STRETCHING WATERCOLOR PAPER FOR A BETTER PAINTING EXPERIENCE
Why stretch watercolor paper?
Watercolor paper that is less than 200lb will cockle when it is wet, forming hills and troughs that make it impossible to control the flow of watercolor. Stretching paper involves soaking the paper until it swells, attaching it to a rigid surface and allowing it to dry until it shrinks and becomes taut (or painting right away if you wish to paint wet-into-wet). The taut surface allows you the freedom to paint without battling against the puddles of color, using as much water as you like
Why stretch watercolor paper?
Watercolor paper that is less than 200lb will cockle when it is wet, forming hills and troughs that make it impossible to control the flow of watercolor. Stretching paper involves soaking the paper until it swells, attaching it to a rigid surface and allowing it to dry until it shrinks and becomes taut (or painting right away if you wish to paint wet-into-wet). The taut surface allows you the freedom to paint without battling against the puddles of color, using as much water as you like
An even wash of blue is ruined by the swelling areas causing the color to pool in a valley, creating an unintended line of paint.
An even wash on this paper stretched with staples stays even and doesn’t pool because the paper stays flat.
Cut your paper about 3cm larger on each side than you wish your finished painting to be, you will lose this amount of paper from the area covered by tape.
Gummed Tape
Cut gummed paper tape in advance, 3cm longer than each side, set aside and keep dry (don’t let it get splashed at all).
Cut your paper about 3cm larger on each side than you wish your finished painting to be, you will lose this amount of paper from the area covered by tape.
Gummed Tape
Cut gummed paper tape in advance, 3cm longer than each side, set aside and keep dry (don’t let it get splashed at all).
Soaking
Soak for 5-10 minutes for 140lb paper, more for heavier paper. Each make of paper will be different. You will know that the paper has soaked enough when it feels floppy like wet cloth. You want it to absorb all the water that it can, but if you soak it for much longer it may start to lose its sizing. Watercolor paper has a sizing added (gelatin or gelatin substitute) that keeps it from being too absorbent. If it were as absorbent as blotting paper your paint would sink down inside and not sit brightly on top. If you soak your paper for too long you may remove the sizing on the surface and make your paper too absorbent.
Soak large sheets in a bathtub that has been well cleaned as soap residue can cause spotting on your paper. Soak smaller sheets in a large flat plastic tub. If you have no way to immerse your paper you can wet it with a sponge and keep wetting it and turning it over, but this method will take up to 5 times as long for the paper to become fully wetted.
Taping
Wet your board evenly.
Remove the paper from the water and hold by one corner to allow much of the water to drip away. Take your paper to your wet board. Bow the paper in half to create a gentle roll in the center and line this center up with the center of your board. Lower the paper and drop it, center first. You do not need to rub it down, it will lay itself well against the board. If it doesn’t land in the center pick it up and bow it and try again. If you have large air pockets raise just that corner and release them, but small air pockets will not matter. Wet your prepared strips of tape with a sponge, but do not wet so much that you wash away the gum. I use a small sponge that I squeeze most of the water out of, in one hand I pinch the tape and sponge together and then pull the tape through. Your tape should not be dripping. Then, holding the tape evenly over the whole length lower the tape strip all at once to the edge of the paper, half on the paper and half on the board. Gently run your fingers around the edge to make sure all the air bubbles are removed but trying not to stretch the tape.
Caution: If the tape looks like it is not sticking well do not be tempted to run a wet sponge over the top of the tape as this will insure that your tape fails, it seems to remove the glue.
Soak for 5-10 minutes for 140lb paper, more for heavier paper. Each make of paper will be different. You will know that the paper has soaked enough when it feels floppy like wet cloth. You want it to absorb all the water that it can, but if you soak it for much longer it may start to lose its sizing. Watercolor paper has a sizing added (gelatin or gelatin substitute) that keeps it from being too absorbent. If it were as absorbent as blotting paper your paint would sink down inside and not sit brightly on top. If you soak your paper for too long you may remove the sizing on the surface and make your paper too absorbent.
Soak large sheets in a bathtub that has been well cleaned as soap residue can cause spotting on your paper. Soak smaller sheets in a large flat plastic tub. If you have no way to immerse your paper you can wet it with a sponge and keep wetting it and turning it over, but this method will take up to 5 times as long for the paper to become fully wetted.
Taping
Wet your board evenly.
Remove the paper from the water and hold by one corner to allow much of the water to drip away. Take your paper to your wet board. Bow the paper in half to create a gentle roll in the center and line this center up with the center of your board. Lower the paper and drop it, center first. You do not need to rub it down, it will lay itself well against the board. If it doesn’t land in the center pick it up and bow it and try again. If you have large air pockets raise just that corner and release them, but small air pockets will not matter. Wet your prepared strips of tape with a sponge, but do not wet so much that you wash away the gum. I use a small sponge that I squeeze most of the water out of, in one hand I pinch the tape and sponge together and then pull the tape through. Your tape should not be dripping. Then, holding the tape evenly over the whole length lower the tape strip all at once to the edge of the paper, half on the paper and half on the board. Gently run your fingers around the edge to make sure all the air bubbles are removed but trying not to stretch the tape.
Caution: If the tape looks like it is not sticking well do not be tempted to run a wet sponge over the top of the tape as this will insure that your tape fails, it seems to remove the glue.
Remove the paper from the water by one corner and shake to see if it feels floppy like wet cloth. Then allow much of the water to drip away.
Bow the paper in half to create a gentle roll in the center and line this center up with the center of your board.
Lower the paper and drop it, center first.
You do not need to rub it down, it will lay itself well against the board.
I use a small sponge that I squeeze most of the water out of, in one hand I pinch the tape and sponge together and then pull the tape through.
Holding the tape evenly over the whole length lower the tape strip all at once to the edge of the paper, half on the paper and half on the board.
If the tape looks like it is not sticking well do not be tempted to run a wet sponge over the top of the tape as this will insure that your tape fails.
Caution – Tape Dripping
Be sure not to drip water from your tape onto your paper as this will leave spots on your paper where the paint will not stick. (You may have noticed spots on your paper in the past and thought the paper was faulty.)
Caution – Tape Dripping
Be sure not to drip water from your tape onto your paper as this will leave spots on your paper where the paint will not stick. (You may have noticed spots on your paper in the past and thought the paper was faulty.)
Gummed tape drips that were invisible on the paper show up when you start to paint.
Drying
Leave to dry completely, probably overnight or a day. This is the only downside – you need to prepare your stretched boards ahead of time. You can blot the whole surface pressing with a gentle downward motion (no rubbing!) using a folded bath towel or pile of kitchen roll, being very careful not to shift the tape at all. Dry your board flat, not tilted on its side which would make it dry unevenly as the water runs to one end, unless you rotate the board around every 5 minutes or so. It can also pool water under your tape and remove the glue. Speeding drying with a hair dryer causes the same problem, uneven drying. You want even tension, so no area will pull loose. So be patient.
During this process your paper has swollen and grown larger by a few cm. As it dries it is shrinking back to its original size and pulling on the tape. If you use a hair dryer and cause one area to dry faster it will shrink and pull loose the tape of the part that is still damp. The success of paper stretching is a result of the right amount of water and even drying. With practice you will figure out how wet you need your board to be and how wet you need the tape to be and the best way to insure even drying.
Drying
Leave to dry completely, probably overnight or a day. This is the only downside – you need to prepare your stretched boards ahead of time. You can blot the whole surface pressing with a gentle downward motion (no rubbing!) using a folded bath towel or pile of kitchen roll, being very careful not to shift the tape at all. Dry your board flat, not tilted on its side which would make it dry unevenly as the water runs to one end, unless you rotate the board around every 5 minutes or so. It can also pool water under your tape and remove the glue. Speeding drying with a hair dryer causes the same problem, uneven drying. You want even tension, so no area will pull loose. So be patient.
During this process your paper has swollen and grown larger by a few cm. As it dries it is shrinking back to its original size and pulling on the tape. If you use a hair dryer and cause one area to dry faster it will shrink and pull loose the tape of the part that is still damp. The success of paper stretching is a result of the right amount of water and even drying. With practice you will figure out how wet you need your board to be and how wet you need the tape to be and the best way to insure even drying.
Dry flat, do not rush it, be patient.
After you have painted – and your painting is dry
To remove the painting from the board you will want to pierce the tape and slide a knife around your painting to leave half the tape on the board and half on your painting. You can cut along the edge of the paper and lift it off the board. Most artists leave the tape on the painting as it will be hidden under the mount when you frame the painting and wetting the tape to remove the adhering tape might damage the artwork. The tape edge also adds stability.
After you have painted – and your painting is dry
To remove the painting from the board you will want to pierce the tape and slide a knife around your painting to leave half the tape on the board and half on your painting. You can cut along the edge of the paper and lift it off the board. Most artists leave the tape on the painting as it will be hidden under the mount when you frame the painting and wetting the tape to remove the adhering tape might damage the artwork. The tape edge also adds stability.
Simply cut along the edge of the paper and lift it off the board.
The information on this page is from Jackson Art.
The information on this page is from Jackson Art.