Hi Jill, I wanted to pass on an update regarding Winsor & Newton paper. I was very impressed with the W&N paper in my initial tests, and I know it's one of your favorites. I noticed that Dick Blick was selling a "new" version of both the classic and professional line watercolor papers. I ordered some and wrote W&N to ask about their new paper. I will paste their response at the bottom of this comment, which reveals they had three different mills making their paper, but now only have one. I just tested the new paper, and unfortunately it's quite different. Note the old paper had the watermarks on the bottom LEFT, but the new papers the watermark is on the bottom RIGHT. The old paper was quite rough for CP, and the new paper has much less texture (this may actually be a bonus for some). The new paper is much less absorbent -- it seems like heavier external sizing versus the old paper, which was quite thirsty. Sadly, the new papers (and I tested all three finishes in 140#) warped and got wavy, and did not flatten out when dry like the old version. Seems like less internal sizing. Additionally, I could not get a nice even flat wash or a good gradient on the new papers in any finish. I even gave it a second try on the CP and modifying my technique helped, but the wash was still blotchy. (When I ordered, they were out of stock of the 300 lb, but I hope to test that one soon. I don't have my hopes up.) I figured I would post my findings here for you and others to see - wanted to give you a heads up before you order again. Oh, and the price went up more than a dollar per sheet as well. And as an aside, they suddenly raised the Lanaquarelle price more $2 a sheet! (Lanaquarelle is better priced through Cheap Joe's.) Blick still has some of the old stuff in stock, but I think they are out of 300#. I was able to find some of the old stuff in my local store as well. Here is what W&N wrote to me: Thank you for contacting Winsor & Newton. I'll try to clarify the situation. There are 3 paper mills in the world that can make watercolor paper to our specifications. Two of them have been bought by competitors or entered into exclusive contracts with other companies so we lost access to the paper made by both mills at different times. Last year we started to work with the third mill who is making the paper we recently launched. All of the versions we've had made were internally and externally sized with some combination of vegetable and synthetic sizing, although I'm sure each mill has their own method. Only Arches in France uses an animal hide glue to size their watercolor paper as they've done for over 500 years. ​ Each type of paper we've had made will be similar, but there will be some variations in color or texture based on the unique conditions at each mill.

Wow, this is the best and most comprehensive review on watercolor papers I've seen on KZfaq. Not that others haven't been valuable, but you really went the extra mile to ensure a thorough, fair and thoughtful examination of each paper. Thanks so much! One comment about the Fabriano Artistico paper--the grain of the paper is opposite the other papers (a change they made a few years ago when Fabriano changed the manufacturing of the Artistico papers). It runs crosswise rather than lengthwise, which is easy to see from the deckle edges and the way the papers curled when wet in the first experiment. I'm wondering if that affected the flow of the Ultramarine Violet for FA and the other papers that had more of a long flow rather than spreading out. Just a thought :) I should try the experiment myself to see!

cant help but admire the way your love for art flows so elegantly through your soothing gentle articulation of the process

2020 needs more Jill.

As a professional Artist and Bookbinder myself, I geek out over these videos lol. I make custom luxury Goatskin leather ( from Italy and France ) Hardbound watercolor sketchbooks, with choices of 100% papers from all the top professional brands. I buy my watercolor papers in industrial rolls, and imperial sheets in Bulk if the option for the roll isn't available. I geek out on paper! I also teach private lessons in my Art studio and Bindery. I teach paper over paints.... cheap out on paint 1st, and buy good paper if they are on budgets. I also make sketchbooks with any of the Strathmore 500 series 100% cotton papers. I make handmade marbled papers for my books, for end pages and 1/2 cover bindings, and 1/4 cover binders... and those papers are a whole different ball game. But all around, my favorite by far is Saunders Waterford. I love it for both art and Binding with, I find it far better than Arches. I do like Arches for some things, but I think it is very over- rated. The Saunders sizing is just perfect, not over board like Arches can be. Plus I've had many, MANY issues and problems with Arches having spotty sizing problems, and sizing issues in general. Winsor and newton's paper was made by/at Saunders Saint Cuthberts mill, I heard they stop recently tho. Fabriano used to be much better, before they started printing money for the Government of France. It changed something in their process and Fabriano has been forever changed. Fabriano had the best hot press watercolor, specially for botanical Artists. It completely changed the surface of their hot pressed paper, it used to be like a super smooth bristol plate, noway Bontanical Artists have switched to other papers. Anyway, I've rambled enough lol, like I said... I geek out over this stuff. You did an Amazing job with test! Actually it's one of, if not, the best on YT. Absolutely brilliant and thank you for sharing your video. Have a wonderful day!

The effort and time you have put into this video is really remarkable. Even more it's free! Art lovers around the world owes you for sure.

I don’t even work with watercolors but watching this is soothing and fascinating at the same time

I am so grateful that you took the time to do this study. I am now considering using a different paper for the varying results that were achieved in the demonstration. ~Jeannette

I love how thorough and well- explained these tests are - thank you!

I'm so glad I found your channel, these videos are pure gold. THANK YOU

Thanks for taking the time to do this time consuming test. Very informative.

What a detailed comparison. Thanks for sharing it with us!

You’re testing made the pros and cons of watercolor paper very clear. Thank you.

Fantastic and thorough testing - the best I've seen yet! Thank you.

The best videos I've found about Aquarela are yours. Gratitude for your work, it's perfect! Congratulations!

Hi Jill, thank you for the testing, wonderful video and really love your voice, so gentle, calm and professional , well done!

I love and appreciate the highly technical way you approach your classes. Videos on brush strokes, the qualities of papers, etc. really connects for me, thank you!

This has to be the best watercolor paper review on youtube! Great job!!

This comprehensive and thorough review is very well done.

Dear Jill, I found your presentation absolutely fantastic, so thorough and well explained. I will definitely give the link to this video to all my students. Thank you so much for taking the time and energy to do produce this in-depth comparison . :-)

Amazing. Thank you so much for your hard work in testing all of these. I can't even imagine how much time all of this took!

Wow fantastic!!! Best paper comparison video Ive ever seen! Please make more watercolor videos!! Thanks so much for sharing! Much love 💙💜

Amazing review!! I am blown away by your thoroughness! Thank you so very much! Now I know why my recent paintings looked wretched on the Stonehenge paper. I really wanted to love it but so many of the techniques I use look bad, and the tape ALWAYS pulls 😭 Arches is what I prefer now, but I’m excited to try the Lanaquarelle and the Hahnemuhle !! Putting those in my cart for my next purchase

Very comprehensive comparison. Thank you!

Amazing amount of information for a learner like me. This is just the comprehensive video on watercolour paper. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Just ran across your channel! What wonderful full information. Thank you so much!

I like your scientific but gentle approach to this experiment.

I just have to say, your classes and videos have helped me overcome my fear of painting with watercolors. Seeing your paper and paint tests have helped me find much better materials and supplies than what I was originally working with, and it has made a huge difference in how I feel about painting. Thank you for your wonderful content!

I can't thank you enough for this very comprehensive and excellent review. As a serious beginner, I really needed this. I'm also glad to have found your Skillshare classes. You're a lifesaver. Thank you once again.🙏

Thanks Jill for another superb tutorial, take care, David.

What a detailed review. Thank you!

A great review and one of the most clear and detailed one. Your Skillshare classes are just as great too :)!!!

This is amazing ! I love the in depth and comprehensive tests you have done . Really informative ❤️ i would love to see a similar test to hp paper it would be amazing

I love all your previous videos but this one was as interesting as watching paint dry...just kidding. Very thorough and informative and your voice is hypnotic! More videos please.

Thank you very much. A very informative video that I have ever seen. Please keep doing more of these videos.

Thank you, I've watercolored for years and always used the same Arches paper, only recently have I become curious about what other possibilities exist and this video was super well done and gave me tons of ideas what to look for.

Excellent review Jill ... Thank you

What an excellent comparison video, Jill. I have several of your Udemy classes and find your instruction to be so helpful. The color differences are so striking in this video, it’s not something I would have normally thought to compare in a store for instance. I began with Stonehenge for the price, and have a love/disappointment relationship with that paper. The tape lifting is so extreme, but colors come out really vibrant. I have struggled quite a bit with Arches, after buying a boatload of it. I have encountered many of the issues you cite as weaknesses. I’ve been adding a block of different brands to my orders recently, and have tried most if the brands you tested. Right now very pleased with Winsor Newton and Lanaquarelle. I couldn’t have told you why, your video explains it so clearly, and I see why I like those papers so much. Thank you for doing all this hard work!

Thank you so much! I've been needing this analysis. Thank you for taking the time and doing such a thorough job. I really appreciate it. I'd be interested to see how Baohong compares to these.

I appreciate the time you took for this study. Took a screenshot of the final results. Thankyou

Thanks for sharing these testings.

Such a great video! Thanks much! deserves more views. Your voice is also so comforting like ASMR. When you get time please do a similar comparison for paints (WN, DanielSmith, QoR, Schminke etc) Would also love to see demos and more videos from you :)

Great review. I am so impressed. Thank you.

Great test! Used to paint on Arches CP and Saunders Waterford High White CP, but have now settled on the Hahnemuhle Expression CP. I think the colors flow and blend much better on that paper, they also get more intense. I always get the 50x65 10-packs, more economical that way.

Great video Jill! It’s so clear and informative that I had to share it with my fellow artists/students, many of whom loved it. I especially liked the chart at the end summarizing your findings and adding the cost of each paper. This class is just what I needed to make intelligent choices. Thank you again. You are an amazing teacher.

I m so impressed! Thank You for lesson!

Thank you so much! This test really is the most comprehensive I have ever seen - and probably the most costly! It's always amazing how paper affects the painting and the paint! But - as you said, it is a matter of taste as to what you prefer. Hahnemühle has so many different types of watercolour paper, about half of them are 100 % cotton. Have you tried "The Collection"-papers. They are fairly new and come in blocks, roll and sheets. I have not tried it yet but heard good things.

Thank you for your priceless work. A research, tests, for the best to be chosen by the technique and permanence of the art. art stays! The artist thanks you.

What an amazing video!!! I started with GVARRO as a kid, but fell in love with Arches and I'll add that there's a noticeable difference between stretched and un-stretched Arches. Nowadays I only use Moleskines.

You didnt compare this, but it is really important how long the paper stays wet. Thats also the reason many professionals prefer Saunders over anything because it widens the window for dry-in-wet or wet-in-wet in rather dry or "normal" conditions (Europe, USA, Canada etc.) For example I live in central Europe and paper like Fabriano just dries in seconds for me.. I like the paper but I can only use it for sketches. For people in more humid conditions it might be perfect.

great clear and short explanation on watercolor paper..... very interesting and important for all art practitioners

Thanks, very interesting and explained well. Kudos!

very good testing! Thank you!

Excellent review, thank you !

This is a quality video reference. Thank you for this.

Thanks a lot! Very useful, very well explained.

Thank you so much for the in depth review.

Very useful videos - please continue the good work.

I was Fabriano artistico user for a long time and after i tried HM sezanne i can say it is huge difference for heavy wet in wet aplications.Compared to artistico Sezanne is 50% more expensive in my country but its totally worth the price. Now it is my paper of choice and after watching this video i dont need to seek further . Thank you very much

I've been waiting for this video for so long!!

Thankyou for taking the time to make this video. I will try the Hahnemühle Cezanne. It's about €0.50 per full sheet cheaper here than the Arches.

Excellent review!

Thank you for the comprehensive guide.

The complete watercolor paper essay. Thank you. Now i can choose my paper depending on circumstance and performance

After bingewatching a bunch of paper comparisons, I discovered you have the best two videos on KZfaq about paper. I did follow along with your tests on the 4 papers I had on hand (2 cellulose, 2 cotton). Now with this video, I know that Stonehendge is good for practice and warmups, see that Arches is really pretty good, and I can try the Lanaquarelle if I get really good and win the lottery :) Dick Blick's price on Arches is quite a bit less than stated here, which is nice.

Excellent video. Thank you.

Enjoyable, educated and professional

This is amazing, thank you very much for this helpful video.

Jill, this was extremely well presented. I appreciate your efforts here. I’m going to experiment with Stonehenge. I’m sad you did try the Chinese Baohung paper.(sp?). Thankyou for your time and effort here.

Thank you for this helpfull video!! Very interesting and it will guide me in my future choices !

Such incredible videos!!

Fantasticand throrough review. Top marks, thank you.

I finally found THE perfect paper for my needs!!! It's the Arches Hot Pressed 300gr on their Black and Pink pads! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! It turned out, way better for pencil drawing than Fabriano Artistico, which I didn't expect, because many complained of it having a soft surface or not so smooth tooth. I had a completely different experience with it and I regret, for not getting it earlier, relying on such inferior papers for all those years, that made everything more difficult. It makes a perfect combo, with Faber Castell Aquarelle water soluble pencils!!! Add a Da Vinci synthetic round No6 and you get the most enjoyable Art supplies I've ever worked on! Super high quality, super fan!! Santa Claus came after many years for me!!! Hope to youu too people! Merry Christmas!!!

This is very informative for me , I was struggling with hard edges when painting on Waterford CP , and yes this paper dry very fast , I had to rewet with clear water twice for wet on wet techniques , now I have a clue , thanks you sooo much 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙌🏻

Wonderfully well thought out and thorough survey of watercolour paper options. Thank you for the enormous time and effort this took to produce! If you wanted to try another less expensive paper, I would love to see how you find Bee 100% 140lb paper compares to the others you tried. I find that it’s a very thirsty paper compared to Arches, and the texture is a bit too soft, but it’s a true cotton paper so for a new painter is a far better option than cellulose paper. I use it for greeting cards and similar.

Love all your videos J 💚 😇🙏

Let me say that i really don’t like long videos but this video omg has me so focus and now i know how to choose my paper

Great, systematic analysis, thanks! Given the many manufacturing changes noted in earlier comments and more recent ones such as Fabriano producing only an "enhanced" surface (completely different product; thwarts granulation and has a very machine-made texture), would you consider doing an updated set of tests? BTW, Legion is now marketing Lanaquarelle.

So informative, thank you. 👌💕

I’ve said it before many times and I’ll say it again, Winsor and Newton 100% cotton is a fantastic paper. I’ve tested it thoroughly. It can take more abuse than most, including Arches and also stays wet longer than most which can be a help depending on your style. Your test also demonstrated that initial coverage needs a little more paint which is exactly what I find. After initial coverage then all is well. Given the price vs performance, it’s a no brainer. I’ve never considered Arches the best like many do, and never liked Fabriano CP, i’ve always felt Fabriano is inferior and dulls colours. I do like the Fabriano Artistico hot press though - the “old” formula, and fortunately I have some full sheets left of the old formula. I like the Cezanne too - but - I find glazes/layering a little more difficult since colour seems to lift a little easier in practice. You have peaked my interest more than ever in Lanaqua though, a paper I have always wanted to try, but is very, very expensive in the UK. Maybe one day. Finally, I thank you for your thorough test Jill, it is much appreciated. You are the best at what you do! PS: A hot press demonstration at some point would also be very much appreciated since hot press performance in a brand can vary significantly in that a brand that has a good cold press doesn’t mean that same brand produces a good hotpress.

Thank you very much for this thorough comparison,. I've been painting watercolour a couple of years now and, like a lot of people, began by using cellulose paper, tried a few and have been pretty happy with a couple of them (Bockingford and Hahnemule Britannia), so I decided to 'up my game' so to speak and got some Fabriano 100% cotton, big mistake, I found it to be just about what you could expect from this video plus it has a huge watermark which shows in the finished painting. It's put me off trying other 100% cotton papers because it's such an expensive mistake to make.

Yu did great job ! Thank you!

Best. Review. Ever!

Excellent, thank you

Thanks, Excellent watercolor paper test, really helpful, lanaquarelle is a french brand and for me mayby the best tested, and overall one of the best tested, i will try it

Lanaquarelle is one of my top 3 watercolor papers but I do also notice tape can pull up on the edges of I’m not super careful. Arches never does that but I have the problem with arches that the tape doesn’t always create a good seal around the edges for me, like it doesn’t stick well enough. So between those two, neither is absolutely perfect but both are some of the best for me. EDIT: I’m having trouble with the LANAQUARELLE apsorption and dry time. I had great success doing multiple landscapes and wildlife paintings on it. However, I have since done 3 loose florals paintings on the same block of Lanaquarelle and pretty much hated all 3. If I lay a really wet brush stroke, it just sits on top the paper (like with wood pulp paper and dries very unevenly pigmented) but if I go in with less water then it dries waaaaaay too quick to do any wet in wet flower petals . So either the block has been damaged from environmental cause OR it’s terrible for loose florals.

Thank you so much for that video that is so informative especially for a beginner like myself. I didn't read all the comments but I wonder if you did your comparison after Arches changed their paper and maybe that is why it didn't act like the paper you had been using for most of your career?? That thought just crossed my mind

I watched this some time ago now and found this very useful. I don’t know when Millford paper appeared but would love to have seen it in the comparisons.

This is so nice. Thank you very much 💕😭

After more testing,I have to say,that from now on my absolute choices for the best papers,are goingDessin Arches Hot pressed and Hahnemuhle Dessin,as my absolute favorite drawing papers,for graphite pencils.For sketching,Canson 180 and Universal sketchbooks. For charcoal and Polychromos,I choose the Fabriano Artistico Hot Pressed. (I also like Fabriano Accademia 200gsm for coloured pencils!) For watercolor,I'll play it safe,choosing Hahnemuhle watercolour papers and same for ink,Hahnemuhle bristol!! Canson bristol is also excellent for ink. Hahnemuhle papers,feel way higher quality when I draw on them! Canson still makes the best student grade paper. For me it's: Hahnemuhle > Arches > Fabriano > Canson.

VERY helpful thank you

I actually like the khadi paper for gesso and oil painting due to the texture :)

Thank you SOOO MUCH Jill! Those is invaluable as I have wanted to do this myself but my budget would never allow! I've been using Fabriano and Waterfords but both performed disappointingly. I will be changing when I run out! I've tried Khadi too as I wanted to support Indian laborers, but unfortunately never liked it. And I've always thought Arches was overpriced and overrated. Considering what Jenn haws written below about W&N I'm not sure what I'll change to... Maybe Hannemuele or Lanaquarelle? Thank you again 🙏

Thank you for this comprehensive review. Was the Fabriano paper you used from the Artistico line?

Beautiful and very informative video! Thank you so much! Just one note: the Fabriano Artistico have also an "extra white" paper available.

this is so in-depth and just so carefully done, from the gloves, to the chart at the end... so beautiful! thank you so much for doing this! I have some stonehenge coming my way and now i'm kinda worried... i wanted to use it as my paper for comissions but the lifting of the paint as well as the tape can get me in some trouble. We'll see :)

Very informative - thank you! Hope you have a chance to test Hahnemuhle Leonardo watercolor paper. Hard to find, but received samples from vendor advertising at Florida Watercolor Society's virtual convention. I just bought some from Acuity Papers and it looks promising.

In the comparison chart, you didn’t include paper tonal colour for pigment brightness. Excellent reference video. Thank you.

I've been using Arches for decades although I did try several others. I found the sizing to be different on all but a few were similar. Many of my painter friends use Waterford. Maybe I should give Waterford an extended try. I'm interested to know which brand you like best Jill. Thanks for the education.