quality cartridge paper will have a slight texture to it - this is known as grain or tooth, and provides the resistance needed to hold marks in place. It also increases the depth of tonal range achievable in graphite or charcoal, as well as colour depth in pigmented dry media.

Cellulose The key constituent of paper. It is a basic structural component found in many plants and is formed of long chains of glucose molecules. When cellulose fibres are beaten in water (during the preparation of paper pulp) some of the glucose molecules dissolve in the water. Hydrogen is added to rebond the fibres together, forming resilient sheets of paper when the pulp is dried.

Chain Lines The lines on laid paper parallel with the grain of the paper.

Chemical Pulp Pulp (wood/plant-based, with the exception of naturally acid-free cotton/linen) that has been treated to made it acid-free. Chemical pulping removes lignin from lignocellulose, leaving cellulose fibres suited to papermaking.

Chine CollĂŠ A printing process in which a thin sheet of paper, usually washi, is printed on and at the same time mounted on a sturdier sheet as it goes through the printing press.

Cockling A term used to describe the uneven rippling of a paper caused when it has been over-saturated with liquid and then left to dry without influence from stretching or pressing under weighted boards.

Cold Pressed, or NOT Paper is made by pressing the sheet through cold metal rollers, and it has a slight texture to it. It is the most popular watercolour paper surface to work on because it is well adapted to many painting approaches. The paint will sink a little into the dimples on the surface of the paper, but it will also be sympathetic to some detailed work. Cold pressed paper tends to be more absorbent than hot pressed paper.

Cotton Rag Paper Made from textile scraps, old fabric, and other post and pre-consumer waste like rope and nets.

Couch Roll The equipment that helps remove excess water from the moving web of paper prior to the wet press section of a paper machine in paper manufacture.

Cross Direction The opposite of the grain direction. Whereas the grain direction follows the direction the paper passes through the papermaking cylinders, the cross direction is ninety degrees to this; often the short edge of a full sheet of paper.

Cross Grain Fold A fold that goes 90 degrees across the grain of a sheet of paper.

Cylinder Mould-Made Cylinder mould-made paper can be seen as the ‘halfway’ point between handmade and Fourdrinier machine-made paper. The process makes more consistent paper than handmade paper, but is more sensitive to the characteristics of the material than industrial machines. Cylinder mould machines consist of a vat and a cylinder mould. The pulp mixture fills the vat and attaches itself to the moving cylinder, forming a very fine fibrous web over it. The web is then drained, and then pressed to varying degrees of pressure, either between sheets of felt to create a rough texture, or hot metal plates to achieve a very smooth surface.

The randomly aligned ‘fibrous web’ gives excellent surface stability, an asset to all painting and printmaking processes.

Damp Pack A stack of pre-soaked paper wrapped and weighted down to create evenly dampened sheets ready for printing.

Dandy Roll In Fourdrinier paper manufacturing, the dandy roll is a light, openstructured unit covered with wire cloth and placed on the wire between suction boxes, resting lightly upon the wire and the surface of the sheet. Its function is to flatten the top surface of the sheet and improve the finish. The wires on the dandy roll impress on the paper to create the ‘laid’ lines in chain and laid paper, such as found in Ingres papers.

Deckle The frame of the mould used to collect the wet pulp in order to form sheets in papermaking.

Deckle Edge A deckle edge is a rough edge found on many handmade and cylinder mould-made papers. It is formed when some of the wet pulp goes beyond the frame of the mould (the deckle), forming an irregular thin edge. Handmade papers have four true deckle edges because the sheets are individually formed. Cylinder mould-made papers have two true deckle edges - the edges that are cut from the roll are often torn to mimic a true deckle edge.

Dye An ink colorant that is soluble in vehicle or solvent. It is less colourfast than pigment but is sometimes added to paper pulp in papermaking in order to tint the paper.

Emboss When the paper moulds itself around the relief elements of the plate and retains the shape after drying.

EU Timber Regulation Prohibits operators in Europe from placing illegally harvested timber and products derived from illegal timber on the EU market. ‘Legal’ timber is defined as timber produced in compliance with the laws of the country where it is harvested. The regulation applies to timber and a wide range of timber products, including pulp and paper.

European (ISO) ‘A’ Sizes The dimensions of ‘A’ sizes of paper are determined by the ISO 216 paper system, which is used internationally (with some exceptions, including America and Canada). ‘A’ size papers have an aspect ratio of 1:1.414, the square root of 2. This means that if any sheet of ‘A’ sized paper is cut in two, the aspect ratio of the two halves will remain 1:1.414. The most common size is A4 (210 x 297mm), the dimensions of a standard letterhead. ‘B’ and ‘C’ sizes are also determined by the ISO 216 paper system and correspond to intermediate sizes for the ‘A’ series and envelope sizes respectively. See page 120 for a chart of A size dimensions.

External Size Another term to describe surface sizing of paper, when size is applied to the formed sheets of paper to reduce the paper’s absorbency. Also sometimes referred to as Top or Tub Sizing. Gelatine and wheat starch are more common external sizing options, egg whites can also be used.

Felt Side The upper side of the sheet, also known as the Top Side. It is more random in texture than the underside, known as the Mould Side (the

side that is formed on the wire mesh side of the mould), which has a slightly more regular texture. It is called the Felt Side because it’s in contact with woollen carrier felts during production. If the paper has a watermark, when you hold it up to the light, the side on which the watermark is the right way round is the felt side. The Felt Side is often favoured as its surface texture is thought to be more aesthetically pleasing, however it is down to personal preference which side you paint on.

Fixative A fixative is a liquid, similar to varnish, which is usually sprayed over a finished or in-progess dry media artwork to prevent smudging, or in the case of workable fixative, to give some tooth back to an artwork that has become slippery with built up graphite or coloured pencil.

Fixatives are usually (although not always) alcohol based, hydrocarbon propelled and need to be used carefully in a well-ventilated area. Some fixatives contain UV fIltering agents to protect the work from fading.

Fourdrinier Papermaking machines like Fourdrinier machines make the cheapest and most consistent paper. They are used to produce industrial quantities of paper for print media and stationary. Pulp is spread over a mesh conveyor belt which removes the water from the fibres with a vacuum. It is then pressed through large heated rollers to squeeze out even more moisture. Further series of rollers are also used to smooth the paper surface, add texture if necessary, and also to ensure uniform thickness throughout the sheet. The paper emerges from the machine in giant reels. The Fourdrinier machine was invented by Nicolas Louis Robert in 1799 and patented by the Fourdrinier brothers in 1806.

FSC Forest Stewardship Council. An independent, international, environmentally and socially oriented forest certification organization. It trains, accredits and monitors third-party certifiers around the world and works to establish international forest management standards.

Full Imperial The name of the traditional dimensions of a paper mould: 22 x 30”, and consequently the dimensions of a full standard sheet of watercolour paper. Paper sheets are often available cut into half or quarter sheets in addition to full imperial size sheets.

Gelatine Gelatine is derived from collagen extracted from the skin, bones, and connective tissue of animals (it is a by-product of the meat and leather industries). Gelatine has many uses in food and cosmetics, as well as used as a surface sizing agent in some artist papers, adding strength.

Ginning The process of extracting the cotton fibres, known as linters, from the cotton seeds, in order to use them in cotton rag papermaking.

Glazing The building up of layers of contrasting colours on top of one another, in order to modify tone and colour appearance.

Grain Direction The grain of a paper lines up with the direction the paper is travelling along the paper machine. With Fourdrinier-made papers, over 50% of the fibres align themselves with their lengths parallel to the mesh. It is easier to roll, fold or tear paper in its grain direction. Mould-made papers have more randomly distributed fibres, and as a result tend to be stronger and harder to tear.

Granulation An aesthetic effect that adds texture and depth to a painting. It is the appearance of pigment settling in the valleys of the paper, which accentuates its texture. Rougher papers usually give more dramatic granulation as do watercolour paints that are made with coarser pigments.You may wish to work with a paper that encourages granulation, or if not it can be avoided by working with non-granulating paints on smooth paper.

Groundwood Wood that has been mechanically ground to produce pulp. Fibres

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are shorter and possess a greater amount of lignins than chemically ground pulp. Its presence in artist papers is kept to a minimum in order to minimise acid-content and improve the longevity of the paper.

‘Wood-free paper’ actually means groundwood-free, yet despite this term wood-free papers can contain up to 10% mechanical pulp and 1% lignins.

GSM The abbreviation for grams per square metre, gsm is the metric unit of weight for paper. In real terms it is the weight of a single piece of paper measuring one square metre. Also sometimes written as g/m².

Hard Sized Paper that has a high amount of internal and/or external sizing. Hard sized paper tends to withstand more vigorous painting techniques, such as scrubbing and erasing.

Hot Pressed The least textured surface; during production it is pressed between hot metal rollers. The absence of texture makes it suitable for fine detail. Hot pressed paper tends to be the least absorbent of all of the textures, and watery washes can sit on the surface for a long time.

Beyond watercolour painting, hot pressed watercolour paper makes an excellent support for pen and ink drawing.

Hydrophobic Paper Paper that repels water.

Hygroscopic Paper Paper that absorbs water.

Illustration Board A watercolour paper surface glued with pressure on to a cardboard backing. Illustration board is rigid, usually full or half imperial and can be cut to size. Suited to both fine art and illustration.

Ingres Paper A laid finish paper of light to medium weight used for drawing.

Laid Finish The imprint of the screen pattern of an historical papermaker’s mould of widely spaced chain lines and closely spaced laid lines.This imprint is now replicated by a roller with wires on it that embosses the ribs into the fresh pulp of the sheet. Doing this at the pulp stage means there are thick and thin areas of paper, because some pulp is pushed off, which is a different effect to simply compressing the paper by embossing when it has dried. The laid effect creates a toothy grain of close lines on one side and a mottled surface on the reverse.

Ink Holdout When ink sits on the paper surface without being absorbed by it.

Intaglio Print process where ink is embedded into engraved lines on a plate made of copper, aluminium or perspex, and transferred to paper by pressure. The opposite of relief printing, where ink is transferred to paper from the raised edges of a plate, most commonly lino or wood.

Laid Paper The imprint of the wires of the dandy roll that impress the paper during manufacture to produce a watermark. The wires which produce the laid effect are situated parallel on the dandy roll and are not interwoven with the chain wires which appear along the grain of the paper.

Layout Pads Primarily for marker and felt pen work. The paper is very thin, lightweight, semi-opaque, completely smooth and bright white.

They are sized to resist marker pen bleed. The degree of transparency allows for elements of a drawing to be traced on to a new sheet as ideas are developed, however it is not sufficiently transparent to work as a comparable alternative to tracing paper.

Lifting The process of removing paint that has been applied to paper, usually with a clean brush or sponge dipped in water. The amount of sizing in

118 | GLOSSARY

the paper is a significant determining factor of how easy it is to lift colour from a surface. The less sized and more absorbent the paper, the harder the paint will be to lift from it.

Lightfastness Lightfastness refers to how resistant a material is to fading when exposed to light. No paper is wholly lightfast. In order to minimise the risk of fading paper should be stored in complete darkness, in a temperature and humidity controlled environment that is free of atmospheric pollution, which, unfortunately is not realistic in most circumstances. The most lightfast papers are made with a high quality pulp, without Optical Brightening Agents, and if they are coloured, contain pigments rather than dyes. The Blue Wool Scale (from 1= very poor to 8 = excellent) and ASTM ratings (V = very poor to I= excellent) are two measures of lightfastness. However both are limited in their accuracy, as they require subjective observation of when a shade has changed. Also the accelerated aging methods require extrapolation of results over a relatively huge timescale. This can often result in widely varying results for exactly the same paper. Generally, red and blue papers tend to be the least lightfast, while naturally off-white papers tend to be the best at keeping their colour.

Lignin A acidic organic polymer which is naturally occurring in vascular plants and some algae, and is present in wood and wood bark, lending rigidity to plant structures and preventing premature rotting. When making artist paper with lignincellulose from wood or vascular plants, lignin is removed because it can cause the paper to become brittle and yellow.

Linen Rag Paper Made from the fibres of the flax plant. The length of these fibres is longer than wood cellulose or cotton fibre and as a result linen papers tend to be more robust and harder to tear.

Linters Fine, silky fibres which stick to the seeds of the cotton plant after ginning - the process of separating the cotton fibres from the cotton seeds. Cotton paper can be made using cotton linters.

Lithography A print process that relies on the repellant nature of oil and water.

An image is created using oil based material on to a stone or sheet of metal, lightly coated with water and then inked with a roller before an impression is taken on to paper.

Marker Pad This paper is sized in order to resist marker pen bleed. It is bright white and completely smooth. Also well suited to graphite, coloured pencil, wax crayons and other ink based media.

Matt Medium A clear acrylic based fluid medium that can be used to coat paper to prepare it as a surface for oil and acrylic painting.

Mould Side The underside of the sheet in production, the mould side is the side of the paper that is formed on the wire mesh side of the mould. It has a slightly more regular texture than the other side, known as the felt side. The felt side is usually the preferred side on which to paint, although it is a question of individual preference.

Newsprint Thin, light grey paper that is internally and surface sized, but designed for printing gravure on reels. Its acid content causes it to yellow easily, especially if kept in natural daylight. Because of its low cost, newsprint is often favoured for quick disposable sketches and initial proofs in printmaking.

NOT Another term for cold pressed paper. It is made by pressing the sheet through cold metal rollers, and it has a slight texture to it. It is the most popular watercolour paper surface to work on because it is well adapted to many painting approaches. The paint will sink a little into the dimples on the surface of the paper, but it will also be sympathetic to some detailed work. Cold pressed paper tends to be more absorbent than hot pressed paper.

Optical Brighteners (OBAs) Optical Brightening Agents (or OBAs) are additives that manufacturers may use to make their paper look whiter. Optical brightening agents will fade over time with exposure to UV light, so many manufacturers of archival quality artist papers do not use them.

Paper Fingers Little folded pieces of paper with which you pick up clean sheets of paper to avoid inky fingermarks. Used mainly when printmaking.

Papyrus A material similar to thick paper that was used in Egypt at least as far back as the First Dynasty. Made from the pith of the papyrus plant, it was used to make items such as reed boats, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets. Often thought to be a precursor to modern paper. pH A value indicates a materials alkalinity or acidity. Archival paper will be neutral - alkaline; on the pH scale it will measure between 7.5 - 9.5.

Picking The ability of tacky ink to pull up fibres from the surface of the paper.

Pulp A plant-based dry matter, comprising carbohydrate polymers and lignin. It is prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from wood, cotton, linen, waste paper, or rags. Mixed with water and other chemical or plant-based additives, pulp is the major raw material used in papermaking as well as other industrial grade paper products.

Rag Paper Another term for Cotton Rag paper.

Ream 500 sheets of paper, or 516 when referring to a printer’s ream.

Relief Print Print process where ink is transferred to paper from the raised edges of a plate, most commonly a carved piece of wood or lino.

Right Side Another term to describe the felt side of a sheet of paper, although which side you paint on is a matter of personal preference.

Rough The roughest texture paper available. It is pressed between sheets of textured felt during the drying process. The heavier texture means that granulating (irregular settling of pigment particles) effects are enhanced. This paper surface is not recommended for detailed work and is more suited to bolder, more expressive painting techniques.

Size Tub The vessel that contains the sizing ingredient when surface sizing paper.

Sizing Sizing is used during the manufacture of paper to control its absorbency (internal sizing) and add strength (surface sizing).

Papers can be sized internally, with size added to the paper pulp during production. Most hand papermakers use a synthetic chemical called alkyl ketene dimer, which protects and coats each fibre. Sizing can also be applied externally (also called surface or tub sizing), after the paper has been formed, pressed, and dried. Gelatine and wheat starch are more common external sizing options, although egg whites can also be used. The method and amount of sizing depends on what the paper is intended to be used for.

Starch Derived from wheat, rice, and other plants. It is one of the oldest materials for sizing paper, and has been recorded in use by Chinese papermakers as early as A.D. 768. Starch is still used today as a sizing agent for some papers.

Stump A stick of compressed paper with a pencil like point at both ends, ideal

for blending coloured pencil or pastel marks or applying dry powdered media with.

Sulphite A chemical method of producing paper pulp from wood using high heat and sulfur dioxide. The sulfite process was first patented in 1867, but not in wide use until improvements were made in the 1870s-1880s.

To produce pulp, wood chips are cooked in a solution of sulfur dioxide dissolved in an alkaline solution (typically a calcium base). The cooking or steaming process produces bisulfite and then monosulfite, which dissolve lignin and hemicellulose. This method produces a bleachable pulp with a high yield, low cost, and high brightness.

Tear Bar A heavy metal straight edge used for tearing down sheets of paper.

Tonking A method of correcting an oil painting that has become overloaded with wet paint or oil. Newsprint or kitchen towel is laid over an area of wet oil paint and rubbed down. When lifted it removes excess paint and oil. The benefit to this method contrasted with scraping or wiping the paint away is that you do not lose the composition, a thinner version of it remains. It was named after Henry Tonks, an English painter influenced by the French Impressionists, who taught the technique at the Slade School of Art from 1893 to 1930.

Tooth A word used to describe the texure of paper. Paper with a heavy tooth will be heavily textured, and have a greater ability to hold drawn marks in place. Tooth increases the degree of friction between surface and drawing or painting material, causing more colour to the applied to the surface. Consequently heavy toothed papers tend to have the ability to show a wider tonal range as well as deeper colour saturation.

Papers with less tooth are suited to finer detail and crisp drawn lines.

Torn Edge The creation of an edge by tearing the paper as opposed to cutting.

A torn edge can compliment a true deckle, often found on two edges of a sheet of handmade paper.

Tortillion A tortillion is a hollow tube of tightly-rolled paper which can be used to blend charcoal, pastel or pencil drawings. It is used in much the same way as a paper stump, but is slightly sharper at the tip and is therefore less suitable for blending large areas.

True Deckle The actual deckle formed as the paper slurry slips between mould and deckle, this is as opposed to a torn edge that can mimic a deckle.

Tub Size The paper sheet is passed through a vat of size after the sheet has formed, in printmaking usually a soft surface size to assist ink holdout, or in watercolour to prevent paint from sinking into the paper too readily.

UV Resistance The exposure of paper to ultraviolet light can cause lignins to break down to form acid, which can either bleach or darken the appearance of the paper. No paper is entirely lightfast and so in order to protect paper from the harmful effects of UV light it is advisable to keep it behind UV resistant glass, or away from sunlight, in a portfolio for example.

Vellum Surface and Vellum Finish Distinguished from vellum paper which is an historic translucent paper made of calfskin or its modern vegetable vellum replacement, a vellum finish is a texture on the surface of paper to give it a moderate tooth and a subtle, even surface of peaks and valleys similar to the fine texture of an eggshell. The term ‘vellum surface’ is sometimes used by pastel paper makers to describe a more deeply dimpled surface.

Virgin Fibre Fibre derived from a source not previously used for papermaking; not recycled.

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Waterleaf A paper without any sizing, usually for use with oil based printing inks.

Watermark A watermark is an image that identifies the manufacturer of the paper.

It is created by changes in the thickness of the paper, light being able to pass through thinner areas, so that when a paper with a watermark is held to light, the image can be seen. Watermarks are made during the sheet formation process.

Wet Strength The description of how much strength a paper retains when completely soaked with water.

Wove Finish A completely smooth paper surface.

Yupo Yupo is a bright white synthetic paper, free from animal products, plant fibres, and 100% recyclable. It is made from heated polypropylene pellets, extruded to form the layers of paper and then stretched using a cross direction technique called biaxial orientation.

This process means that Yupo paper is exceptionally strong, tearresistant and has an incredibly smooth surface. There is no need to stretch, soak or prepare synthetic paper in any way before working as it is naturally buckle-free and remains perfectly flat. The smooth non-porous surface can be used with a combination of media, including watercolour, gouache, alcohol ink, acrylic paint, monotype, offset printing, debossing, oil pastel, graphite and silkscreen and crayon.

Wood-free Paper Paper made from a wood-based chemical pulp rather than mechanical pulp, which is not as susceptible to yellowing as paper containing mechanical pulp. Confusingly wood-free is an abbreviation of ‘groundwood-free’, and is a term only used for wood pulp paper.

INTERNATIONAL PAPER SIZES SIZE

MM X MM

IN X IN

SIZE

MM X MM

IN X IN

A0

841 x 1189

33.1 x 46.8

Full Imperial

762 x 559

30 x 22

A1

594 x 841

23.4 x 33.1

Half Imperial

381 x 559

15 x 22

A2

420 x 594

16.5 x 23.4

Quarter Imperial

381 x 279

15 x 11

A3

297 x 420

11.7 x 16.5

Double Elephant

673 x 1016

26.5 x 40

A4

210 x 297

8.3 x 11.7

Elephant

584 x 711

23 x 28

A5

148 x 210

5.8 x 8.3

A6

105 x 148

4.1 x 5.8

A7

74 x 105

2.9 x 4.1

A8

52 x 74

2.0 x 2.9

A9

37 x 52

1.5 x 2.0

A10

26 x 37

1.0 x 1.5

120 | GLOSSARY

A5

A7

A3 A4

A1

A0 A2

A8

A6

ABOUT JACKSON’S At Jackson’s we are dedicated to sourcing and providing the finest art materials in the world, catering to the unique needs of every artist. Our ethos is simple: we find the best products, offer them at great prices, and deliver an exceptional quality of service.

As a team of practising artists, we care passionately about the materials we use. We aim to provide artists of all abilities with the paints, brushes, surfaces, and every tool imaginable to help them realise their creative potential. We search globally for exciting new products from the finest artisan makers to the leading brands, and if we haven’t got what our customers need, we’ll work our hardest to find it. In collaboration with our customers we have developed our own range of products too, produced by the world’s best makers, ensuring quality materials at an excellent price.

HOW TO ORDER You can place an order either by phone, by post, online, or in person.

Online: browse jacksonsart.com, home to all our products and latest offers.

By phone or by post: call our customer service team on +44 (0)20 7254 0077 to place an order, or fill out the order form at the back of one of our catalogues.

In person: visit one of our UK shops (details online) and our staff will assist you. If you are looking for something specific, we suggest phoning ahead of your visit, so that we can check it is in stock or order it in for you.

Alternatively, you can use Click & Collect via your nearest participating store, at a time that suits you.

COMMUNITY An invaluable treasure trove of reliable advice and product knowledge, our blog has been growing for over 10 years. With contributions from a team of dedicated artists, you’ll find inspirational articles and artist interviews. We also promote and share artists’ work, providing them with exposure and a supportive audience. Visit jacksonsart.com/blog On social media, we communicate with fellow artists and connect them by sharing inspiration, tips and ideas online.

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PAPER GUIDE, PRINTED 2021