Which is the best paper for botanical art and illustration?​

A perennial question asked by many artists, especially when their favourite paper changes
​The answer varies depending on how you work - find reviews and recommendations below.
​
Plus how to test whether watercolour paper is suitable for botanical art
Below you can find out more about:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PAPER TO USE IT PROPERLY
  • SUMMARY: Basic paper facts you NEED TO KNOW about paper- to make the most of paper you need to know how it is made and how it can perform
  • Different Types of Paper and Boards - improve your understanding of how papers and boards are made and why they perform differently
    • Different brands of paper identified as suitable for botanical art and illustration. Some are suitable for some media only. Some suit some watercolour paintings techniques better than others. There's also a video about paper for coloured pencils techniques.
    • Paper suppliers and retailers
  • Paper-making - how paper is made and what gets added to it during the production process
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PAPERS
  • WATERCOLOUR PAPER
    • How to test watercolour paper - general principles + tests for watercolour paint, coloured pencils and pen and ink
    • Recording test data: factors you need to record when testing a sample of paper and creating a record of value to share
    • Reviews of different papers by botanical artists - all aiming to identify the best paper for botanical art and illustration - including a video
  • ILLUSTRATION BOARDS & PAPER (in development)
  • TRANSFER AND TRACING PAPERS (in development)

SUMMARY: Basic facts you NEED TO KNOW about Paper
​

All paper is different and performs in different ways.

Paper-making - All paper was handmade until the 19th century. Most is now made by machine but some is still made by hand.  Some machines (mould-made) attempt to emulate the traditional processes. 

Even a paper made by one manufacturer can change over time and when their supplies of materials to make the paper change.

Paper can deteriorate and change colour over time. Whether it does and how fast this happens depends on the nature and the quality of the materials and processes used to make the paper. In general:
  • 100% cotton paper is considered to be the best for botanical art.
  • calcium carbonate is often added to provide a buffer against discolouration caused by acids present in atmospheric pollution.

Archival paper has a number of characteristics. It is:
  • permanent - will not deteriorate for a long time and can be used for permanent records (or fine art)
  • durable - will not tear easily
  • acid-free - will not deteriorate because acid levels in the fibres made to make paper are eliminated or reduced.
Sizing the type of size and how it is applied affects how a paper performs it changes the absorbency, and the durability of the paper - how it wears over time or under stress. It generally reduces the tendency of paper to absorb liquid.  Sizing may contain different constituents depending on its main purpose.
  • surface (tub sizing) is added at the wet end of the paper-making process prior to sheet formation (see below). Usually it's intended to help the paper run through the machine.
  • if you wet a paper to stretch it to prevent cockles then you may well remove some of the sizing.  Try working on a heavier weight paper instead.

The weight of a paper can affect whether or not is cockles when drying. Lighter papers can be soaked and then stretched by attaching to a board. (see below for how) However heavier weight papers 300lb and more do  not need to be stretched as they don't cockle.

How paper is stored and handled makes a difference
  • ​paper needs to be stored flat and ideally away from environmental factors (light/moisture) which affect its surface
  • paper needs to be handled very carefully. Touching a paper can also affect how it performs - especially if any of the paper comes into contacts with e.g. natural oils in the hand.​
Linters are traditionally used in the manufacture of paper and as a raw material in the manufacture of cellulose. In the UK, linters are referred to as "cotton wool".
Wikipedia - Cotton

TYPES OF PAPER / BOARD FOR FINE ART & ILLUSTRATIONS
​

Watercolour paper
​

There are three basic types of watercolour paper. ​The variations in the surface depend on what processes were used to make the paper.
  • Rough - this has a pronounced surface, known as tooth. It has bumps and dips which means colour can puddle in the dips
  • Cold Pressed - has a surface which is slightly bumpy
  • Hot Pressed - the smoothest paper, often used by botanical artists using watercolour or coloured pencils. This is a very demanding surface - and botanical artists often demand a lot of out - hence why so much testing of different papers!

Illustration Paper / Board
​

Other types of paper used for botanical art include:
  • ​Illustration board - This is smooth board with  a finish which particularly suits artists who use dry media such as graphite and coloured pencils. In the past it has frequently been used by commercial artists as the surface does not cockle or crease.
  • Bristol Paper/Board - This offers a super smooth Plate surface which is often used for pen and ink work by botanical illustrators.

Tracing & Transfer Papers

Other than using a lightbox - with lightweight watercolour paper - there are two main methods for transferring prepration drawings to the paper for the finished work
  • Tracing paper has low opacity and comes in different thicknesses/quality - which has implications for how flexible and durable they are.
  • Transfer paper is very thin paper typically coated with wax and pigment. Transfer paper for use for fine art is typically wax-free. It's also known as graphite paper.

Different brands of watercolour paper for botanical art

This is a brief summary of different paper suppliers used by botanical artists - organised by the country which produces them.
Made in France
  • Arches - a high quality conservation oriented paper. Their heaviest weight paper is used by Rosie Sanders for her very large botanical paintings
  • Canson - L’Aquarelle Canson® Héritage is a new paper and Moulin de Roy are two papers which some botanical artists are experimenting with
Made in Italy
  • Fabriano Artistico - available as traditional white - and extra white. Once the "go to" paper for very many botanical artists with methods that demanded too much of most other Hot Press papers. Now out of favour following the change in process used to make it and the unreliability of its surface.
REFERENCE:
Made in Germany
​​Hahnemuhle Fine Art Papers - a paper which is less well used by botanical artists but used to good effect by some.
Made in UK
  • St Cuthberts Mill - Produces Saunders Waterford 4 deckle edged fine art watercolour paper available in White and High White (which is popular with some artists who like a wetter approach to botanical art) and Bockingford
  • Two Rivers - handmade paper with a random surface texture and very hard sized
Made in USA
  • Stonehenge Aqua - made by Legion Papers (links to test results on this page). Blocks and sheets.
  • ​​Twinrocker Papers - handmade papers - including watercolour paper
  • Strathmore - UK and USA sites - detail products which they produce and supply

Paper Suppliers and Retailers
​

Paper Suppliers in the UK
  • RK Burt - wholesale importer of fine art papers for watercolour, drawing and printmaking in the UK (i.e. they do not sell paper to artists but do provide samples)
Paper Retailers in the UK
Paper Suppliers in the USA
  • Legion Papers - sources, distributes and sells fine art (and other) papers by a variety of manufacturers in the USA​
Paper Retailers in the USA

Paper Sizes

Different makers create different sizes of paper - one is metric (centimetres) and the other is Imperial Inches). The image is a handy guide to the metric sizing.

  • Traditionally paper was made in inches 
    • this is still popular for watercolour paper and pads.
    • A handmade paper mould is traditionally 22" x 30inches
  • Latterly, European papermakers, more contemporary paper making and formats have adopted the metric system
REFERENCE - PAPER SIZES:
FAQ – Some people find the measurements of watercolour paper a bit confusing. Here is a short summary that might help.

How to store paper

MUST DO'S for storing and protecting fine art paper

Handling
  • handle the paper as little as possible - or you will damage the surface and edges
  • pick up paper by the edge - and always avoid touching the surface with your fingers
  • take paper from the top of a stack
  • paper can be stored in its paper or plastic wrapping - so long as it is neutral and not acidic
Storage
  • keep in a cool dry place - water is absorbent and will pick up moisture in the atmosphere
  • Store way from air vents and open windows - and limit insect attacks! A dark closet or interior storage space can be ideal.
  • Limit exposure to UV light - keep away from direct sunlight
  • Flat shelves and drawers are best
  • If using storage boxes, make sure they are acid and lignin free
REFERENCE:
Picture
My Alex Drawer Unit by IKEA which I use for storing art paper and sketchbooks

PAPER MAKING
​

​What is paper made of?

Watercolour paper can be made from:
  • cotton lintners. Cotton is archival and stable i.e. unlikely to deteriorate over time. Lintners can be short or long fibre. Short lintners are the by-product of the cotton used for the manufacture of cloth. Cotton prices rocketed in 2010 when floods in Pakistan led to the loss of 10% of the total cotton output for that year.
  • cellulose - this is a chemically treated substance made from wood pulp.  When you see "wood-free" it means the paper is actually made from wood pulp that has been treated with chemicals to eliminate the problems associated with wood. For example, the lignin in wood decays fast, creates acid and causes paper to deteriorate over time (i.e. becomes brittle and breaks up). 
Sometimes paper is made of a mixture of "wood free" cellulose and cotton and a percentage is generally indicated.

​Traditional Watercolour paper used to be made from linen rags hence the term rag paper.

Fine art should not be made on paper created from recycled waste because of the uncertainties associated with what it contains.

​What gets added to paper?
​

In the paper-making process, substances get added to the raw materials of cotton or cellulose
The basic ingredient of handmade paper is plant cellulose, which is hydrophilic--it loves water.
Sizing is the most important additive for watercolour paper. ​

Without sizing many papers would behave rather like blotting paper and fine marks would be impossible.
Sizing applied to paper influences
  • the absorption of water - and consequently how fast paint sinks into a paper
  • the strength of a paper - its resistance to abrasion or tearing
  • the smoothness of the paper - reducing the fuzziness​
Picture
Historical paper-marking: the Sizing tub is on the left - heated from underneath. Excess size is squeezed out of a pile of sheets of paper at the back

Different types of sizing 

There are three categories of papers with respect to sizing: 
  • unsized (water-leaf), 
  • weak sized (slack sized), and 
  • strong sized (hard sized).
If sizing is soft (internal) then paint (and ink) will sink in. For example printmaking papers need to be soft sized.

If sizing is hard/strong (additional surface sizing) the paper has a coating and is most resistant to water - meaning paint will sit on the surface. It's not good for wet in wet techniques.

Oil paint can be applied to paper which has had the right sort of size applied.

Influences on how sizing performs

​Various substances can be used for sizing which is why different watercolour papers can behave in different ways.​
  • Sizing can be internal - where the size is added to the vat and all the paper made from one batch of pulp is equally sized.
  • Sizing can be external / applied just to the surface - when the size is added to the sheets after creation and produces a coating on each sheet. External sizing can be applied using painting, spraying, or tub sizing
Sizing works differently in different weather conditions:
  • when it is damp, paper that is more absorbent (ie has less sizing) dries more quickly
  • a hot and dry climate suits a hard-sized paper​​​

​Complaints about paper are often due to the sizing being contaminated. This can happen in the art shop but can also happen due to how an artist handles the paper and how they treat it prior to painting.
Other additives: Brightening Agents
  • Paper is not naturally very white. Very white papers have always had brightening/whitening agents added to them
  • Titanium Dioxides is stable and does not cause the paper to darken over time
  • Optical brightening agents (OBAs) are unstable, decay and cause paper to become less white/bright over time. Use ultra violet light to detect the presence of PBAs
Other Additives: Fungicides
  • Water used for watercolour painting may contain living 'things' i.e. it's not sterile
  • Good quality watercolour paper is treated with fungicide to stop the growth of mould
  • Use sterile water for painting if your paper does not contain fungicide.​
REFERENCE: For those wanting to know more about the history of sizing paper For the technically minded who don't mind chemistry

How is paper made?
​

Handmade paper is typically made using the same processes as those used for hundreds of years.

Both mouldmade and machine made papers are made on a machine - but the machines are different.
  • A cylinder mould machine attempts to emulate traditional handmade paper-making, is designed for making fine art paper and finishes and has become well-established in Europe.
  • a flat bed Fourdrinier paper-making machine makes machine made paper (such as cartridge paper and cheaper drawing papers). One of the characteristics of machine made paper is that all the fibres lie in one direction. It tears easily one way (along the fibres) and not at all easily across the fibres.
Below is a diagram of a Fourdriner Paper-making Machine which has four basic processes
  1. The Wet End - where water is sucked and filtered out from the slurry of fibres to create a web of paper fibre
  2. The Wet Press section - the wet fibre web is is squeezed between a solid roll and a felt supported by a perforated roll. High pressure squeezes out even more water. 
  3. The Dryer section - the dryer sheet of paper fibre passes through a series of felts and very hot cylinders arranged in a serpentine manner. Drying gets the water content down to c. 6% (i.e. typical indoor atmospheric conditions)
  4. The Calender section - the dry paper is now smoothed (and shrunk) through rollers top and bottom (which can be internally heated with steam). These exert pressure on the paper. 
Picture
How paper is made using a modern-day Fourdrinier Machine

Mould made paper - characteristics
​

  • superior surface stability
  • surface texture
  • do not tear easily because the fibre formation is random beautiful surface texture.
  • deckle edges
  • clear watermarks
  • differences between the 'felt side' and the 'mould' (wire mesh) side of the paper. 

Machine (Fourdrinier) made paper - characteristics
​

  • very consistent quality
  • tears easily - because all the fibres are lined up and running the same way (i.e. the machine direction) 
REFERENCE:

WATERCOLOUR PAPER

How to Test Watercolour Paper - General Principles
​

These are all suggestions from botanical artists of how to test new paper you've not tried before prior to starting work on a proper drawing or painting.  You might also like to try testing your current paper to provide a baseline.
 I'm hoping to develop a gallery of images of tests by different artists of watercolour paper. Ideally using a common template for testing papers so that it's easy for people to make a comparison. ​If you'd like to participate please contact me.
General principles when testing paper
​
  • Test BOTH SIDES - I guarantee you may well be surprised. They generally have a different surface and they may behave in different ways
  • Test papers at the SAME TIME. This isn effective way of controlling other variables which might affect performance and outcomes eg how you're mixing colours; what the environment is like (eg water in the atmosphere)
  • Use the SAME COLOURS for all papers (whether paints, inks or pencils) - identify a set of the colours you use regularly which need to perform well on the paper. Stick to this basic palette for all tests. You can add more colours or change brands of paint for papers you like but do the basic colour palette tests first so you've got some consistency which helps with the rigour of comparisons.
Test lightfastness / constancy of paper colour over time
​
  • Take a small sheet of paper and cut it in half. Label each half (on the same side) with the brand/weight. Now place one half in bright sunlight (eg tape it to a window which gets south facing light. Place the other half inside an archival container inside a flat drawer - so it is not exposed to any light. Review after six months to see if there is any change in colour or whether they remain the same.

Make A Record of Paper you Try


​For each sample of paper you want to test and/or use, you need to record:
  • name of the manufacturer
  • name of the brand of paper 
  • stated type/purpose (eg - how is it described? Watercolour, fine art, illustration, printmaking etc)
  • type of paper e.g. hot pressed, cold pressed or rough; 
  • how made? - e.g. handmade, mouldmade or machine made?
  • constituents: e.g. 100% cotton lintners or something else
  • sizing - the type of size and how it is applied affects the strength of the paper and water and paint is absorbed - and hence how 'bright' it is
  • archival status: what does the manufacturer say
  • size of a sheet of paper - dimensions in inches and/or centimetres (and thickness if a board) 
  • surface finish e.g. hot pressed (HP), cold pressed or rough
  • weight of paper in lbs. or gsm
  • colour of paper
  • number of deckle edges - if a sheet
  • whether a sheet or from a block (they can perform differently)
  • nature of the environment when testing e.g. temperature; moisture levels, indoors or outdoors

How to test paper - using watercolour paint
​

Applying watercolour paint
​

First ​draw lots of squares for testing purposes

​Wet surface
  • fill the square precisely with a wash and a definite edge
  • apply paint as a wash to a surface which is wet
  • apply a second layer to the first - and review/record how long it takes for each layer to dry
  • apply a wash to the paper and graduate the wash (dark to light) down the page using only water
Dry surface
  • apply dry brush marks (hatching or dots/spots) to a paper which is dry. Repeat on a surface which is painted and ry
  • apply paint as a wash to a surface which is dry. Repeat and apply watercolour wash to a dry paper which has already been painted. Does the second glaze disturb the first?
Precise edges
  • Review how precise the edges are on both wet and dry paper

Changing the paint on the paper
​

Manipulating watercolour paint
  • ​blend two colours together on the paper so there's a smooth transition and no edges
  • soften the edge of moist paint with a clean moist brush
Removing watercolour paint
  • lift and remove an area of freshly applied paint with a clean moist (not wet) brush
  • test with staining and non-staining colours to assess how easy it is to lift and remove

​

What the paper does to the paint
​

Absorbency
  • Time and assess how fast it takes for a paper to dry if you apply exactly the same amount of paint and water to different papers. (Note: layering your papers and then running a broad brush loaded with paint across them does NOT deliver the same ampount o 
Quality of colour
  • ​how does the paper affect the colour of the paint? Is it bright or dull?
Granulation
  • Using two paints which are MORE and LESS likely to granulate, paint a wash and assess the extent to which the paper causes the paint to granulate.
  • draw loads of squares. First with one wet into wet wash. Another square with two wet in wet layers, timing the drying time for each layer, and so on to see how many it will take. Another with a graduated wash, and so on to test wet on dry glazes, hard and soft edges, granulation patterns on the surface, and how it will take correction with different methods of lifting and sponging. I'm also looking to see how clean and vibrant the colours are, and how quickly the glazes dry

Reference - how to test watercolour paper
​

Other recommendations for how to test watercolour paper
Lower quality sheets are usually brittle to folding and retain the "memory" of rolling up. Better quality sheets will not break under extreme folding and return to flat after they are unrolled
Handprint

​The BEST PAPER for Botanical Art & Illustration
​- video and other reviews by artists
​

The BEST PAPER FOR BOTANICAL ART  is always the one which works best for you.
​Just because it works for somebody else does not mean it is the best paper for the way you work as there are different ways of working to produce excellent end results.
​
On the right are posts about how to choose art papers by Clifford Burt, manager of of wholesale paper suppliers RK Burt & Co.  (who supply most of the art shops in the UK). They summarise a number of the points I've highlighted above
A series of articles by Clifford Burt
  • How to choose art papers: part one – manufacture
  • How to choose art papers: part two – materials
  • How to choose art papers: part three – additives
  • How to choose art papers: part four – longevity
Below you can find links to detailed tests (including some videos) by:
  • Lizzie Harper
  • Wendy Hollander
  • Ann Swan
  • Dianne Sutherland
  • Sarah Morrish
  • Polly O'Leary
  • Margaret Fitzpatrick, Christine Battle and Lizzie Harper (for Jackson's Art Blog)

but first the Fabriano story - which is what generated so much of the contents below.
Choosing the right paper for your work is so important, it can make a huge difference to the end result, and, to your painting experience. 
Dianne Sutherland

The Fabriano Story to date
​

This is the story of changes to Fabriano Artistico and Classico 5 - to date.
I've made it my job to record what has been happening to share information gleaned to date

​(I''m also aware a new batch of Artistico is currently under test - courtesy of RK Burt! I'll be reporting in due course.
'Fabriano Artistico' (300 lb) is a paper which is consistently recommended by GM winners.
Katherine Tyrrell (BEFORE recent changes to how the paper is made)
  • the factors / criteria which emerged as most important were:
    • - robust and stable i.e. precise thickness and weight of paper is less important than stability i.e. heavier weight paper does not cockle or ripple when water is applied; 
    • - consistency across the paper i.e. a satin smooth finish which allows control is required. Glazes must also be consistent (the glazes must not granulate or streak as happened on some of the test papers). The surface must NOT fluff or break up when paint is reworked or lifted or artists work wet in wet (i.e. paper must allow botanical artists to remove paint as well as apply it). This is especially important given the number of hours a botanical artist can spend on a painting.
    • - watercolours need to have good quality saturation and the paper must work well with graphite as well as coloured pencils
    • - and importantly reliability of production (the paper is always the same). No surprises!
    • Conclusions drawn at the end of the blind paper testing at the meeting with Fabriano in July 2016
Picture
The July 2016 meeting between artists and Fabriano Executives at RK Burt in Southwark. Leading botanical artists BLIND TESTED samples of different watercolour papers - including old and new versions of Fabriano Artistico. Artists attending included: Billy Showell, Sandra Armitage, Gael Selwood, Dianne Sutherland, Elaine Searle, Polly O'Leary, Sandrine Maugy and Ann Swan - and me!
Fabriano have done some trials since the meeting. To date they have been unsuccessful at identifying what needs to be different to produce the old surface. This means no prospect of a change back to the old surface in the near future. 
We’ve now agreed to go through the same exercise with St. Cuthberts Mill. They recently produced two new papers as a response to the problem. This Mill only produces fine art paper and has an incentive to produce and/or refine paper to meet the needs of a group of artists with specific requirements. 
Fabriano Paper - an update (SBA Winter Bulletin)

VIDEOS: Testing watercolour papers

Below are THREE very useful videos by Lizzie Harper in which she reviews samples of possible replacement papers for Fabriano Artistico. 
Watch these to find out her very useful, verbal descriptions of painting on the papers.

​The papers tested are:
VIDEO ONE:
  • Moulin du Roy HP,
  • Arches 300gsm/140lb HP,
  • Canson Heritage 300gsm HP,
  • the new Saunders Waterford (St Cuthberts Mill) and
  • Botanical Smooth. 300gsm HP  (St Cuthberts Mill).
VIDEO TWO
  • Stonehenge Aqua and
  • Fluid Hot Press papers
VIDEO THREE
  • Clairefontaine Hotpress
  • Winsor & Newton Medium surface Heavyweight Cartridge paper
  • Strathmore 500 Series Imperial watercolour paper (hot press)
  • Fabriano Artistico Hot Press (the new stock, available to buy)
  • old stock of Fabriano Artistico Hot Press (no longer available) and
  • Fluid 100 
On her blog she has three companion blog posts providing more information and images about the individual papers. ​
I do want to stress that these are reviews from my own perspective and my own (slightly untraditional) style of doing botanical watercolours, and there's every chance that if you were to try these different papers you'd come to different conclusions.  Paper choice is very subjective.
This is a similar video by Wendy Hollander. The papers she is testing are as follows:
  • Stillman & Birn Zeta (pad style)
  • Fluid 
  • Stonehenge Aqua Paper made by Legion (two samples)
  • the new Fabriano Artistico paper
  • Saunders Waterford High White (the new paper)
  • Arches paper
  • Canson L'Acquerelle paper
​​She recommends Stonehenge Aqua paper (no watermark) and explains why.
She emphasises taking time to get to know a paper if you really want to make a proper assessment.  ​

Her blog post provides more details about Evaluating Hotpressed watercolor papers for botanical drawing. It covers:
  • her requirements of botanical art paper
  • ​​a composite image of all the different sample pages 
  • her recommended paper - and a description of it
  • images of all the samples of papers she tried and could work with
Next Ann Swan demonstrates some tests she uses to explore the characteristics of different types of paper.  The tests are:
  • the Pressure Test - demonstrating very quickly how paper will not tear if it is robust and will if it is not
  • a Graphite Test using lines and elliptical marks - describing the difference between old and new Fabriano
Next Removal Tests
  • the use of Sticky Back Plastic to lift off lines or shading from colour (Botanical Ultra Smooth fails)
  • the use of Masking Fluid and its subsequent removal from paper (again Botanical Ultra Smooth fails this test because the paper abrades)
  • the use of Erasers to remove line or colour
Then test the paper with Embossing Tools - to make sure they don' tear the paper
Reviews by UK botanical artists

​Artists provide tips on which watercolour papers and other supports work best for botanical art. Includes samples of how papers affect different techniques used for watercolour painting.
Reviews organised by retailers

Retailers of art supplies are also very keen to test paper to find out what is the best in the views of the experts - so they can stock up on it!

How to stretch paper
​

If you want paper to remain tight and smooth, you need to stretch it first. The video below shows you how to do this.
REFERENCE:

ILLUSTRATION PAPER & BOARDS

ILLUSTRATION BOARDS

Other types of paper used for botanical art include:
  • ​Illustration board - This is smooth board with  a finish which particularly suits artists who use dry media such as graphite and coloured pencils. In the past it has frequently been used by commercial artists as the surface does not cockle or crease.
  • Bristol Paper/Board - This offers a super smooth Plate surface which is often used for pen and ink work by botanical illustrators.

The legendary Schoellershammer Board is no more. In its place are
  • The Reflex Art Board - front and reverse sides can be painted on
  • Schoellershammer 4G 1.5mm Board
REFERENCE: Suppliers:

TRACING & TRANSFER PAPERS

There are two main methods for transferring prepration drawings to the paper for the finished work - without using a lightbox.
  • Transfer paper
  • Tracing paper

TRANSFER PAPER
This is very thin paper typically coated with wax and pigment.
  • Transfer paper for use for fine art is typically wax-free. - which means it can be erased without smudges or smearing on your fine art paper.
  • It's also known as graphite paper.
  • It's typically placed underneath your prep.drawing and above the fine art paper. You trace your prep. drawing onto it.
  • it's not cheap BUT It can be used multiple times

Tracedown / Saral Paper is probably the best known product suitable for fine art papers.

Graphite transfer paper is made - as the name suggests - using graphite
TRACING PAPER

in development
REFERENCE: