Watercolor paper with lots of line-like texture

[howdyheidi]

Does anyone know what this particular paper is?  I have seen it in several blog posts, and I have even tried to ask the bloggers what it was and didn't get a reply.   It is on a card on the Hero Arts blog today too

https://heroarts.com/youre-so-lovely/

I think it would be fun to use that kind sometime...

[CarefreeSadie]

I think that one is the canson water color paper.  The Strathmore has dimples in it.  They are both artist grade water color paper.  I get mine at Hobby Lobby because that is only 30 miles away.  Sometimes they have them 40% or 50% off or you can use the weekly coupon to buy them.  Last week I think they were 40% off. 

You can see it here and this is a really good price on it.  Usually the cold press has some kind of texture on it, the hot press (more expensive) is usually smooth.

[Far North]

Hm-m Heidi, this is a good but not easy question. I looked at my pad of Canson watercolor paper which looks just like Sadie's photo and I do not see the straight line texture as in your sample. The description say's light texture which I agree with. But the Canson texture lines on my paper are short and do not make a visual series of straight lines.

So sorry I looked at several watercolor papers and other sources and did not find any that look like your sample. Please let us know if you learn what it is!
...Jan

[howdyheidi]

Thank you, Sadie and Jan.  I also have that Canson pad and it doesn't have the lines.  Maybe there is another Canson one with more texture, I am going to take a look at them the next time I go to the craft store. 

[Far North]

I wrote the Hero Arts card maker last night and heard back this morning..."Jan, good question. I used Strathmore watercolor paper 140lbs And I bought it at Michaels."  Mariana Grigsby

Well, I am surprised that she achieved that result with Strathmore paper...and expect Sadie will be too since we see a dimpled type texture on the paper. Now I am wondering if it is due to the sheerness of the watercolor wash. When I watercolor it is often hard to see the texture. I have heard the texture is to maximize the light reflection for enhancement of the colors.  Heidi, when you saw other cards with similiar texture did they also have extremely light pigmented washes?  Lighting for photos may also be a major factor.

PS...I use the contact e-mail available on most blogs and almost always get prompt response. 

[howdyheidi]

Jan thank you!  I did not email that blogger because I have had so many not reply!  I did find it really odd because blog comments are slim nowadays unless you are doing a giveaway, so I truly don't understand why many do not reply.

Anyhow,  I do think that the cards mostly had a lighter wash, but can't say for sure that it was every single card. I just like the additional interest the texture give and think that would be nice sometimes. 

[CarefreeSadie]

I have the Strathmore 300 series watercolor paper which says it is 140 lb.  It has the dimples instead of the weave.  But I do have some from Michaels I think is where I got it called Nature's Touch and is also 140 lbs which does have that weave texture.  I think I purchased it in the kids craft section, but I am not sure.  The pads I have are 8 x 8 and 12 x 12.  The smaller one says $3.49 and the larger one says $5.99 and they each have 12 sheets of watercolor paper.  I just did a google search and the first picture of this watercolor paper is from Hobby Lobby.  So I guess I must have gotten it there, probably on sale at some point.

Here it is on Hobby Lobby website.  I can't find a picture of the paper itself but if you happen to have a Hobby Lobby you can go and look.  I looked at all the different brand names I have and this one is the only one with the weave type of texture almost like the old bazzil paper I still have a little bit of that I use for card bases. 

Maybe the way she put the paint on made it look like it has a weave texture on the paper but I just sat and looked at my Strathmore under different lights and I cannot see a weave pattern at all.  If you look at the first card in this post you can just barely see the weave.  This is Strathmore watercolor paper I used with colored pencils (didn't work very well)  but you can kind of see that weave in the paper.

What a bucket of worms.........

[howdyheidi]

Oh my goodness, sorry to be so much trouble.  Thanks for all this information.

You now, Sadie, I wonder if it could partly be a photography thing. I know that sometimes the photos I take show details that you cannot see so well in real life. 

I will be checking out those links!

[CarefreeSadie]

I didn't mean to imply you were any trouble at all, you just got me curious so I had to look at the watercolor paper I had just to see if the weave was there underneath the dimples.......LOL

[howdyheidi]

I asked another person about the paper I saw with similar lines and they were pretty sure it was the Ranger watercolor paper.  So yet another option I will take a look at when I am in th craft stores!

[Far North]

Yes, ranger's paper does have short deeply textured lines...but the lines are vertical But perhaps painting against the grain is how to get good results for highlighting the texture.