Why should you stretch the paper before painting? Have you ever wondered about the benefits of stretching watercolor paper? Many years ago, when I started to practice watercolor painting, I had very bad experiences painting without stretching the paper; so I understood its importance.
Before becoming a watercolor artist, you need to learn how to stretch your own watercolor papers to be able to work effectively. This article will show you how to get the necessary materials and properly stretch the paper.
If you don’t know how to stretch watercolor paper? This post is for you where you will be guided step by step to stretch your watercolor paper. Get Go!
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Why you should stretch your watercolor paper ?
The characteristic of paper made from cotton or wood pulp is that it expands when wet and shrinks when dry, after this process the paper becomes warped and makes it difficult for the artist to paint. Small-size paper can usually return to its original shape, but large-size and weight less than 140 pounds (300 g) will wrinkle and warp due to water moisture.
Do you know? Wood pulp papers tend to warp more than cotton papers.
Paper warping while painting makes it difficult to perform your techniques or even destroy your watercolor painting. Paper is usually stretched on a smooth and hard surface made from plastic, and industrial wood; in addition, the frame of the canvas is also used.Â
The size of these boards should be slightly larger than the size of the paper to allow the application of the tape.
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Moisten the paper by covering the entire surface of the paper with a flat brush soaked in clean water.
How to Stretch Watercolor Paper
1. Wetting the watercolor paper
First, the paper needs to be moistened with cold water so that the paper fibers expand (why cold water, because hot water will damage your paper). There are 2 common ways to wet watercolor paper that watercolor artists often use:
- Soak the entire sheet of paper in the water and keep it in the tray for a few minutes until the water is evenly coated on the entire paper.
- The second way is to use a large flat brush soaked in water or a spray bottle to wet the paper.
Different watercolor artists will work on surfaces with different moisture levels related to their habits.
Some artists select to work on a completely dry surface of the paper after stretching it. There are also people who just wet the paper on the back side, then stretch it and paint only on the dry surface. Besides, artists start painting when the paper is still wet and only retain the right moisture.
2. Flattening the paper
Put the wet paper on the board and smooth it out by running your hand over the paper from the center outwards, this will help you to remove any excess water from the paper.
3. Fix the paper to the support
For very wet paper, you need to use gummed tape because only it can stick to the wet surface. It needs to be moistened before use.
Gummed tape is used on all four sides of the paper to stick the paper onto the board. When gluing paper to the holder, be careful to keep the tape parallel to the edge of the paper. If not, when you remove the tape, the painted edges will not align with the border of the paper; and you have to trim the contours to fix it.
With this type of tape, you need to cut around the edge with a knife to remove the tape. Besides, the tape can be moistened before removing it from the paper; if not, the paper will be torn.
Moisten the adhesive side of the tape with water, stretch the tape side out, and press the tape with a flat brush loaded with water.
Next, fix the 2 lengths of the watercolor paper, next do the same with its 2 widths.
Note: Masking tape cannot stick to wet paper, it only works when the paper is moistened only on the backside. The masking tape is easy to peel off and it creates a white border around a watercolor painting.
Other Way to Stretch Watercolor Paper
Your paper can also be stretched across the board using thumbtacks or Stapler guns to hold it in place. Note that the size of the paper must be larger than the board, and the edges of the paper must be carefully folded across the board, especially at the corners.
You can take the paper by cutting or removing the staples. Paper can also be strung on a frame. The stretching process is the same, but keep in mind that you can’t press hard on the paper because there’s no liner in the middle.
Both of these methods leave no white border around the painting.