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All About Art PapersPaper WEIGHT Art papers, particularly "Watercolor paper," come in various weights from 70 lb. (light-weight) to 300 lb. (very heavy-weight), This refers to the weight of 144 sheets of a particular size of paper, not a single sheet. The most common weights used by artists are 90 lb., 140 lb, and 300 lb. The higher the weight, the sturdier the paper. For example, 22" x 30 is the size of a full sheet of watercolor paper. 140 lb. watercolor paper means that 144 sheets of this size paper will weigh 140 lbs. Because watercolor papers are meant to be used with wet media, lighter weight papers tend to buckle. Traditional watercolorist will stretch their paper. They soak it and then staple or tape the paper down onto a rigid surface, usually wood. When dry, it will not be as prone to wrinkling while painting. Heavy-weight papers will not need stretching or taping down when painting, no matter how wet the artist paints. Paper SURFACES There are three different surface textures of watercolor paper available: Hot Press smooth, sometime slippery Cold Press some surface texture, depending on brand of paper Rough - more textured surface than cold-press paper This texture is determined during the manufacturing process. Many artists prefer rough paper as it makes texturing relatively easy. Some of the more popular brands of artist paper that I use include Arches; Winsor Newton; Fabriano; and Strathmore: Aquarius, Lana, Gemini, and Imperial. As an abstract acrylic artist, I have a variety of paper surfaces to choose from. I use only artist-quality papers. The following list is my no means all-inclusive. Watercolor Paper Bristol Board Print Making Papers Arches Cover Rice Papers Illustration Board Illustration Board Illustration board is just that a board instead of a sheet of paper. Think of it as a sheet of drawing paper attached to a cardboard backing. Illustration board comes in different thicknesses and surface textures. Illustration boards are typically made of 100% rag. Available in both medium- and heavy-weight. Cold-pressed illustration boards have more tooth than hot-pressed boards, which have relatively smooth surfaces.
If you are interested in learning more about art papers and how they are made, International Paper is the place to look. To get more information on terms like acid free, archival art papers, this link will be very useful.
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