Before I detail individual papers I will give you a little general information.

These papers are ‘Mona Lisa’ from Schoellershammer Mill in Germany. And are distributed by a company called ‘The Studio Partnership’ who principally sell watercolour paper which they import directly from paper mills all over Europe.

All of the papers are double sided, quite a consideration if you are working to a budget and believe you cannot justify paying a little extra for a better material.

• All the tests were carried out simultaneously to keep both the materials and conditions constant.
• None of the papers were stretched.
• I used Winsor and Newton paints, firstly artist quality lemon yellow for it’s transparency and secondly cotman lamp black for it’s staining quality and opaqueness. As an afterthought a blob of cotman ultramarine was used to demonstrate granulation and any damage after the masking tape had been removed.
• The collection of techniques were at the suggestion of myself and members of ‘The New Watercolour Gallery’; a friendly web society of amateur artists to be found on MSN.
• I’m no expert and am not familiar or competent in all of the techniques tested.
• The tests used are as follows
  1. flat wash
  2. graduated wash
  3. wet-on-wet
  4. drybrush
  5. lifting out without and with gum Arabic
  6. fine detail with a no.2 rigger
  7. scratching
  8. masking fluid
  9. wax resist
  10. shaping with a plastic credit card
  11. salt grains
  12. creating texture with plastic wrap
  13. sponging
  14. blowing
  15. granulation
  16. removal damage from masking tape

Number 2

Study Quality DaCapo

Official Blurb

Light-fast and non-aging with an excellent firm texture, making it particularly suitable for the wet-on-wet technique. Pure white, rough surface with fine graining lends the paper a characteristic look.

Uses:    Preliminary sketches, drafts and studies in all dry techniques, soft chalks, oil pastels, charcoal and graphite, plus wet-on-wet and dry brush watercolours.

Material:           100% high-quality white recycled fibres.

Surface:            rough, felt marked

Weight: 165 gsm

  Available in blocks and pads of 20 sheets in sizes

17x24 cm, 24x32 cm, 30x40 cm, 36x48 cm, 42x56 cm and in reams of 50x65 cm & 70x100 cm.

My humble opinion

  If you wish to use this paper for watercolour it must be stretched first; as you would expect at such a weight, even these small areas produced distinct cockling. I would not describe the surface as rough, more in between a normal and a smooth. But for dry mediums it is a lovely surface to work on.

As you can see the flat wash took well but not so the graduated wash. Of all the papers this one took the longest to dry and soaked up the water like blotting paper. In addition the surface was prone to damage easily when scratching, shaping or removing any kind of masking. Finally the smooth surface showed no granulation of the blue.

Number 4

Study Quality DaCapo

Official Blurb

Light-fast and non-aging with an excellent firm texture, making it particularly suitable for the wet-on-wet technique. Pure white, rough surface with distinctive graining lends the paper a characteristic look.

Uses:    Preliminary sketches, drafts and studies in all dry techniques, soft chalks, oil pastels, charcoal and graphite, plus wet-on-wet and dry brush watercolours.

Material:           100% high-quality white recycled fibres.

Surface:            rough, felt marked

Weight: 220 gsm

Available in blocks and pads of 20 sheets in sizes

17x24 cm, 24x32 cm, 30x40 cm, 36x48 cm, 42x56 cm and in reams of 50x65 cm & 70x100 cm.

My humble opinion

  This paper too would require stretching though the cockling on this piece was less pronounced. The surface is a little more pronounced but, I would still not describe it as rough being more like the surface of my usual aquafine paper from Daler Rowney. It is interesting to note; that as these papers are double sided, the reverse of each is a little smoother than the front and that the reverse of number 4 is similar to the front of number 2.

  As for the tests the surface absorbed a little slower but I still had difficulty with the graduated wash. The surface however showed less damage to rough treatment.

In conclusion I find the ‘Study Quality’ papers a poor choice for watercolour techniques in general but they make a good option if you enjoy sketching.

Number 6

  Professional Quality Torchon

Official Blurb

Luxurious, thick, very soft, light-fast and non-aging paper of top quality with a high degree of absorbency. A special surface guarantees pure colour absorption. Using ‘genuine’ torchon, the fibre structure is randomly created on the mould. The slightly grained, uneven surface makes fine textures possible. Colours are easily washed. The paper is calcium carbonate protected against effects of environmental acid.

Uses:    Classic watercolour techniques such as wet-on-wet, blending and dry brushing.

Material:           chlorine-free pulp (TCF) with high-quality cotton fibre content (linters)

Surface:            ‘genuine’ torchon

Weight: 250 gsm

Available in blocks and pads of 20 sheets in sizes

17x24 cm, 24x32 cm, 30x40 cm, 36x48 cm, 42x56 cm and in reams of 50x65 cm & 70x100 cm.

My humble opinion

Commenting on ‘torchon’ is honestly beyond me as I always thought the term referred to rolled sticks of paper used to blend charcoal and pastels. But I can state that this is a beautiful surface to work on, with a smooth but gently undulating surface. Heavy enough not to require stretching it somehow feels thicker than other papers of the same weight.

  The graduated wash improves. As did granulation, and the toughness of surface when I got to the abusive techniques. Washes were absorbed quickly and evenly but, the speed left little time to manipulate the colour shaping.

Number 8

 Professional Quality Grain C

 Official Blurb

Luxurious, thick, top quality paper, with a finely grained surface. Paint barely penetrates the hard, dense surface which stands up to rubbing or scratching, thus making the paper correction-friendly for longer. Colours retain their brilliance and the paper is light-fast and non-aging. The paper is calcium carbonate protected against effects of environmental acid.

Uses:    Classic watercolour techniques such as wet-on-wet, blending and dry brushing.

Material:           chlorine-free pulp (TCF) with high-quality cotton fibre content (linters)

Surface:            grain C, felt marked

Weight: 250 gsm

Available in blocks and pads of 20 sheets in sizes

17x24 cm, 24x32 cm, 30x40 cm, 36x48 cm, 42x56 cm and in reams of 50x65 cm & 70x100 cm.

My humble opinion

Despite being the same weight as number 6 this paper feels thinner, the fibres are much more compacted giving a very tough surface which the paint really does appear to sit on top of. The surface is almost smooth with just tiny pits in evidence.

  And yet the wash dried quickly, again making shaping difficult. All rough treatment of the surface was taken well, there were no visible defects on the removal of either masking mediums, and scratching removed only tiny amounts of the papers surface at a time.

  In conclusion the weight of these papers make them both suitable for watercolour techniques without the need for stretching, a big bonus for the impatient like myself. There was really little difference in the way the paint behaved on the two surfaces and the choice would be more about individual style. If you like to gently stroke on your washes you will love number 6. The more experimental artists who like to create different textures by manipulating the drying wash will perhaps prefer the tough surface of number 8.

Number 10

Master Quality Coarse Grain

Official Blurb

An exceptional watercolour paper with unique properties made from ‘esparto’ or ‘Spanish’ grass. The sheets are thick, very stiff and stable. This extremely comliant paper exhibits only minimal shrinkage or stretching; hardly warping when water is applied. It’s even paint absorption makes soft colour blending possible. As with torchon, the coarse structure is randomly created on the mould. The reverse side is smoother, providing an alternative surface type.

Uses:    Classic watercolour techniques such as wet-on-wet, blending and dry brushing.

Material:           esparto grass cellulose with extremely thick-walled, interlocked fibres

Surface:            coarse grained

Weight: 300 gsm

Available in blocks and pads of 20 sheets in sizes

17x24 cm, 24x32 cm, 30x40 cm, 36x48 cm, 42x56 cm and in reams of 50x65 cm & 70x100 cm.

My humble opinion

To describe this paper as thick and stiff is no understatement, I had difficulty folding and cutting off a strip.

This paper has a slightly cream colour to it, so if you like your whites bright this is not for you. But for everyone else this paper is pure magic. Washes go on smoothly and evenly without cockling. Although the paint appeared to absorb quickly there was time enough for shaping. The only techniques I had any difficulty with, was lifting out especially without the aid of gum Arabic and scratching out which to me seemed a bit coarse and bitty. This was the best paper of the bunch for exploiting the effects of granulation.

I do find this rough surface difficult to work on, but consider this to be more down to my own style as I positively hate dry brush techniques.(LOL that said one of these days I’ll learn how to do them properly and there will be no stopping me.)

Number 12

Master Quality Torchon

Official Blurb

Top-quality, master class all-rag paper, gelatine sized. High-quality linters result in minimal shrinkage or stretching hardly warping when water is applied. Water takes time to absorb but is bound by the gelatine, allowing outstanding blending and reworking without hard edges being formed. The watercolour paint is bound by the gelatine, allowing paintings to be created with brilliant colours. This paper is suitable for varnishing.

Uses:    Classic watercolour techniques such as wet-on-wet, blending, dry brushing and glazing techniques.

Material:           100% high-quality linters (ECF)

Surface:            ‘genuine’ torchon

Weight: 300 gsm

Available in blocks and pads of 20 sheets in sizes

17x24 cm, 24x32 cm, 30x40 cm, 36x48 cm, 42x56 cm and in reams of 50x65 cm & 70x100 cm.

My humble opinion

Forget chocolate I have found my ecstasy.

Paint goes on smoothly and evenly, and wet in wet spreads with tiny feathered edges. Shaping was a doddle as the gelatine allowed manipulation for much longer. Even poking around with hard and sharp implements did not significantly damage the tough surface. Again the only real problem was lifting out without the aid of gum arabic, but with lamp black perhaps this test is rather unfair as this is a colour most of us rarely use and it is the most staining paint to be found in the paint box.

The first advice we all receive is to purchase the best materials that we can afford. But unsure of our skills and even our taste for a new hobby we often opt for something short of the mark.

Testing these papers has been a huge learning curve for me. The way the paint behaves on top quality supports affects the outcome so clearly.

The amount of paper I have to scrap when my washes are not flat or the graduation not satisfactory is such a waste. How many piccies have you and I ruined because the paper would not stand the manipulation or rough treatment needed for certain techniques such as are detailed in the tests. Though I cannot take full responsibility for such poor choices in the past;  my local store does not stock paper of a quality beyond Bockingford and the like, I have never had the opportunity to see let alone try papers of this quality.

I am seduced into using better paper. And urge everyone to do likewise despite its expense. These top of the range papers allow execution of different techniques to be carried out more easily than on cheaper papers. The tough surface is more tolerant to correction. In the end the result is less waste. Further in addition to all this, the paint glides on with a sensual quality adding to the pleasure of this hobby.

Review by Jane  11^th January 2004