Watercolor Paper Comparison Wrap Up & Give-A-Way!

I hope you've enjoyed the watercolor paper comparison.  I know paper as any medium you work with is a personal thing but I hope that the tests I've shared have helped you with your art.    I know there were some surprises for me as I played with the inks and other mediums on these papers.

If you missed out on any of the installments below are links to each one...

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Pt. 1 - 

About WC papers & Papers I will be using.

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Stamping Inks

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Watercolor Paints

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Watercolor Crayons

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Prices by the Inch

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Watercolor Pencils

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Distress Markers

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Distress Stains

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Distress Paints

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Twinkling H2O's

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Gelatos

To help wrap this comparison up I thought it would be fun to give away a sampler of various watercolor papers!  I won't be able to include all of the papers in the comparison (because I only had one sheet of a few) but I will make sure there are several to choose from including the Arches, Dick Blick, Canson, Ranger and a few others.

To be entered to win, tell me which paper you think you'd like to use/try or which test was your favorite or most helpful.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions!

You have until 8-29-14 to enter to win!

Oh, btw...there may be more than one set up for grabs ;)

Good Luck Everyone!!

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Gelatos

Today's comparison is a reader request - Gelatos!  Ahhhh, if you've never tried them you really should.  They are such a fun medium to work with and so very versatile.  They are a creamy color medium in a lipstick type form and a little bit goes a long way!  

I decided to test the Gelatos four different ways - one coloring directly on the paper, then I used my Niji Waterbrush to blend the drawn line to see how well it would move on the paper.  I used a regular color and a metallic for this test to see if they preformed differently.

Lime & Metallic Mint

Next I used the Faber-Castel smudge tool which comes with some of the sets to apply the Gelatos to the paper and finally I used my waterbrush to pick up the color from the tube and paint just like regular watercolors.

Green Tea & Smudge Tool

Spearmint & Niji Waterbrush

I have to say I wasn't real impressed with any of the blending on the directly colored on the paper tests but I LOVE painting with them.  The results are just what you'd expect - beautiful, some better than others but neat none the less.

So here you go....

NOTE: I was running out of room on some of the paper samples so a few pics may have other tests included in the photo and others I had to take multiple photos because I fit them in where I could.  As always you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge.

Arches 140lb Hot Press

Arches 140lb Cold Press

Bienfng 90lb Student 

Bienfng 90lb Student

Canson Mixed Media

Canson 140lb Cold Press

Dick Blick Mixed Media

Dick Blick 90lb Student 

Dick Blick 90lb Student

Dick Blick 140lb Cold Press

Fabrino Artistico 90lb Cold Press

Fabrino Artistico 90lb Cold Press

Fabrino Artistico 90lb Cold Press

Fabrino Studio 95lb Cold Press

Fabrino Studio 95lb Cold Press

Hero Hues WC Paper

Hero Hues WC Paper

Ranger WC

Simon Says Stamp WC

Simon Says Stamp WC

Strathmore 140lb Cold Press

Strathmore 140lb Cold Press

What was your favorite paper using the watercolor effect?

Mine was the Dick Blick Student Watercolor paper!  I was so surprised, the color was spectacular and the fade is just what I was looking for.  Amazing for such an inexpensive paper IMO.  

Tomorrow I'll be back with a round up of all the tests and I may even have a few goodies to give away so be sure to stop back in and check it out!

Till then, ink on my friends...ink on!

Summer Flowers...

Hi All...I'm sorry I didn't get the Gelato's test done.  About a month or so ago we got a new account at our business (which consists of me, dh, ds & ds's fiance) that has been taking up soooooooo much time...it's kickin' my butt.  Consequently I am falling very behind on things - housework, laundry, dishes, and really important things like art - LOL!!   I really wanted to get the test finished this afternoon when I got home but I am just wiped out.  I promise to have it done tomorrow.

In the mean time I thought I would share some photos I took this past weekend of my flowers around the house here....  I hope you like :)

Have a great day!!

Watercolor Paper Comparison - Twinkling H20's

Another requested medium - Twinkling H20's!  I have to say I love this colorant but I don't seem to use it as much as I should.  It's deep rich colors paired with the "twinkling" aspect make it perfect for so many projects.  

If you've never used Twinkling H20's before it's a concentrated color medium that comes in solid form in a little pot.  I love it because you just use a wet brush and pick up the color then paint away.  When you're done simply recap it and put it away.  So easy to use and trust me when I say a little goes a very long way.  

My only complaint with this beautiful medium is that it is so difficult to capture the beautiful shimmer on film....  I tried to show it in the first photo but it's just nothing compared to what it looks like IRL.

So here you go....I found that virtually every paper took the TH2O's perfectly! I'd say that makes this a mistake proof medium in my book. Most of the photos look blurry but it's actually how soft the TH2O's look...which I think makes them perfect for watercolor techniques.   I was looking for brush strokes and how well it blended out. 

Note: There are a few specks of other colors...those are from previous tests.  I'm running out of room on some of my paper samples so I'm scrunching things together.  

Arches 140lb Hot Press 

Arches 140lb Cold Press

Bienfng 90lb Student

Canson Mixed Media

Canson 140lb Cold Press

Crayola WC

Dick Blick Mixed Media 

Dick Blick 90lb Student Cold Press

Dick Blick 140 lb Cold Press

Fabrino Artistico 90lb Cold Press

Fabrino Studio 95lb Cold Press

Hero Hues Felt Finish 100lb

Ranger WC

Simon Says Stamp WC

Strathmore 140lb Cold Press

Told you most were super.  I fall in love again with TH2O every time I use them.

I have one more additional test - Gelatos.  Unless someone can think of another medium they would like to see on the papers.  I'd be more than happy to test it if I have it on hand.  Just post a comment or e-mail me with your suggestion.