Watercolor Paper Review: A Surprisingly Good Amazon Find

Every once in a while I try an art supply that turns out to be much better than I expected. These watercolor blocks were one of those purchases.

The paper has been wonderful for wet-on-wet work. It accepts plenty of water, the pigments move and mingle beautifully, and I can get the soft transitions and blooms I want without feeling like I’m fighting the surface. Wet-on-dry behaves exactly as I would expect from a good watercolor paper, with nice control and clean marks.

Painting inspired by Ala

But the real test for me is what happens after that first layer.

I am not particularly gentle with watercolor paper. I will soak it!  I overpaint. I lift. I scrub. I change my mind and go back into areas that probably should have been left alone several decisions ago. This paper has handled all of it remarkably well. Even after quite a bit of working and reworking, I haven't experienced the pilling or surface breakdown that can happen with some papers.

That matters to me because I want a watercolor surface that gives me the freedom to experiment rather than making me afraid of damaging the paper.

My first purchase was essentially a test. The result?

I bought four more blocks.

That is probably the simplest review I can give them.

View the watercolor blocks I tested on Amazon!   https://amzn.to/4bSE84p