Arches Watercolor Pad, Cold Press, 9x12 inches, 12 Sheets - Professional Art Paper for Watercolor Gouache Ink Acrylic

Top of the line,For fine art!Can take alot of water without buckling.I started with the best,So I have nothing to compare it to.

I would never have believed that paper could change my painting this much!! I watched several influencers that talked about this paper and how it would bring your art to the next level. I had someone commission me to paint for them and I need the best paper so I purchased this one. It was amazing to me to see how differently it reacted to the watercolors. They tend to sit on top of the paper and slowly dry in which allows you to blend and also to remove any mistakes. I couldn’t believe how I was able to blend color out fully and leave no dry lines. The thickness is amazing so even without prepping the paper it doesn’t buckle much. You can tell just by feeling it that it is cotton and higher quality. I’ve also used drawing gum for white areas and on cheaper paper it tends to pull the paper up. But not on this paper. It has a thicker texture and is definitely good quality.

I do watercolors, and this is a great cold press paper for that medium. Very high quality, with little curling, lovely to brush wet on wet, dry on wet, scratching, etc.

When I first started watercoloring, I tried using whatever paper I could find at my local big box art store (I won't name names, but its very common paper at a very common store). My art was... pathetic, blurry, faded in all the wrong places, and just not very good. And I almost stopped painting with watercolor altogether. If it wasn't for the fact that watercolor paint is more seemingly more environmentally friendly than, say, acrylic painting with its plastics and oil painting with all the chemicals needed, I would have given up on watercolors altogether. But I love how watercolor pigments only need to be rewetted to come back alive, how I can travel anywhere with only a small palette, some basic brushes, a bit of water and some paper, and be painting within minutes - little mess, little fuss, and beautiful ephemeral artwork. But... The paper... If you have the very best brushes ever created and the world's finest professional pigments, but you are using bad paper, your art will never turn out the way you want it. Period. Whereas, if you had the worlds cheapest brushes and pigments, but are using fine cotton, well-sized watercolor paper - your art can be breathtaking. All that is to say, if you only spend your art supply budget to buy good, cotton watercolor paper, and not fancy brushes or paints, you will still be able to create masterpieces, because the paper will behave predictably and reliably with the water and pigments. You will be able to lift pigments when and where you want. You can add several washes of color to the same areas without severe warping or ruining the sizing. You can paint fine, hair's breadth details with smooth application or you can soften an abstract background with gradients and wet washes in beautiful patterns. You can use masking fluid (and not remove it for some time) and not have the paper tear when you do remove it, and on and on. But to do that, you must have good watercolor paper. You simply must. When I finally coughed up the extra money to buy a pad of Arches 140# coldpress is when my artwork finally reached a level that I wasn't humiliated to have another person see my paintings. There are plenty of other brands of cotton rag paper that I understand are excellent as well, but few are at a pricepoint that would allow me to paint as a hobby. Arches manages to do that as well, at least right now. So, really, unless you are a professional artist, (and maybe even then) Arches is perhaps your best all around choice for a watercolor medium, and I can absolutely see how it rules all the discussion boards, youtube videos, and watercolor class discussions as the top pick for watercolor paper.

Excellent paper quality don't bubble. Paints flow over the pages

Nice thick archival paper for watercolor. I use it for mixed media- pen, pencil, and oil pastels.

Paper quality is great as usual I miss when they used to bind all four corners of the papers together. Maybe there’s one that does this that I’m missing but it’s annoying that the edges curl.

Best art paper you can buy! If you are serious about your artwork. This is the top of the line. Perfect texture and thickness. It is expensive but with creating paintings, you need the best!