Arches Watercolor Paper Pad, 140 pound, Cold Press, 9"x12"

When I first began watercolor painting lessons I was encouraged to buy the best paper I could afford and Arches was highly recommended everywhere I looked. It is excellent paper, holds water well, dries beautifully and made even my first paintings look far better than they actually were. Now, I just know I’m going to have a good painting experience with admirable results when I use this paper.

Price is reasonable for such a fine product!

I've been using Arches Watercolor paper for the last two years and have never been disappointed in either it's quality or the results I've been able to achieve. I'd recommend it to anyone.

The watercolor pad is high quality. It was well packed, and arrived promptly in good condition.

Great quality, paper will warp some with a lot of wet into wet related to it not being a block but I used tape which did help some. Colors show up accurate and the texture is uniform. Good size and can easily be cut if needed. Easy to use and is a great quality paper.

This is the best price that I’ve seen on Arches paper so far. I thought I would try this paper because I’ve heard people say it’s the best. I’ve also heard it’s very expensive but it’s the most important thing in watercolors. They say if you’re just starting out with watercolor and want to invest in one good quality item, the best quality paper you can afford is the first thing you should buy. Then they say Arches is the brand of that high quality paper, always followed by, “it’s expensive but worth it”. I find that If you buy it from an art store at full price it is much more expensive. I have been able to find it on Amazon for a much better value. The paper is great and I do get better results when I paint on it. I feel like the paint behaves differently than on cheaper, cellulose paper. I buy this 9x12 paper pad then I cut the sheets down in halves or quarters. This stretches the value a bit further. I find that if I paint on an entire sheet of 9x12 I end up with a lot of empty space around the outside edges of the page anyway. I’m new to watercolor and have been working on composition but a lot of my practice focuses on single subjects. I do a lot of practice on cheaper paper and then bring out this Arches paper for the “higher quality” practice. The “practice” pieces that I don’t mind showing to other people. The cheaper, cellulose paper is a place for me to determine which colors work well for the subject I’m painting, to practice how to hold the brush or even the correct size of brush for the subject I want to paint. Like I said, I’m new to watercolor so I have to start from square one. Once I’ve figured that out I am able to bring out the cotton paper to practice my blending techniques, how much water to use, the different behaviors of all the colors on my palette, etc…. Arches paper is very forgiving for beginners like me because I find that the paper can stand up to the scrubbing and lifting of mistakes. If I accidentally use too much water the paper dries nicely (eventually) enough that the whole piece isn’t ruined. In the event that the piece doesn’t turn out well on the front of the paper I can still use the less textured back side of the paper so that it doesn’t go to waste. The paper is very durable since it’s so thick and made of cotton and it can handle being painted on the front and the back.

Perfect to learn watercolors. I tear the edges for a tapered/organic look.

Very good standard watercolor paper.