Stretching watercolor paper
As it is sometimes difficult to find, gummed paper tape is replaced with masking tape or brown sticky tape. Here is a step-by-step tutorial for stretching watercolor paper, and the reasoning behind why I do it.
You want something a little bit absorbent, but won't warp with dampness. You must be careful you do not damage the paper surface as you work however, as it effectively has no backing board.
If you've already purchased a paper like this, all isn't lost. I've never had any luck with the fancy gummed paper tape. This surface will stay relatively flat as you work and the finished painting will dry perfectly flat.
Any stapler that you can open flat will work. If you do not care about the paper under the tape then your choices are much greater- use whatever is strong enough to keep the paper still while you paint. The price of these sheets can vary from Rs 20 to Rs 50 per sheet.
I had to destroy my painting to get it off my backing board. Talk to your artist friends to find out what surfaces they paint on. Not for highly detailed works as the surface texture does not allow small details to be painted in correct shape.
Too wet a sponge is used to moisten the gum strip and the gum is wiped off, preventing it from sticking. With ends clamped stretch lenthwise. There are some problems with it however. With both screws loosened stretch one side bar, then retighten loosened screws, repeat the same proceedure for the opposite side.
Acid free paper is the best paper to use for your work to last a long time, this is because acidity embrittles the paper and eventually makes it too weak to handle.
Trying to rush drying with a hair dryer is risky at best. It looks flat when dry but still cockles when painted on. Dry brush technique works to some extent. Acid free paper is the best paper to use for your work to last a long time, this is because acidity embrittles the paper and eventually makes it too weak to handle.
Hence the name Hot pressed. Just thoroughly wetting the back North Coast Sunset — I thoroughly wet the back of the paper I often use this method to stretch watercolor paper as it is simple and quick.
Bulk buying in a group also helps save a lot of money. You want your paper to be completely saturated through, so that it'll stretch evenly. This allows the paper to expand fully. Place wet paper on the frame. Aggressive brush work really does not work on this paper.
Apply additional water as necessary. In this form the paper is pre-stretched on the board. Washes turn out uneven, but it gives a nice juicy look. There are several reasons, but first and foremost is to keep the paper flat.
The wet paint does not soak into the paper as much as it is already quite wet. It's pretty hard to control your paint when it's cascading into a valley. If the paper is too large to submerge it can be soaked on the board but allow up to 25 minutes soaking on each side to ensure expansion of the paper.
All said and done watercolor paper does not come cheap. If you are working on heavyweight paper and do not intend using large washes or you are using gouache or acrylic then you do not have to stretch the paper, however the benefit of stretching your paper is the freedom to use as much water as you want, when you want.
An intrepid Twitter follower took issue with my advice that you soak the paper, saying it would remove the sizing. Corrugated is good, with no folds. Learn to paint the right way by reading this article. It is very tempting to get right on with the process of creating your next masterpiece but the truth is that it is well worth spending some time stretching your watercolor paper.
Watercolor, particularly when you start wet-on-wet, bonds with the paper (see last month’s discussion of pigments). However, if you stick your thumb in a saturated area, you will make a print.
If you are careful and only hold the edges, the molecular tension bonds the wet pigments and they don’t wash off.
@TheIndependentAquarius - When stretching paper for watercolor work, you do usually let it dry first. It's the drying action that helps prevent buckling and it requires you to really tape it. Watercolor paper expands when it is wet, creating an uneven surface to paint on.
For control and a flat surface, artists soak and “stretch” their paper. The paper is soaked in a tub of water for about 10 minutes then laid out on a hard surface, such as a plywood board and taped or stapled down.
Many artists soak or stretch their watercolor paper prior to painting. This is typically done on lighter-weight watercolor sheets to stop the paper from buckling when wet media is applied to the surface. Feb 12, · I started out with all zeal and enthusiasm to stretch watercolor paper when doing my initial watercolors, and found myself in exactly in the same position as yours.
The paper shrinking had so much force that it pulled off all the types of tapes I tried. Then came the staples.
The paper pulled itself through them and damaged itself.
Stretching watercolor paper