Why do I have to use the professional grade watercolor paper when I’m just learning? Can I practice on the cheaper paper and then use the professional paper for a real painting?
Good results from watercolor painting are very dependent on the surface of the paper. Cheaper, lighter-weight paper doesn’t give the beautiful textures and flow of paint that professional paper does. Painting on better paper gives a much better chance of turning out pleasing effects while learning. On the other hand, you can paint very skillfully on cheap paper and have very UNsatisfactory effects. Not because of you, but because of the limitations of the paper. So the few extra pennies spent while learning on GOOD paper is worth it! Your success because of the GOOD paper is very encouraging and shows you what you can really do. Later, you can certainly choose your papers depending on what you know will happen with them. When I’m drawing my composition on the watercolor paper, I can’t seem to get the drawing right the first time. I hate the way the watercolor paper gets messed up from all my erasing. How do I put those little details into my watercolors without erasing and changing thi
