The traditional specification (from the British Imperial system) has been the weight in pounds of a ream (500 sheets) of the paper. The shorter fibers and lint left attached to the seeds after ginning are culled by crushing and boiling the pulp in an alkali solution; the separated fibers are then washed and formed into soft, blotterlike sheets called cotton linters. The mold is an open rectangular frame slightly larger than the dimensions of the finished sheet, with a woven or laid wire screen stretched across the top. The ancient methods were to let the sheet dry in the mold, or to spread the sheet against a wall or on a board that was left to dry in the sun (the traditional method in Japan). Blocks transport well and are really ideal for field painting. Various chemicals, fillers and binders are added at this stage and the soup is energetically stirred in a vat, which may be as small as a bathtub or as large as a swimming pool. After the pulp has been thoroughly macerated, it is diluted with roughly nine times its bulk in water. Quality Designations of Paper. (Fabriano Uno papers also come in a soft pressed surface, with a finish midway between hot and cold pressed.). This is done by adding a sufficient amount of a base (such as calcium carbonate) to the paper furnish, creating papers that are usually designated pH neutral. The wood cellulose fibers used in paper have a natural yellow tint that is partially bleached out during manufacturing, giving the paper a warm but slightly dull finished color. Confusingly, this is often abbreviated to alpha cellulose in trade publications, where it still denotes cellulose derived from wood even though (as described above) alpha cellulose actually refers to "pure" cellulose of any origin. The super royal and USA "double elephant" sheets are close to 1 to 1.41; when a sheet in this ratio is torn in half across its width, the proportion of the half sheets is again 1 to 1.41. Handmade papers are also made with a mold, though not the cylindrical kind. Wood from domestic hardwoods (including eucalyptus) provides short fibers with good bulk; wood from coniferous softwoods (pine or cedar) provides longer fibers for paper strength. Want more? Alternative Fibers | American Legends | Cotton Paper | Handmade Paper | Japanese Paper | Oversize Papers | Thai Papers | Thick Papers, Scores of our papers started out as something other than a tree growing in a forst. kozo? Traditionally, the highest quality handmade or moldmade sheets were hung individually over poles or horsehair ropes in specially built lofts that encouraged a gentle flow of clean air (loft drying); this is still done today for the highest quality handmade or moldmade papers. Finally the bare sheet is run through a stack of heavy iron rollers (called a calender) that refines the surface texture. They are also almost 100% alpha cellulose, naturally white and already separated, which means little or no bleaching or chemical treatments are necessary. And texturing can also be produced with a brush charged with dry or thick paint lightly or quickly stroked over the surface: paint will only color the "peaks" of the paper, leaving sparkling white pinholes in the "valleys.". Papers are easier to tear or fold in the direction parallel to rather than across the grain. Well, not quite. In general, the sheets with a higher ratio of length to width (the antiquarian at 1.71, the double elephant at 1.52 and the half sheet at 1.47) are especially pleasing in landscape format for landscape paintings and reclining nudes or figure portraits, or in portrait format for standing nudes or figure portraits. As explained by Sylvie Turner, a freshly couched sheet of paper contains water trapped between and absorbed inside the cellulose fibers. Deckle edges are sometimes simulated in moldmade papers by cutting or trimming a larger sheet with a dull blade or jet of pressurized water, which produces a frayed, irregular edge. Under this rule, fine art or archival quality papers should have a neutral to alkaline pH (7.5 or greater), be made entirely of high alpha cellulose (containing less than 1% lignin) or preferably 100% "rag" fibers, contain a reserve of calcium carbonate or equivalent buffer of 2.0% or more of total pulp mass, and contain no optical brighteners. Larger sheets, up to 30' wide and 4' high, can be cut from watercolor paper rolls, and smaller sheets can be torn from any convenient sized larger sheet. In America, this was due largely to the influence of artist, papermaker and historian Dard Hunter (1883-1966), and to the preservationist efforts of small, exclusively handmaking mills such as Dieu Donn (New York), Larroque-Duchne (France), Twinrocker (Illinois), and St. Armand (Montral). The sheet drains in place, and when it is firm enough the deckle is removed and the couchman inverts the frame on a thin sheet of moist felt, dislodging or couching (pronounced "cooching") the paper onto the felt. Sizing. The lightest art papers are translucent, while the heaviest papers are as stiff as finely milled sheets of wood the rattle sounds as bright as sheet metal! The following weights are most common: I've added descriptive labels at left, and data on two lighter paper stocks, to give a sense for the relative significance of the different weights. (Cotton is probably the most familiar of the tree-free fibers, so much so that we gave cotton its own section.). The Arabs innovated the wire mold and standard paper sizes before papermaking entered Moorish Spain around 1036. The best way to learn about paper is to make some yourself! The water between the fibers can be mechanically pressed or blotted out, or evaporates early in the paper drying. So a sheet of 1114 lb. For example, the portion of plant material that does not dissolve in a moderate (18%) solution of sodium hydroxide at room temperature is termed alpha cellulose; the dissolved portion that solidifies (precipitates) when an acid is added to the solution is known as beta cellulose. And many artists I have spoken with respond to terms like "double elephant" with an amused or uncomprehending look. Prior to this time, most European books and illuminated documents were made on a thin calf's skin called vellum. Jacks got amenities youll actually use. Then use the side you prefer. The problem is finding a way to describe these differences. These sheets tend to regain their original cockles when rewetted. Cellulose is extracted from wood pulp using either mechanical or chemical methods. In handmade papers the watermark is usually created by a small copper wire image fixed to the wire screen of the mold (image at right); this creates a slight thinness in the pulp directly over the pattern, which appears as a more transparent area in the finished sheet. The quality of the paper is heavily dependent on the purity and alkalinity of the water. It is not usually possible to assess the furnish of a paper from its color alone. In addition, it's now believed that the more buffering there is in the paper the better, and an adequate calcium carbonate content can even protect against lignin degredation. In addition to these mechanical variations in surface texture, watercolor paper is also chemically treated to alter its absorbency. As a result the wire side became the "right" side to use. (The label can also refer to papers made with a cotton and linen mix.) The watermark is a visible mark in the sheet, usually the name or an identifying symbol of the paper manufacturer, most easily seen by holding the sheet up to the light. These (and the mealy or pulpy variations in the sheet thickness and texture) create a unique material artifact, a presence that is very attractive in paintings that emphasize the object's surface rather than a representational illusion. But we hope you decide to come check us out. The variety and novelty of handmade papers has increased, part of a resurgence of interest in the papermaking craft. (The imperial equivalent weight is still used to describe the paper used in watercolor blocks, for example.) common watercolor paper formats in theimperial system. These add qualities of external sizing to a sheet but gelatin sized sheets are preferred by many artists and gelatin usually mentioned by name whenever it is used. Some residual lignin and chemicals remain in chemically extracted wood cellulose, which cause embrittlement and acidification over time. Dollars per inch, rolls are usually the most economical form of paper packaging, which makes them good for classroom use (a single roll can be cut or torn into smaller sheets). About 80 sheets of handmade paper can be shaken and couched in an hour; drying can take days or weeks. Slit one side of the wrapping to pull out individual sheets, but leave the rest in the wrapping to protect the papers against moisture and dirt. This hand spreading of the pulp imparts many tiny variations to the paper surface and a slightly irregular thickness to the sheet, especially along the edges where excess pulp is cast away. Types of Cellulose. Blocked sheets also do not have deckle edges, though these can be simulated by tearing after the painting is finished. The best mills are always located near copious fresh water supplies, and frequently refresh the water in use. Because these sheets have been allowed to dry slowly, the gradual shrinkage of the cellulose fibers can balance out across the entire sheet, which produces a puckering around naturally occurring irregularities in the pulp that results in a unique, minutely pebbled finish. Acidic papers such as newsprint can embrittle and discolor in a very short time, can degrade acid sensitive pigments such as ultramarine blue, and can release acidic vapors that will degrade papers or mats placed next to them. Unfortunately larger sheets can make this measure confusing if not useless, because these are also measured by the ream in their actual dimensions rather than scaled to approximate the imperial size. The last trick is to use the sketchbook. A sheet of paper is basically a thin mat of tangled cellulose fibers. The sheets with lower ratios (the royal at 1.25 and the demi at 1.29) are more effective in portrait orientation for bust or head portraits and in landscape orientation for still lifes. Watercolor papers are supplied in three types of finish or surface texture: rough, cold pressed, and hot pressed. The grade or quality of cellulose is determined by how much of the plant material dissolves in different chemical solutions. They did this because 19th century papermakers would sometimes shave away lint or clumps of pulp that protruded on the felt side of the sheet, and these cuts damaged the finish and surface sizing and would show up under washes. (Waterleaf papers are unsized.). Neutralizing an acidic pulp is separate from the practice at paper mills of adding the neutralizing chemical to create an alkali reserve that counteracts any acidic pollutants the papers may be exposed to in the future from the painting process, cheap mat boards, or the atmosphere. To counteract this, many paper brands add a "bluing" agent to the paper, which nowadays are ultraviolet dyes that absorb UV light and fluoresce in the visible (violet and blue) wavelengths. In general the largest blocks are the most economically priced, pound for pound. However, acidic chemicals had to be added to the pulp to bind the rosin to the cellulose, and all rosins yellow with age. This gives the sheet a uniform texture in all dimensions, whether it is rough or smooth. All newsprint and most magazine papers are made from wood that has been mechanically pulverized to the desired consistency, a process called mechanical pulping. More often, a half dozen or so sheets of paper are gathered in spurs that are hung vertically or laid horizontally on racks or stretched canvas tarps (called "sails"), which tends to produce a slightly smoother finish. All the art suppliers I know of list watercolor sheets by actual dimensions rather than by the Imperial standard names. The imperial or full sheet (22" x 30") was taken as the standard size to define the weight of smaller sheets, as smaller sheets were typically torn from it. There is incidentally no reason at all to discard a sheet if you've botched a painting on the wire side, because both sides are usable: just flip the paper over, whistle a happy tune, and get cracking. The label "100% cotton" by itself is no assurance either way, as recycled fabrics may be harshly bleached before use in paper pulp. These papers are especially suited to painting styles that want to accent the watery irregularities of the paint, or styles (such as botanical illustration) where precise pen and ink outlines or drawings, or fine brush textures, are essential to the desired effect. Sylvie Turner comments that one reason for the enduring popularity of the Imperial sizes is that they seem ideally suited for handmade production methods in papermaking, painting and printing rather than machine production. And so on. Linters are commonly used in the production of cellulose derived chemicals, but if washed they are also used in the manufacture of paper. The Finish. To make matters worse, the rubber roller used to emboss the watermark on moldmade sheets may be placed on the felt side (above the web), not on the wire side, so you cannot use the watermark indentation as a reliable guide. Cellulose fibers expand in width when wet, which causes machinemade papers to return to the curl of the mold cylinder that made them, or to produce cockles that lie in parallel ribs; in most moldmade and all handmade papers, the pattern of cockling is random. The vatman dips the entire frame into the pulp vat and by "throwing the weave" sloshes any excess pulp off the mold, then spreads the pulp into an even sheet by gentle horizontal shaking. Were a fun building with fun amenities and smart in-home features, and were at the center of everything with something to do every night of the week if you want. As machine manufacture became dominant in the 19th century, the deckle acquired a crafts cachet. In fact, an alkali reserve added to acid free paper is a good thing and is mandated by many archival standards. Usually the processes of pounding and mixing the pulp are also done by hand. (Only the USA "single elephant" sheet is close to the "golden section" dimensions of 1 to 1.618.). The pulp adheres to the rotating cylinders in a continuous thin sheet. This chopmark is usually small and placed unobtrusively along the margin of the sheet, as watercolor paints will not cover it. They can assume the importance and personal value of a diary or an experimental journal. The finish is affected both by the mold screen and the texture of the felts or rollers used (or not used) in drying the paper. Watercolor rolls are typically about 10 yards long and, depending on manufacturer, come in widths from about 40" up to about 60". A 43" wide 10 yard roll of 300 GSM paper costs anywhere from US$30 to US$100, depending on the manufacturer. In fact, the amount of cotton cellulose in rag paper may be anywhere from 100% to as little as 20%! A large amount of water is required to manufacture paper. These include using a mechanical press to express water from a post or very large stack of paper sheets alternating with thin felts, or calendering the paper web between heated metal rollers. From Spain, paper mills were established in Fabriano, Italy around 1270, in Germany by 1320, and in England in 1495. Cotton cellulose is up to 10 times stronger than wood cellulose and naturally lignin free and acid free. The wire side usually faces toward the spool, which means the edges should curl downwards if you want to paint on the felt side. Sketchbooks or sketch pads are one of the most valuable tools you will buy. Bamboo, cork, cotton, hemp, mulberry, jute and kozo are just some of the options available to you. Handmade papers will usually have a deckle edge on all four sides, a feathery thinning of the sheet caused when small amounts of pulp flow between the mold and deckle. But some manufacturers especially in England place the watermark or chop to read correctly from the wire side, which makes the manufacturer lettering less obtrusive to the eye. Textures often differ between the two sides; the quality and amount of difference depends on the type of papermaking machine, the quality of the pulp, and the drying process. Chinese papermaking techniques migrated along the Asian silk routes in the 8th century CE, reaching Samarkind in 751 and Arab northern Africa shortly after. Papers made from 100% cotton, 100% linen, or pure cotton/linen rag are all suitable for artistic use. Many seasoned artists and art dealers swear the quality of most watercolor papers has declined noticeably since the 1960's, and some attribute it to a reduction in the linen content. Come inside to our Social Lounge where the Seattle Freeze is just a myth and youll actually want to hang. 212.683.6990 info@legionpaper.com. Take Mulberry fibers, for example. This dictates continuous innovation in manufacturing processes, recycling and productivity, which will only increase the diversity and complexity of modern paper stocks. The first true sheets of paper are said to have been the experimental papers made with a variety of materials bark, hemp, rag and fishnet pulp by the Chinese court eunuch Ts'ai Lun in 105CE. The term rag paper only means that some rag content is included in the paper, often mixed with linters or wood cellulose. Today many watercolor painters retain it as the sign of a handmade product. You dont know #Jack yet. Moldmade papers are pressed between rough felts on the paper machine as the first step in drying, which embosses the roughness of the felt fabric into the wet sheet. After two or more weeks of drying, the papers are stacked under weighted boards and allowed to stretch out flat. For example, I have before me two sheets of Arches CP 640GSM watercolor paper: in the full sheet (22" x30") the watermark "reads right" from the felt side (opposite the watermark embossing), while in the double elephant sheet (30" x 40") the watermark "reads right" from the wire side! Alpha cellulose is the most stable and permanent part of extracted plant material. This is usually less economical than ordering a larger number of individual sheets. The new and improved metric method is to measure the weight (in grams) of a single sheet of paper calculated to be exactly one meter square (grams per square meter or GSM). Acidity of Paper. This pounding bruises, cuts, folds and tangles the fibers in ways that alter the finished paper's character. There are many alternative fiber papers available to those willing to step out of the box. Thank U, Next. The beautifully proportioned imperial sheet or full sheet (22" x 30", a ratio of 1.36) strikes a balance between those two extremes, and it has been the standard large format watercolor for almost two centuries. Thoroughly rinsing away all the chemicals used to pulp and bleach wood cellulose requires a significant amount of water, so pulp mills reduce water demand by chemically neutralizing the pulp during the final steps of manufacture. For this reason, wood pulp ("alpha cellulose") papers should generally be avoided for archival or museum quality artwork. New York|Los Angeles Many are made from highly renewable plants, some of which sound exotic (jute? However, if a juicy wash solution is applied thickly and the sheet is "rocked" or swirled slightly, the pigment will settle into the hollows of the paper, creating one of the most characteristic, expressive watercolor pigment textures. No more vacant rooftops and lifeless lounges not here in Capitol Hill. Just think of us as this new building thats been here forever. This cold pressing gives the sheet a subdued texture that is relatively easy to use, can tolerate a certain amount of corrections or lifting, and is congenial to almost any style of painting. These are a little pricey ($45 for a 48 page 8"x12") but well worth it: bound in durable, natural (beige) linen covers with dark green endpapers, the Arches CP 300 GSM text laid paper is a receptive, resilient ivory surface for pencil, pen or watercolor sketching. Moldmade papers often have two genuine deckles on the long sides of the web, and smaller imitation deckle edges on the short sides where the sheet has been cut lengthwise from the web. In addition, burning a small piece of your watercolor paper can be revealing. The ideal paper should last for centuries under normal storage conditions, and papers that can meet this standard are referred to as archival quality. Some artists prefer to paint on these smaller torn formats, as the tear makes an interesting contrast to the deckle. Traditionally this was done by pounding the pulp in a stone trough with a large wooden pile or hammer; modern shops use a Hollander beater. A typical 20 sheet block of 10" x 14" 300 GSM paper costs about US$20. The more primitive laid texture results when the screen is formed of closely spaced parallel wires that are held in place by more widely spaced transverse wires (or crosswires) woven between them (image right); this gives the sheet a characteristic ribbed or corduroy appearance. Some manufacturing methods will align the paper fibers in the same direction, and these biases form the grain of the paper. However, on one side of the sheet the watermark will appear as a shallow embossing or indentation in the paper surface: that is usually the wire side. The watermark orientation varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, sometimes even within the same manufacturer. Several different designations are used to describe the quality of cellulose in paper, and these can be somewhat misleading. In the manufacture of machinemade papers and mass printing trades, a new metric system is now standard, based on the A0 sheet (84 x 119cm, or 33" x 47", a ratio of 1 to 1.41) and successive half sheets from it (designated A1, A2, A3, etc. However, this is a matter of taste: throughout the 19th and much of the 20th century, painters considered the deckle a manufacturing defect and always trimmed it away, usually when cutting the sheet from the board on which the paper had been stretched for painting. Smaller sheets are often created by tearing the full sheet across its width to produce the half sheet (15" x 22"), and if needed torn again to produce the quarter sheet (11" x 15"). Since then artists have referred to paper sheets by the Imperial standard names: To assist your visualization of the various sizes and proportions, the dimensions of these sheets are shown below. Internal sizing is added to the paper pulp before the sheet is formed and chemically bonds to the paper fibers. I enthusiastically pass on David Dewey's recommendation of the NY Central Art Supply custom sketchbooks. External sizing is applied to the surface of the finished sheet of paper after it has dried, sometimes by dipping the entire sheet into a tub of sizing solution (known as tub sizing). By far the most common source of cellulose in machinemade papers is wood pulp. The ratio of long to short dimensions in watercolor sheets varies widely. Gresham's law ensures that "rag paper" is therefore almost always of lower cotton content than 100% cotton, though this quality difference may not be noticeable or important for artistic uses. The Deckle. The fibers are taken from the bark of a living mulberry tree that continues to grow well after youve turned it into an invitation or block print. It's worth your time to find a really good art store with a large selection: go there and browse until you find something that genuinely appeals to you.

Sitemap 21