The Art of Selection

The Art of watercolour painting requires the selection of the finest quality paper - paper that works for you and with you. Created in the tradition of fine art papermaking, all Winsor & Newton watercolour papers are cylinder mould-made with internal sizing and external sizing for exceptional strength, balanced absorbency, colour performance and resilience in every sheet.

Papers that are as tough as they are beautiful, they look and feel handmade, with a watermark and deckle edges and are designed to match the high performance standards of Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Paints.

Why is selecting the finest water colour paper important when creating art works?

Water colourists know that theirs is an art that requires materials of exceptional quality and strength and the beauty of the finished work starts with the selection of the highest quality paper.

As watercolour paints are semi-translucent, papers play a key role in the finished work of art. The paper's brightness and texture are just as critical as the choice in pigments.

What is the colour and smoothness of Winsor & Newton papers?

Winsor & Newton water colour paper are brilliant white. In fact they offer a brighter natural whiteness and a surface that is velvety smooth to the touch and feels hand made.

What does Rough grain, Cold or Hot pressed mean?

• Cold pressed paper is paper with a slightly textured surface or 'tooth'

• Hot pressed paper is paper with a very smooth surface and practically no 'tooth'

• Rough grain paper has a pronounced, varied texture.

What paper should I select for my art work?

Hot pressed paper has a very smooth surface. It has almost no tooth an important consideration for detailed portraiture and smooth washes. Illustrators and miniaturists use Hot pressed papers as its smooth paper finish blends with their images more comfortably.

Cold Pressed paper has a light texture. It is the most popular texture used by water colourists. This paper often produces the brightest water colour paintings because its increased surface area holds more colour, therefore reflecting more light.

Rough grain paper has a pronounced, varied texture, an important consideration for water colours with a free, loose feel. This is the heaviest texture of paper, close to handmade paper. It is embossed from the surface when the sheet is being dried and is used by water colour artists who rely on a more textured surface.

What mediums can I use on the water colour paper?

Winsor & Newton papers of the perfect surface for water colour, gouache, ink and acrylic.

Are Winsor & Newton papers able to withstand rough editing?

The greatest water colour paper is tough as well as beautiful. Our papers are deliberately made to withstand the roughest of editing. Highly durable and with fantastic internal stability, you'll be able to scrub, blot, erase and scrape without tearing, cockling or warping.

How durable is the paper?

Strength and durability is a mark of quality in watercolour paper. Exceptionally resilient and durable, our paper has been developed with strength at their heart and will not warp or cockle even when saturated with very heavy water

What is the colour performance?

The raw materials and cylinder mould made process used to make our paper creates smooth, durable, resilient papers that offer the ultimate surfaces for colour performance. Colours retain their depth and brightness even when dry, multiple layers of colour can be added, making it possible to properly achieve darks as well as luminous lights.

What do artists say about the importance of water colour paper to their finished works of art?

"Cheaper paper buckles when you add water to it, tears when you try to erase it and rolls into lumps at the critical moment"

"Buying the best quality watercolour paper is the easiest way of significantly improving the standard of your art work"

"The paper itself is half way to producing a work of art"

"I love Winsor & Newton paper because it can stand the abuse"

"Beautiful paper - like this - will take a beating"

"Great quality paper makes my art look even better"