Looking to buy paper in bulk

There's 3 weights of watercolor paper, typically, with commercially made papers - 90lb, 140lb, and 300lb. You probably want 140, 90 is cheap, thin student grade stuff. (lb in this context is how much 500 sheets of a full page would weigh, in pounds - watercolor paper is usually made at 22x30")

Dickblock.com has bulk discounts, and bulk options, like this:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/richeson-bulk-watercolor-paper/

I would get the 6x9 at 135lb. If you want smaller, you can easily have that cut in half, in bulk, at any small printing company that has a hydraulic cutter.

I've never used Richeson paper, so I'd get a sample first and try it. If you have a real art store near you, you should go in and try the papers, they're all different, in terms of finish and sizing and materials. I have always preferred 300lb Arches hot press, but you may prefer cold press (more texture).

>>2987882
thanks for all the information.
The 6x9 looks like a good deal, I didn't see it at 135 lb though.
I do like larger size pages, and hot press too.

watercolour paper works well with ink too.

>>2987772
Remember that you still have to buy watercolor paper, bristol etc. won't get you the same results. I recommend 140lb even for light washes because lighter paper WILL warp otherwise.

The best way to go is buying batches of full imperial sheets and cutting them up as you need (that's what I do).

>>2990758
i dont use ink very often
>>2991368
i'm not at the level i want to be where I can just sketch and paint on watercolor paper i think it would be a waste of the paper.
I only want to be able to color my sketches.
My inspiration for this is Miyazaki's sketches, I know its way out of my league but he does simple sketches with usually a light watercolor over them.
I know he has used Maruman's artist block sketchbook for some of his concept art.

>>2987772
you can also use paper that's a bit hydrophobic, and that kind of paper is very common, not suitable for finished pieces though obv. you can also get away with pretty thin paper if you relax it, which you do by dipping it in water and letting it dry on a flat surface, like you do for making prints.

you should just try out some different papers and see if they're good enough for how much water you want to use. lots of people are sort of material obsessed and will say like, 'no! you must use cold pressed 300 lb paper!' and stuff like that but if it's just for practice, use whatever you can get away with for the least amount of money.

>>2991410
when i say let it dry on a flat surface, i use a rack. i'm not sure if it would stick if you just left it on your desk or something. you can probably also hang them up. you also don't need to let them dry fully, slightly damp paper is better anyway, and if you're good enough with the dipping sometime you can get it almost perfect right out the sink, then you just have to give it like 2 minutes.

>>2991395
>it would be a waste of the paper.
Better than wasting your time and effort. I fully understand the reasoning as it's a very common trap, but not using watercolor paper, especially when you're learning, is going to give you a twisted view of the medium and it will invalidate all your efforts. I'd rather skimp on the quality of the paint than on the quality of the paper.

Buying large sheets and cutting them up by hand will save you a lot of money even though it's a hefty upfront investment. And you can always use both sides of the paper if you use 140lb or heavier.

Good watercolor paper is pretty sturdy so you can erase quite a bit before affecting the surface. Use a 2B pencil with a light hand and a kneaded eraser and you shouldn't worry about messing up.

>>2987772
i use this
https://www.amazon.com/Neenah-Exact-Index-Sheets-40311/dp/B006P1EQIA/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1495677434&sr=1-1&keywords=cardstock
it's a pretty good paper, especially for it's price
not really the best for watercolor or paint, but not bad for alcohol marker

http://www.dickblick.com/products/bee-paper-aquabee-super-deluxe-sketch-paper/
Mixed media paper sounds up your alley. As of posting this, this listing doesn't have the usual "Blick best price" restrictions, so you could probably use their coupon codes on it or whatever.

And to add on, you might want to get a few more clips or get painter's tape/artists' tape if you are going to be using a sheet at a time on your clipboard. While the paper is thick enough for light washes, it'll still buckle and all that good shit.
I like the Super Deluxe sketch paper the best, but you could also look into Canson XL or Strathmore for their mixed media papers too. All three have rolls available for purchase, so if you don't mind cutting pieces off of that, that'd be another option for you.

>>2991413
>Reply
I would'nt let wet paper dry on anything that isn't a solid flat surface, you're taking a risk of the paper molding itself to the shape of the rack.

I stretch watercolor paper on boards when I'm working, so it dries on that board*. I would definitely NEVER hang a watercolor to dry vertically, as you're asking for all of the washes to have the paint migrate to the bottom of the wet area. You always let a watercolor dry FLAT. If you have to store it vertically, use a hair dryer to dry it, keeping it at least a foot from the paper, so the air doesn't move the paint around, or the heat scorch the paper. Artists use hair dryers very often, to dry small washes when they don't want to stop working.

*Stretching watercolor paper is easy - soak the paper in water until it's completely saturated. I use bottled water in a tray, to avoid minerals in tap water. Remove, let drip until it stop dripping, then lay on clean, smooth board. I have wood planks and wooden panels on canvas stretchers for this. Then, using 3-4" craft tape (water activated tape), i tape all 4 sides, squeeging out bubbles with a wet artists sponge. When all 4 sides are taped, let it dry completely. You should then have a drumhead tight surface, that can have a LOT of water added onto, that won't buckle or bubble. When done painting, just cut along the tape edges. Some people use plain old brown masking tape, but I've had that fail for big washes, like skies.

File: 128d0b50a56b16a7bf19e2781d03fc37.jpg (114KB, 550x627px) Image search: [Google]

114KB, 550x627px

>>2993508
The noted watercolorist Arthur Rackham painted on bristol paper, which I would bet heavily was taped down on all 4 sides. Bristol, in the heavier weights, will take a lot of water before it buckles - and if taped, even more. I have a pad of 100 lb bristol in my desk, for experimenting with his technique, based on this post:
https://www.williamstout.com/news/journal/?p=3
and a few other descriptions of how he worked.

>>2993589
Just relaying what I've experienced with the papers used to the OP, is all. The mixed media paper I listed in the earlier post is slightly thinner than typical bristol. It is a significant enough difference to bother pointing out the issue with water, though.

I use watercolour paper for inks.

>>2993582
it's not so wet it molds itself to the surface. and i said you can hang the moist paper probably, not the actual painting that wouldn't work at all. i don't think you need to entirely soak the paper like you do or tape it down, i find relaxing it is enough. but perhaps if you're using tons of water that's necessary, or it might be preference idk.

>>2996116
That sounds like a nice way to waste money

>>2996149
No because it absorbs the ink really well.

>>2996147
please elaborate?

File: Untitled127.png (2MB, 1200x1082px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 1200x1082px

Paper question; Not worth making its own thread but Im dying to know. Can anyone identify what brand of pastel paper this is? It was just a sheet I got from art class on the last day but I was blown away how much I liked the look of anatomy doodles on it with just a y21, r20 copic and white gel pen for the skin.
I tried ordering what looked like the same pad online but it was darker than it looked in the preview. It had too much texture too. Tried going to an artstore. They didnt have anything that looked right.

Paper wuality doesn't matter for manga.

Only fine art fags care about this shit.

>>2996147
You don't need to soak the paper unless you're going to stretch it, or tape it down, like I do - and it's a personal choice. I like my painting surface flat, and I do big washes, so it works for me. With 300lb paper, you can load it up before it will buckle or bend.

>>2998370
That kind of paper is called "ingres" - most fine art paper companies sell it - a really popular brand is Daler Rowney Ingres paper. Ingres has that distinct grooves in it, as the surface. Strathmore has a good Ingres type paper.

While we're on the topic, how about sketchbooks in bulk? I don't want shitty fuzzy paper, I want like spiral bound copy paper to draw on. (I don't want actual copy paper because I'm a mess and lose all my drawings) the cheapest best quality I can find is Artist Loft sketchbooks at Michaels for 5 dollars 72 pages.

>>2999260
http://www.dickblick.com/categories/sketchbooks/wireboundsketchbooks/details/

Paper is old

computers are the future


fucking traditionalist scum

>>2999272
>2.23 apiece

Hot damn anon delivered. thank you.