Review on 🎨 Arteza Watercolor Pad Expert 11x14, Pack of 2, 64 Sheets (140lb/300gsm), Cold Pressed, Acid-Free Paper, 32 Sheets Each, Optimal for Watercolor Techniques and Mixed Media – Enhanced SEO by Jennifer Roberts

I've been doing watercolors for a little over 2 years. I started with the smaller 9x5" and worked my way up to the 11x14". This will be a long, detailed review based on my experiences over the past two years. If you're new to watercolors, don't buy cheap paper. . You can get by with cheap brushes and cheap paint. However, trust me, you will not enjoy watercolors on cheap paper. If you buy cheap paper, you will be disappointed and not enjoy it. On the other hand, if you buy an Archers notebook, you might not even draw on it because you're too afraid of making a mistake. For me, this is the PERFECT in-between option. It's available when I can attack a white paper without fear of ruining the picture or feeling like I've just thrown money away. I even paint on both sides just to practice. The back is plain so keep that in mind - I like variety. Even if you are a beginner, start with a smaller paper and work your way up. The more know, the worse. Paper works well for many styles and techniques. You can charge a lot of water and go crazy. You can saturate both sides and paint wet on wet to prevent warping. They can stretch the paper and won't warp. You can turn dry into wet. It blends well and is very versatile. Basically I just paint straight onto the pillow because I'm so lazy and don't mind a little warping. It worked great with my masking fluid but I don't use it often or on large areas as I try to save some white space without it. The only thing this paper struggles with is the rise and bloom. The pigment doesn't penetrate too deeply into the paper if you use enough water, but paper still absorbs pigment more than 100% cotton. Keep in mind if you're someone who loves picking up or making flowers - that doesn't mean it can't be done, just if you drop some blue and then pick it up you'll get a light blue underneath. elevator, don't know. I've tried different brands and types of watercolor paper and Arteza is my favorite practice paper. Canson is by far the worst and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Canson sucks because you can't mix, lift or pour water, it's basically useless for watercolor. The Fabriano made of 20% cotton is great and I would put it on a par with this rug in terms of quality. The problem with Fabriano is that the texture on the paper is DEEP and consistent. It seems ugly to me, so I prefer Arteza, plus it's cheaper. I have not personally tried the lower grades of Arteza watercolor paper as this paper is affordable enough for practice. The 100% cotton archer is awesome and way better than this particular watercolor paper notebook. However, 100% cotton can be three times more expensive. There is a Chinese brand that sells 100% cotton that is almost identical to Archers and costs a lot less. I would recommend this if you are looking for 100% cotton. Arteza has a 100% cotton option, but I'm pretty sure it's only 9" x 12", which isn't big enough for me personally, so I didn't try it. I only use 100% cotton when painting for someone else. Everything else is a practice that ends with Arteza. In summary, this notebook is great and I will continue to buy it for practice. I've used at least 4+ packs (8 pads) of these in the past year. I wish they were a larger size although I risk going with larger canvases. I have tried several Arteza products over the past two years and none have disappointed me. Arteza is affordable, not cheap. The only request is that they indicate what percentage of cotton is used in this rug. I want to say that like Fabriano it's 20%, but I can't say for sure. Happy drawing!