For pencil and ink work I use Daler Rowney smooth cartridge 300gsm

Marielena

Thanks for this. It’s so interesting to gather in all these suggestions and information. Ok, I wont send you any samples unless you need them, and you’re right, its a great idea to try new papers. As Im happy with my Fluid 100 and Stonehenge aqua, I’m sticking with those two for now and not really trying any others. But as I have several pads of it, I’ll certainly give the W&N cartridge underside a go, thanks for the tip. And the Strathmore 500 does indeed sound intreguing!

Congratulations on getting your painting into the exhibition, it’s a compelling piece. I can see how a tougher paper would work well for such a piece.

Thanks again Marialena for you educational and wonderful comments, they’re a treasure trove of researched and respected reviews of different products, and I thank you for taking the time to write up and share your findings with us.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Thank you very much for your offer but I currently have all the papers that I need to work and if for one thing I’m not waiting one year to resupply with paper, but I’m waiting to get a sample of one of them that is constantly out of stock. I’m talking about the Strathmore Aquarius that I have heard that is a very strong and a somewhat different kind of paper, that is very thin, doesn’t buckle but it isn’t also made by cotton or other conventional material. It is a high tech thing or something, I”m not sure what is all about but I’m super curious to find out!
It is this one:
https://www.artistpapers.co.uk/strathmore-500-series-premium/product_id-403/name-strathmore-500-series-aquarius-ii-watercolour-paper

I can send you though the Canson Aquarelle XL to test it and see if it works for you because I found it at a local store and I bought a block at A3 size.There is no reason to buy a whole block if you try it and it doesn’t work for you. Just give me an address to send you some sheets to test it.

I wanted also to mention that you should try the underside of the Winsor and Newton’s Medium Cartridge paper that you said on your video that you found it a bit rough for your taste. This paper’s underside is smooth too, and it handles the same as it’s front side ( the one that is up when you open the pad). All these cartridge or non cotton papers have usually two different surfaces with the front one being like a smooth cold pressed ( or mixed media) and the other side being very smooth, like hot press or sometimes “plate” one. I prefer to use such kind of papers for sketches or practice and trying new techniques because I save my “good” ones ( the cotton ones) and the full sheets for works that I exhibit at galleries or for commissions.

Regarding the Strathmore Imperial HP that you said on your video that you found it way to rough. Well you were right. It is indeed rather rough for a hot press paper, but it is extremely strong too. It is definitely not suitable for botanicals but I made a use of it.
I made on this paper this painting
https://www.marialenasarris.com/ideographies/
that is currently exhibited at at this art gallery.
http://minify.link/6pl ( I minified the link because it was huge)
This paper is suitable for works that require a lot of lifting and layers and works very well with masking fluid too. It is very strong. The strongest I have ever tried.

And that’s all my news.
I’ll be looking forward for your email.

Take care
Marialena 🙂

Hi Marielena

Wow, you’ve been doing your homework! When I found that I got on well with Fluid 100 and Stonehenge Aqua, I stopped running my trials. But Bockingford – well, years and years ago (we’re talking decades) I did work on HP Bockingford and felt it was rather like painting on a sponge, it felt soft and far too absorbent. Perhaps they’ve changed the sizing since then? Or the whole paper? The manafactureres do seem to be forever changing the recipes, it makes life very confusing.

I love the idea that it’s worth trying the underside of the Canson XL, next time Covid lets me near an art shop I might buy up some of those that you suggest and give them a go. And the Saunders sounds interesting too – although I did try a Saunders, is wasn’t the extra white. Worth a whirl. But you’re right, I’m a sucker for a brutally hard sizing and surface.

Ugh, so annoying that Moulin has changed their sizing! And you never know about it til it’s happened. I wonder what’s in it for them, Im sure theyre trying to improve, but I wonder what they’re basing that on? So irritating that it doesn’t take layers of wash any more.

Listen, if you’d like me to order in some of the bockingford, Fluid 100, and Strathmore for you; then I’d be more than happy to order you some and post it from here? You could cover postage and we could settle up via paypal or something, I’d be happy to help out if that appeals? Waiting over a year for paper is no fun at all. Email me if you’d like.

Thanks for such an amazingly informative update, Marialena. It’s a really useful resource for people.

XLizzie

What is your opinion about Bockingford HP? Have you tried it? I’m asking because I have heard a lot about how hard its sizing is but I haven’t been able to find any reviews about its hotpressed version and information about how it is performing on botanicals. As I have told you in the past, it is not easy to get paper samples here in Greece to test them myself.

I have also published on my website’s blog Andre Jute’s thorough review about Millford paper in case you are interested about it.

Here are another two papers for you to try.
Give a try to the Canson Aquarelle XL on its underside as the front side is like a smooth CP but the underside is like HP with hard sizing. It is not of course an 100% cotton paper but it is in my opinion a good paper for studies and botanical sketches.

And another one that I think that you are going to find interesting is the Saunders Waterford Extra White. Its surface is slightly smoother than the White one and though it is definitely softer than the super hard sized papers that you usually prefer, it performs nicely. Give it a try because it doesn’t perform the same as the just White one. ( that is not white at all!)

The Moulin du Roi HP has changed again sizing. I bought a package of full sheets recently and it is now completely different than the paper that I used to use some years ago.
It is now almost completely unsuitable for painting in layers, with very hard sizing though it doesn’t repel the washes as it used to do, with no deckled edges, no watermark and slightly lighter in weight than it used to be. Jackson’s customer service told me that Canson is going to discontinue the full sheets and offer this paper only in pads.

I haven’t manage to get the Fluid 100 and I’m more than a year registered in a waiting list for the Strathmore Aquarius!

As it is obvious there is no end on testing new and older papers as the companies keep on changing them.

Hi Sue

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I know, I love the smooth crispness of Fluid 100 too, its a lovely paper. I also do lots of work on Stonehenge Aqua (hot press) which is slightly softer but still wonderfully crisp. I know what you mean about a paper making you feel you can take on a whole new discipline,; it just goes to prove that the equipment you use does have quite a big effect on what you can produce (I always think about this when I see children’s magazines, printed on china-clay shiny paper with rubbish crayones of pecnils attached for free. Even poor Leonardo couldnt have done much with these, so why inflict such a horror on little ones who are just starting out!). To be honest, I think I love FLuid 100 as much as I used to love Fabriano. Its smoother. Thanks again for your comment, and good luck with your further adventures in botanical illustration!