ART BASICS - PAPER

I have decided to launch a series of primers on the supplies which artists use. It is not ALL smoke and mirrors…

You will find out some ”inside secrets” about PAPERS that artists use.

But, first, a short commercial:

See this link: http://www.paperloop.com/ This shows you that paper is more than that sheet of lined notebook paper you wrote on recently, and more than the sheets you feed into the tray of your computer’s printer.

The world markets for paper are huge.

Paper is one of my passions. Artists draw on it, paint on it, print on it, even sew on it!

In school, I didn’t have enough money to spend on good sheets, but that didn’t keep me from lusting after it!

And then, when I took my first printmaking class, I had a good indoctrination. And we were required to use good paper. The old pads of newsprint became repulsive to me. I have never liked their tooth anyway. The sound of a charcoal stick being used on newsprint is grating to me, something like fingernails scraping on a blackboard.

At the university, I don’t remember that watercolor painting was offered, but I had done some watercolor painting in high school, and Mrs. Aupperle taught us how to stretch the special paper and then re-wet it for wet-into-wet effects. Tape it down to the board, paint,and wait for it to dry, then carefully cut it away from the board with a single-edge razor blade. I knew I really enjoyed the properties of paper, but it was just the beginning.

I refer again to watercolor artist John Lovett, somewhere in Australia. http://www.johnlovett.com

A lot of the supplies which John uses are available in Australia, but maybe not elsewhere. Winsor & Newton is all over, however.

Here we go to probably the oldest paper making company in the western world, Fabriano, in Italy. Since the 1200s!

Fabriano paper: A comprehensive history of this paper company and a virtual catalog of all their papers. Read through this for terminology and terrific explanations. http://www.savoir-faire.com/html/1bodyfa...

and different types of paper that they make: http://www.savoir-faire.com/html/1bodyfa...

writing, calligraphy papers: http://www.savoir-faire.com/html/1bodyfa...

I use Fabriano when I am expecting the piece to be exceptionally wonderful. I have a lot of it in my flat files.

And now for a major French entry, D’Arches, often shortened to just “Arches.”

D’Arches paper: http://www.framingsupplies.com/ArtSuppli...

(I have to use the best links I can find, and sometimes they are under the auspices of art supply houses.)

I use a lot of Arches “cover” in printmaking. It is a lovely sheet.

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