Art Papers: The Artist Guide

Artists use various art papers to convey a visual image in many of the most popular art mediums. Putting thoughts and images down on paper is one of the most important discoveries man ever made.

I am a watercolorist and I know how important it is for us to know about the art paper choices we have for creating art. Ask yourself these questions before you choose your paper: Are you a professional, a student or are you just having fun enjoying art?

What medium are you going to use on the paper and how will the finished work will be used or displayed? This is why it’s very important to know and understand everything you can about the paper you’re planning to use. This is why I’ve talked about paper elsewhere in my website.

Paper is made from the fibers of many plant sources like cotton, linen, flax, jute, hemp, bamboo, rice, straw, and rattan, to name a few. Art paper is made by mingling the fibers of one or more of these plants in a thin layer.

The most popular fibers used today in the western hemisphere are cotton, cellulose and various blends of fibers. Cotton fiber is considered today, as the best fiber to put into most paper an artist would want to use. The long fiber strains in cotton make a very strong paper that will resist wear from heavy erasing.

Cotton rag paper is very stable and is considered one of the best quality papers you can buy. Cotton rag paper is also chosen for its archival qualities.

Sizing is another ingredient added to art paper and affects it’s absorbency. The sizing is on the surface of the paper and helps the paint colors to appear more vibrant. Sizing, like anything else put into the paper as it’s made, can affect the archival quality of the paper, and is why externally applied or surface sizing can be a better choice. The thickness of the paper is referred to as its weight and is another choice you need to make when purchasing paper. There is no right or wrong paper to use--it’s a matter of what you feel is best for the way you paint or draw.

The finish of the art paper is another choice you have and can influence the way your painting or drawing will ultimately look. A Rough press finish has a distinctively rough texture to it and is usually a favorite with Pastel artists because of the tooth in the paper that grabs and holds the pastel.

Cold Press is very popular and versatile with its slight texture. (I find this texture varies between brands.) Hot Press paper is used for highly detailed paintings or Illustrations as well as by printmakers, etchers and draftsmen. The surface of Hot Press is very smooth and lines and details remain crisp and clean. The ink or paint is very vibrant making the art distinctly colorful and popular.

The last choice you need to make is what format do you want to buy? By that I mean do you want to buy single sheets, wire bound pads, blocks glued on four sides or rolls. There is no right or wrong here as well; ease of use, price and convenience should also be considered.

Today I find we artists have more and more choices of paper and a lot of it is coming from other parts of the world, especially Japan. The manufacturing methods used for Japanese art paper are different from European and American papers. Let’s make some comparisons.

In the Far East, the use of bast fibers have been used for centuries to make paper, In the West we see the wide use of seed fibers (mainly Cotton) to make their paper. The relatively long bast fibers require a different procedure for shaking and the consequent intertwining rather then the simple scoop and drain method of the Western papermakers.

For this reason there has developed, since the eighth century, a method of papermaking which relies on the addition of neri, a glutinous starch-like substance. This increases the viscosity of the pulp, which in turn restrains the seeping though of the water on the screen, enabling a much more complex sequence of layering of the art paper to be achieved in the process. The concentration of fiber to water is much higher (from 30 percent fiber to 70 percent water in Japan compared to from 5 percent fiber to 95 percent water in the West).

The second major difference is the use in the East of a flexible bamboo or reed screen held in position in a two part mold, compared with the simple metal screen and deckle of the West. In Japan the papermaker, because of their attention to the whole process of scooping, making and couching (which may take up to two minutes in a complex making), is a solo performer; whereas in the West the labor is often divided up between the three members of a team of vat man, coucher and layer. Moreover, due to the presence of neri, sheets can be couched without the use of felts as is customary in the West.

Drying by the Eastern method is a slow process of draining and pressing, compared to the more drastic expulsion of water by heavy pressing in Western manufacturing. At its best and most traditional, drying is carried out in Japan outdoors in the sun rather then indoors over heat. The best Japanese hand papermakers will resist the use of additives, chemicals, improvers or bleach to their stock, and will wish to use the purest material and make paper at the coldest season of the year, drying the paper in the winter sun, so that finally the paper is the product of natural substances and elements plus the inherited skill of the maker.

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For a fascinating look at the history of paper, visit the Paper History Timeline.

Making Your Own Paper in 10 Easy Steps provides instruction for a fun and educational project. Enjoy!