HOW to choose the RIGHT watercolor paper!

THE RIGHT WAY to choose watercolor paper ✨ Stop guessing and stop struggling with your paintings—it might not be your technique, it might be your paper choice! (Scroll down for produxt links to my favourite papers)👇 In this deep dive into watercolor paper, I’m breaking down everything you need to know to make the right investment for your art. We’ll look at the physical technicalities of weight and thickness, the creative experience of different surfaces, and the best ways to buy paper whether you are on a student budget or ready for professional artist quality. But wait! 🙏 If you feel this video was worth $2 or more, you can Support my efforts by clicking the 'Thanks' button ( 🩶$ ) below this video to the right of "download". FULL BEGINNER PLAYLIST: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPQ2yBvZsRtH6K8EPfnk_Tia4ph7jg5Za In this video, we cover: 0:00 - Introduction & The Beginner Series 0:57 - The 3 Main Surfaces: Hot Pressed, Cold Pressed & Rough 1:16 - Visual Demo: Ultramarine Blue across 3 textures 2:25 - When to choose Hot Pressed (Botanical & Illustration) 3:42 - Why Cold Pressed is the industry standard 4:30 - Using Rough paper for expressive strokes 4:54 - Understanding Weight: 90lb, 140lb vs. 300lb 6:03 - When to stretch your paper (and avoiding buckling) 7:02 - Choosing a Format: Pads, Blocks, and Sheets 7:25 - The Watermark Secret: Which side to paint on? 8:08 - Artist Grade vs. Student Grade: How to spot the difference 9:50 - Budget-Friendly Hack: My favorite 100% Cotton Amazon find 10:19 - What is a Watercolor Block? 10:48 - How to correctly remove a sheet from a block 11:34 - Wrap up & Super Thanks support Weight & Thickness: Why 140 lb (300 gsm) is the industry standard and when to move up to 300 lb (640 gsm) heavyweights. Surface Quality: The difference between Hot Pressed (smooth), Cold Pressed (versatile), and Rough textures. Artist vs. Student Quality: Why 100% cotton is the "Aha!" moment for every painter. Format & Availability: Choosing between individual sheets, pads, blocks, and books. The "Watermark" Secret: How to find the "right" side of your paper every time. MY FAVOURITE "artist quality BLOCK" on a BUDGET: CANADA: https://amzn.to/4vLI3Zj USA: https://amzn.to/4sWSHJZ ************************** 🎨 MORE PRODUCT LINKS BELOW 🎨 ************************** 🖌️ {BRUSHES} I’m using brushes from my own ARTIST DESIGNED private label which you can shop below! • https://crystal-beshara.square.site/education ************************** 🎨 AMAZON PRODUCT LINKS 🎨 ************************** 📌 Everything in nice curated lists for 🇺🇸 and 🇨🇦 SHOP my AMAZON affiliate links (USA & Canada). This is a beautifully curated list , with info and images to make everything a little easier! I may earn a small commission at no cost to you simply by using my links . This helps to support my channel and my time creating more FREE content for you, a win-win for both of us. 🇺🇸 • (US artists) https://www.amazon.com/shop/crystalbesharaartistchannel 🇨🇦 • (CANADIAN artists) https://www.amazon.ca/shop/crystalbesharaartistchannel Join my MEMBERS CIRCLE (starting at only $1.99 CAD per month) to get access to exciting perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmhZDIF0xyO2Mzc5xq-3fQ/join 👍 Enjoyed this video? LIKE, SUBSCRIBE or comment below. It REALLY helps to support my Channel in order to keep creating FREE CONTENT for you. :) Hi! I’m Crystal Beshara, I'm a professional artist, educator & illustrator living in Canada. I’ve been teaching workshops all over the world for over 25 years. Whatever skill level you’re at, I welcome you! This video is simply a vehicle for you to learn techniques and build upon. Please don’t worry about the end product! You can always try it again and again or take these honed techniques to your next painting. Want to dig a little deeper? 📚 ARTIST RESOURCES https://crystalbeshara.com/artist-resources 🖼️ MY ARTWORK & WEBSITE: https://crystalbeshara.com 🤩 SIGN UP for my newsletter : https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/2102020/179679728131638433/share (for promotions, new online courses, exhibitions, workshops near you & products releases) 🩵 Come FOLLOW ME on SOCIAL MEDIA! 🩵 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ Crystal Beshara Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystalbesharaartist/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrystalBesharaArtist WEBSITE: https://crystalbeshara.com