I mentioned in my last post that I started out using Arches watercolor paper but changed brands. Why? Especially when the paper was so good to start with?
Simple: Fungicide.
I am very sensitive to chemicals and the smells that out gas (this senstivity began in earnest after completing chemotherapy for breast cancer many years ago). I noticed early on when using Arches that whenever I laid on a lot of water to the surface, a strange smell would rise from the paper. At first it was simply odd, but then I began getting headachey from the fumes.
No one could tell me why or what this smell was. Finally, I found a book called Watercolor Paper Handbook, which was a life-saver. The book is out of print, but used copies are readily available on Amazon.com.
What I found out was that Arches adds a fungicide to the paper during the manufacturing process. Mystery solved. I don’t know of any other watercolor paper manufacturer that does this, but my nose sure told me so! And why a fungicide is needed beats me. Watercolor paper is made for taking on water, which is then thoroughly dried before storing. If you keep your finished paintings in reasonable storage conditions, fungicides are not necessary. Perhaps it’s mainly useful for people painting below the equator in tropical climates? My conclusion is that people rush to use chemicals all too quickly when they are not needed. And probably are dangerous on some level.
After some sleuthing and further research and experimentation, I ended up using Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper in blocks of various sizes. This is an Italian-made paper, 100% cotton, acid-free, and offered in the 3 types of paper mentioned previous (rough, cold-pressed, hot-pressed) and in traditional white and extra white.
Fabriano Artistico Hot-Pressed Bright White block
I usually buy my supplies from Dick Blick Art Supplies, and if you click on the link here, you will see the Fabriano Extra White line, which I tend to use exclusively. The traditional white is slightly cream-colored. The Bright White is very white, and provides more contrast and crispness of image, which I prefer.
Blocks of paper, rather than loose sheets or spiral pads, are my choice. Blocks of paper are glued together at the very edges, with one edge left unglued. You stick a knife in that unglued edge to release the paper once it has been painted. Why do I prefer blocks? Because I’m lazy! I do not want to have to staple my paper to boards and stretch the paper like many artists do. Since I have a full time job, when I make time to paint, I need to get right to it.
The blocks range in sizes from 5×7 to 14×20, which is usually as large as I work anyway. So the blocks suit me fine.
There is one more thing about watercolor paper: weight. Some papers are lighter or heavier than others. The heavier the paper, the thicker and more robust it is and the less it will buckle and warp from the water used. If it is very thick, stretching may not even be necessary. And if you use multiple very wet glazes, thicker is better. In the painting at the beginning of the post, I used about a dozen separate glazes on the Madrone bark to depict the hues and transparency of the sunlight filtering through it. Cold-pressed paper is indispensable for multiple glazes!
The blocks I use are mid-weight, at 140 lb per ream (or 300 gsm-grams per square meter). Since the block configuration provides an inherent “stretching,” my preparatory work is already done. I’ve never encountered warping or buckling. I’m very happy with it.
