Fluid Watercolor Paper Block, 12 x 16 inches, 15 White Sheets, 140 lb (300 GSM) Hot Press Pad for Artist Painting and Wet Media

So I’ve purchased this paper before and the paper itself is pretty good for what you pay for it. That being said, I’ve had more than a few issues with the condition of the paper by the time it reaches me. Mostly they looked like they’ve been tossed around, quite unsuccessfully, as frisbees and the corners have suffered the consequences. This time, though, someone took things too far... it looks as though someone brought their home troubles to work with them and took it out on a poor, unsuspecting pad of cheap watercolor paper. I imagine a scene where a co-worker scolds said someone for a missed order and sloppy penmanship, and though the pad of paper tried in earnest to calm the angry warehouse worker with a clever new limerick about squash and sandpaper, but since the warehouse worker does not speak pulp, the warehouse worker then slams the pad of paper he’s holding onto the floor and climbs into the nearest forklift to run repeatedly over the innocent pad of paper upon the ground before putting it into a box to be shipped to my door. Now, we’ve all had rough days, but clearly this fellow should have taken a mental health day. I suggest that Amazon pay their workers better so that they feel like they can afford to take a mental day off work ever now and again so that pads of mediocre watercolor paper don’t suffer the slings and arrows of overworked warehouse workers.

The only thing good about this paper is the smooth surface. It does not perform up to the standards of professional watercolor paper. When using this paper, one should consider it to be similar to Bristol. You will not be able to do any lifting at all. Your first heavy wet n wet wash will immediately cause the paper to rise up like a sunami and separate from the two unglued sides. The paper will never go back to original even when completely dry. This paper is at best only suitable for the dryest of dry brushing. This paper will take you a step back in your watercolor journey. If you want to lose confidence in your ability, this paper will be perfect for you. My favorite new paper is the Moulin du Roy by Canson. I wish we had a USA distributor. I also still like Fabriano hot press and have not had any issues with it. Getting back to the Fluid, I think the whole program is a big PR one. It is done with “mirrors and lights”. The combination of paper and paint add up to a perfect zero. If you are serious about your watercolor art, Fabriano, Moulin du Roy, Arches, all make excellent blocks as well as sheets. Daniel Smith and Winsor Newton are my main two paint brands, BUT, I buy by pigment classifications and not names. Check carefully since pigments for many colors have changed and will not produce the same results to which you have been accustomed.

This paper is the worst block I have ever purchased and is almost unusable for any artwork you plan to sell. The block is glued together with thick, sticky glue that doesn't allow the pages to be separated easily. I've been using watercolor blocks for over 10 years and have never had a problem removing the pages until I purchased this brand. My first page ripped in half when I tried to remove it. Thank goodness I hadn't drawn anything on it! Trying to remove the other pages proved just as difficult, with most of them ripping or splitting at the edges. I was able to salvage about half the paper in the block that I'd be willing to pass on to a client. I tried many different tools to remove the paper more successfully and nothing worked. Such a disappointment. I purchased 5 of these in various sizes and they were all like this.

I really like this paper and this will probably be my go-to brand for affordable blocks. I'm only halfway through this block so far but I've been experimenting with it as much as I can to see what it can and cant do.The paper is bounded only on 2 sides instead of most blocks which are bounded 3 full sides and most of the 4th. I, however, haven't had to deal with much buckling. The paper does warp a small amount, as do most papers, but the warping is so minuscule a day under some books will straighten the page out.It absorbs water at a fairly slow pace. This is a plus or minus depending on how you paint. If you prefer faster drying times, you might want to invest in a hairdryer or something. I personally really like painting wet on wet so the fact that I can wet the paper, without it being soaking wet, and still have the paper damp by the time I've wet a large area fantastic. I have a few brands of paper that dry so fast I learned that I cannot do wet on wet backgrounds because it usually dries before I've finished wetting the whole area.This probably goes with the point mentioned above but I haven't experienced peeling yet. A lot of my paintings will have 5-8 wet on wet layers but so far the paper here hasn't peeled on me. Granted, I think a reason for it is because of it's slower drying time, as I usually have to essentially soak many of my other papers in water to have it damp by the time paint is applied and like I said above I do not do that with this paper.Fun fact, washi tape will tear the paper. It seems kind of odd that I would think to tape the edges of a block since part of it's gimmick is that I wouldn't need to. However, I still like having a clean white boarder around a lot of my paintings. Usually I'll use washi tape instead of regular masking tape because it's much easier to remove and I've had less experiences with washi tape ripping or taking the paper with it. To my knowledge, this is the only paper I've managed to do that with so far. I've learned to either give up my white boarders or premeasure and pencil in a boarder whenever I work with this specific block.It takes graphite pencil very well. I've even spent a page seeing how it handles a full graphite drawing with blending and it didn't really affect the absorbency or the texture (or in the case of hot press, add a texture) of the paper.Overall, I personally think this is a fantastic block. It works well with my personal painting preferences and it's not so hard on my budget that I'd feel like I wasted money if I spent a page or two experimenting or worse yet, had to start a painting over. There's obviously better blocks out there but that pretty much comes down to if the price is worth it to you or not.

No problems

super product

Great little pad and great price, too

This purchase was my first foray into hot-press watercolour paper and I'm very impressed.The price on this was unbeatable, and the size is unique. The paper is very durable, and 'mistakes' with watercolour can easily be blotted off and scrubbed out without any damage to the paper. I'm really impressed with the quality of this block given the cost.I'll be buying this again, I recommend picking up this block.

I was disappointed when I received this product because unlike other pads (especially glued hot pressed), it was not shrink-wrapped or protected in any way. The first sheet had a dark finger mark and the bottom corners of the pad (all sheets) were dirty. I had to scrap the first sheet of the pad and the dirty corners make me wonder about its value…