Bockingford Watercolour Paper

Bockingford is a beautiful English watercolour paper, traditionally made on a cylinder mould machine at St Cuthberts Mill. This is a high quality paper made using pure materials to archival standards. Its attractive surface is created using natural woollen felts that give it a distinctive random texture. Appreciated for its excellent colour lifting abilities. This is an extremely forgiving watercolour paper valued by professional and amateur artists around the world. Bockingford offers quality watercolour paper at an affordable price. Bockingford is now available in Hot Pressed (HP) in 140lb (300gsm) which has a smooth surface.

Please note that the Extra Rough Bockingford has a similar degree of roughness as any of the other rough papers, the name is a bit misleading as the surface is not rougher than other rough papers.

General Storage and Handling Instructions

• Keep the paper in its original packaging until required.

• Store the paper flat.

• Avoid extremes of temperature or humidity.

• Do not store in direct sunlight.

• Handle the paper by the edges or underside. Avoid touching the area to be painted, as oils from the skin could affect the wash.

Painting

• Lighter weight papers (300gsm/140lb and lighter) may benefit from soaking and stretching to avoid the paper cockling (buckling) when applying washes.

• Avoid exposing the paper to detergents, as these will affect the paper’s absorbency.

• The paper’s surface is most vulnerable when wet, and should be handled with care.

• Masking Fluid shouldn’t be left on the paper for too long, it becomes harder to remove the longer it’s left, making it impossible to remove without damaging the paper’s surface. Bockingford does not have gelatine surface sizing, so isn’t as robust for masking fluid use.

Fade Resistance and Framing

• Frame finished paintings with acid free materials to preserve the paper’s archival qualities.

• As with all original artworks, paintings should be framed behind glass and hung away from direct sunlight.