When you soak the paper it expands. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Blocks can however be very practical for plein air work. The process involves soaking the paper to expand the fibres, attaching it to a rigid board and allowing it to dry and shrink to become taut. There are a lot of tutorials and videos on the subject, but I want to take you through my many, many mistakes—ones that you can avoid—as well as teaching you how to stretch your watercolour paper. Plus as a bonus, I’ll even suggest how you can avoid stretching paper altogether ! But there’s also another interesting and useful consequence of paper stretching. You're welcome to follow along... Read more About Me... * My articles may contain the occasional affiliate link, which can help me earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. But in my tests this method does not work ! The board will help distribute the weight across the paper surface but try to spread the weights out evenly. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. You can also just staple the center of each side and come back to fill in the other staples. In reality this seems to depend on the method you use for stretching, but also how well the paper is fastened down. Some artists recommend putting candle wax into the grooves beforehand so that paper removal is easier. Check for air bubbles while taping. But even watercolor paper expands when it becomes wet. Watercolor blocks are a stack of sheets that are bound together with thick adhesive around all four sides. Repeat the process until the paper is fully soaked. This leaves room for taping the paper to the board. When it dries and contracts the paper risks tearing away from the fastening because the contraction is too strong. The first step in paper stretching is soaking the paper. How To Stretch Watercolour Paper: Paper expands when it is soaked in water. Handmade air dried sheets tend to cockle less and in random way which is evenly distributed over the whole sheet. Be very careful if you try this method because there’s a real risk that you’ll burn the paper, so use a low heat setting. Soaking with a spray bottle, sponge, or large brush. 640 gsm paper is thick enough to resist warping even for wet on wet techniques. When stretching wet paper, be sure the frame is at least 2 inches smaller than the paper … The average time for soaking with 300 gsm paper is at least 5 minutes. About 5 to 10 minutes of soaking is usually about all you need. When watercolor paper absorbs liquid, it buckles and deforms, leaving ridges and depressions which make paint flow difficult to control. The paint will stay flat since you have emerged the piece of watercolor paper in the water already. You need to soak your paper just the right amount of time or you can run into problems later. Just like the last method, use force but don’t soak up all the water. I show you how to stretch watercolour paper in the traditional way and also another way to stretch a small piece of paper with one of my actual illustrations. Indeed, some watercolor artists invent ingenious ways to prepare their paper. Tape the paper down on all four sides, starting with two opposite sides. A lot of artists will warn you against using a hairdryer to dry the paper. Commercial watercolor paper is also treated to alter its absorbency and improve its handling. This allows the paper to expand fully. Some good materials to use for stretching boards include: Marine grade plywood (A good choice if you prefer something solid. So it would be a good method if you’re in a hurry. If you’re using single sheets you can tell which is the front side by looking at the watermark. Copyright text 2020 by Watercolor Affair. Dampen the back of the watercolor painting using a water spray bottle. So stretching is designed to eliminate the problem of cockling. Make sure the surface is smooth and consider painting it with an acrylic primer to make the surface less porous. Board: This is the most common way of stretching paper and spruce drawing boards (draughtsmen’s boards) are the best because they are hard wearing and durable. Gummed tape is a better option than masking tape. Why, you ask, do I need to stretch my watercolor paper? So you’ve found the perfect watercolor paper for your next project. Additional Tips On how to stretch watercolor paper. This kind of fixing is good most of the time, but to be safe it's a good idea to add some staples to reinforce the fixing. Then – wet your paper with a large 2in soft brush and allow it to dry before painting directly onto the board. Like a lot of watercolorists, I use Arches watercolor paper for a lot of my work. To stretch the paper you need to fasten the soaked sheet to a smooth flat rigid surface. You may need to use a hammer to force the rubber back in place, which adds a good amount of additional tension. This is not what I call paper stretching. Another popular method is with staples, but I recommend you use a heavy duty stapler. You can put your prepared board onto a light box or up against a window. This method is very efficient but pricey. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. Go over the paper a couple of times to make sure the whole surface is dampened. 24 hours is a good average but you should test the paper to check if it still seems cold or damp before using it. To stretch your board this way – simple placing your watercolor paper – flat against a wooden board and taping all the edges down with masking tape. 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