Owning the best watercolor paper starts from picking the best watercolor pad, so it’s important for an artist to be armed with the right information to make a wise purchase. This guide has vetted the most popular watercolor pads on the market to bring you 10 amazing pads.
Page quality, sheet count, gsm value and pad size have been reviewed, so this list gives buyers the chance to get the best product for their needs. Let’s get started!
Comparison Watercolor Papers
| Products | Size: | Sheets: | GSM: | To Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad | 9″ x 12″in | 30 Sheets | 300 gsm | |
| 2. Arteza Watercolor Pad | 9″ x 12″in | 32 Sheets (Total 64 Sheets) | 300 gsm | |
| 3. Canson Artist Series Watercolor Pad | 5.5″ x 8.5″in | 20 Sheets | 300 gsm | |
| 4. Strathmor Watercolor Pad | 5″ x 7″in | 25 Sheets | 300 gsm | |
| 5. Arches Watercolor Pad | 9″ x 12″in | 20 Sheets | 300 gsm | |
| 6. Legion Paper Watercolor Pad | 11″ x 14″in | 10 Sheets | 200 gsm | |
| 7. Strathmore 300 Series Watercolor Pad | 9″ x 12″in | 24 Sheets | 300 gsm | |
| 8. Bellofy Watercolor Paper Pad | 9″ x 12″in | 50 Sheets | 190 gsm | |
| 9. Bee Paper Watercolor Paper Pad | 9″ x 12″in | 15 Sheets | 300 gsm | |
| 10. Art-n-Fly Watercolor Paper | 9″ x 12″in | 30 Sheets | 300 gsm |
10 Best Watercolor Paper for Illustration:
1. Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad
- Size: 9″ x 12″. Also available in 11″ x 14″, 12″ x 18″, and 18″ x 24″
- Paper Weight: 300 gsm (140 lb)
- Number of Sheets: 30 sheets
- Quality: Acid free to create long-lasting artworks
- Cold pressed for unique painting masterpieces
- Usable with a wide variety of coloring tools
- Good for use with watercolor, acrylic, inks and colored pencils.
Review
A low price and great paper quality makes this product ideal for new painters. Cold-pressed materials are the key to creating traditional watercolor paintings, so this painting book can let new painters begin watercolor painting correctly.
What Customers Are Saying
Aspiring painters and professional artists agreed that this product performed exceptionally. The product’s price as praised for being very affordable to almost every class of artist, and the watercolor pads were reported to be of good quality.
Some reviewers bought this item for school-aged children, for kids could create many well-designed paintings with the sheets. All in all, this product gets recommended as the best watercolor paper for illustration.
- Affordable entry-level watercolor pad
- Large pad size
- Professionals may need higher gsm-rated paper
Summary
This product is perfect for students and school-aged children looking to express themselves in watercolor paintings.
2. Arteza Watercolor Pad
- Size: 9″ x 12″in.
- Set: Pack of 2
- Paper Weight: 300-gsm paper for including many layers in your paintings
- Number of Sheets: 32 in each (Total 64 Sheets)
- Quality: 100% acid-free. Perfect for most wet & dry media.
- Two separate pads for organizing your creations
- Glue bound to easily tear out pages to showcase your work
Review
This pad is slightly more expensive than other watercolor painting books, but fantastic customer reviews showed that it is among the best watercolor paper for professionals.
What Customers Are Saying
This product was recommended for being a good purchase to make. Some reviews found that the watercolor pad did not live up to their expectations, but other reviews gave glowing comments. Some highly-detailed paintings may require multiple washings, so this paper might not work for everyone.
But one buyer praised the pad for blending a variety of colors very well. The pad is rated at 300 gsm, so most watercolor styles should be able to be used with this product.
- Thick paper for intensive projects
- Useful for teaching art students
- Price is slightly higher than other comparable pads
Summary
Some watercolor books will be more expensive than entry-level models, so this investment in paper quality should help professionals improve the quality of their art.
3. Canson Artist Series Watercolor Pad
- Size: 5.5″ x 8.5″ (Side Wire). You can also select: 5.5” x 8.5”(Top Wire), 9″ x 12″(Fold-over), 9″ x 12″(Side Wire), 9″ x 12″(Top Wire), 10″ x 15″(Side Wire), 15″ x 20″(Fold-over) and 18″ x 24″(Fold-over).
- Paper Weight: 300-gsm (140lb)
- Number of Sheets: 20 Sheets
- Quality: Acid-free. Rough-like surface for including unique textures in your art
- Smaller size for creating art while away from home
- Beginning-painting sheet included for getting started as a brand-new painter
Review
Even professionals need practice watercolor sheets, so this high-value pad is recommend for painters across the board. Standard watercolor techniques such as washing should result in minimal warping to draw great paintings.
What Customers Are Saying
Many buyers praised this product as best watercolor paper pad. The unit’s size was seen as being a useful to carry around without being too small for advanced artwork. Additionally, the pages had sufficient thickness to support vibrant colors.
The spiral design of the pad allowed buyers tear our their own drawings easily after painting as well. This painting book pleased many buyers who would buy it again.
- Useful, niche pad size
- Rated for multiple coats of color
- Unit’s size might be too small for some artists to use comfortably
Summary
Parents or teachers will find that this pad is perfect for their needs, for many sheets are provided to give children a lot of paper to practice painting.
4. Strathmor Watercolor Pad
- Size: 5″ x 7″
- Paper Weight: 300-gsm (140lb)
- Number of Sheets: 25 Sheets to create a wide variety of paintings
- Quality: acid free, and archival
- Made from 100% cotton to paint durable works of art
- Semi-rough surface to have paintings achieve unique looks
- Excellent surface strength for greater water hold out, improved color lifting, and blending.
Review
This pad is made from good watercolor paper, for its heavy-duty gsm value and sheet size make it ideal for everyone. Full-sized sheets are not always desirable, so having these smaller cuts may be useful for children, students and professionals.
What Customers Are Saying
This watercolor pad was a hit among buyers. New painters needed something inexpensive to draft practice sketches, and this product fit that criteria well. Another buyer reported that the pad’s cotton material made painting very enjoyable.
Although the pads are slightly smaller than standard size, customers didn’t feel that it impeded their ability to use it regularly throughout their day.
- Highly portable
- Excellent build quality
- Important artwork may be better painted on higher-quality pads
Summary
This pad is a great purchase, for a high number of sheets and affordability makes it useful for painters across the board.
5. Arches Watercolor Pad
- Size: 9″ x 12″
- Paper Weight: 300-gsm (140lb) cold press
- Number of Sheets: 20 sheets to have a steady supply of sketching pads available
- Quality: acid free, 100% cotton paper
- Can be used with other coloring tools to create unique images
- Block design to let you cut your own pages in the sketchbook
- Great for watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and airbrushing
Review
This pad is touted as the best paper to use for watercolor painting. Performance is the purpose of this product, so serious artists should look into this pad to create the best art possible.
What Customers Are Saying
Buyers loved this watercolor pad. Although the unit is sold as a block, painters didn’t feel that needing to cut out every page caused an inconvenience. The pad quality was the favorite part of many reviews, for some customers expressed that the cotton material was exceptionally phenomenal. One reviewer refused to purchase another brand of paper.
- High-grade pad quality
- Block-style binding
- One of the most expensive pads
Summary
Although it is much more expensive than similar pads, this watercolor book has the build quality to be used to create masterpieces.
6. Legion Paper Watercolor Pad
- Size: 11″ x 14″in.
- Paper Weight: 200 gsm for ultra-light looks
- Number of Sheets: 10 sheets
- Quality: This synthetic, tree-free paper is everlasting and non-absorbent.
- Extra large for dynamic watercolor paintings
- Smooth finish that is perfect for select styles of watercolor paintings
Review
This pad is ideal for new students and artists who want to broaden their painting horizons. The watercolor paper reviews for this product show that the sheets are not made from standard cotton materials, so paintings will come out a lot differently in this particular pad.
What Customers Are Saying
Artists tried this alternative watercolor paper and found that it was recommendable for outputting excellent colors.
Although it is not akin to typical watercolor paper, experienced professionals chimed in to state that this module a good choice for creating distinct artworks. Another buyer commented that mistakes are easy to correct with this pad, so new painters should enjoy working with it.
- A good pad for new and experienced painters
- Perfect for trying out new styles of painting
- May be expensive if ordered in bulk
Summary
Although the sheet count is slightly low, this pad should be bought to explore the limits of what a watercolor artist is capable of.
7. Strathmore 300 Series Watercolor Pad
- Size: 9″ x 12″in.
- Paper Weight: 300 gsm (140 lb)
- Number of Sheets: 24 sheets
- Quality: acid free to help preserve permanent work.
- Cold-pressed to let beginners start painting easily
- Spiral-bound to prevent accidental tears of pages
- Full sized to keep it as your main sketchbook
Review
The final painting pad on this list delivers watercolor painting paper that is ideal for intermediate painters. Once a few techniques are picked up, artists may find that they need paper that has great quality to take things to the next level. This pad offers many pages to paint at a great price.
What Customers Are Saying
Some buyers were conflicted about this product. A few felt that it was among the best purchases one could make for being affordable and having a high quality, but other shoppers didn’t feel that the pads performed too well in the long or short term.
In particular, a few reviewers felt that their paintings came out with defects despite doing everything well. A bad batch could have been sent to some buyers, for one reviewer noticed that they found the great value in this product.
- Affordable
- Many sheets included to save money in the long term
- Some shipping issues scared some buyers
Summary
Intermediate painters will find the best value in this product, and experienced artists may find that these pages will offer the excellent material for drafting practice sketches before creating a final version of their painting.
8. Bellofy Watercolor Paper Pad
- Size: 9″ x 12″in.
- Paper Weight: 190 gsm for light projects like practice sketches
- Number of Sheets: 50 sheets for creating a high number of watercolor paintings
- Quality: acid free paper
- Works with all watercolor paint and markers for sketching
- Anti-bleeding paper to keep unused pages from getting damaged
Review
Most pads on the market don’t have 50 sheets, so this module is unique for offering a high amount of pages to watercolor on. It is very affordable, so professionals who have many ideas will have a great time in putting all of their inspirations onto paper.
What Customers Are Saying
Being called one of the best watercolor sketchbook to practice on, this pad combined affordability with quality. Many new artists turned to this product as their first official watercolor pad, and many of them were pleased at the difference in painting on paper made specifically for watercolors.
One aspect that struck reviewers was the rough design of the paper, for their art grew distinctive features. Because of the many positive reviews, this watercolor book is highly recommended for aspiring painters to start painting on.
- Affordable
- Full sized to create large projects
- Some artists might find that 130-pound paper will be too light for supporting heavy paint
Summary
When quantity of sheets is the most important criteria in selecting a watercolor pad, this product has the sheet number and build quality to make it an excellent buy.
9. Bee Paper Watercolor Paper Pad
- Size: 9″ x 12″in.
- Paper Weight: 300-gsm/140 lb (Cold Press)
- Number of Sheets: 15 sheets
- Quality: Acid-free materials to frame your paintings without fear of decay
- Cold-pressed for making corrections to your art
- Standard-sized paper for creating watercolor paintings with many details
Review
This particular Bee watercolor paper is for artists who need a full-sized pad that can be carried around with them throughout the course of a day. It is light enough to take up a minimal amount of space in a travel bag, and the cold press paper is ideal for creating paintings from many washes.
What Customers Are Saying
This product was reported to be one of the best units in the market to use with watercolors, but a bad batch irked a few buyers. One reviewer noted that their product warped with minimal washes, and another customer stated that their paper was too smooth.
Customers who didn’t get faulty products reported that this paper was excellent for beginners and for advanced painters. The cotton build reportedly helped the product mix well with a variety of colors.
- Ideal size and gsm value to make it a great practice pad
- Cold-pressed for creating an iconic watercolor look
- Somewhat costly with only 15 sheets per pad
Summary
For professionals pressed for space, this pad will be ideal. Large sheets can capture a lot of detail, so watercolor enthusiasts might prefer this model over smaller-sized painting pads.
10. Art-n-Fly Watercolor Paper
- Size: 9″ x 12″in.
- Paper Weight: 300-gsm/140 lb (Cold Press)
- Number of Sheets: 30 sheets included to contain an entire art portfolio
- Quality: No-acid pages to keep artworks looking stunning over a long period of time
- Fold-over design for tearing out pages without risk of damage to the painting
- Also great for wet and dry techniques in gouache, acrylic painting.
Review
Art-n-Fly delivers good watercolor paper for beginners in this pad, for many sheets are included at an affordable price. Some experienced professionals might want more in a watercolor pad, but the quality of these sheets will give the majority of watercolor painters the material to create a lot of fantastic pieces of art.
What Customers Are Saying
Artists found that this pad was an excellent purchase to make for getting the most value in a watercolor pad.
The cotton in these papers let watercolor enthusiasts draft amazing pictures without breaking the bank, for over 30 sheets are included with every book.
One reviewer noted that their pad wasn’t excellent at first, but more time was given to the product caused them to change their opinion.
They found that this product was stellar for almost all types of projects, and they wanted to find other pads made from the same company.
- Excellent starter pad for budding painters
- Affordable
- A smaller pad might be needed for art students who do a lot of traveling
Summary
Art students learning various styles of watercolor painting may find that this pad will let them hone their skills and keep the their costs down.
Factors to Consider When Buying Best Watercolor Paper
What is watercolor paper, and why is it important to have? Watercolor pads are designed out of cotton materials to soak water-based paint, and these pages can handle being drenched repeatedly while an artist paints.
If you have never purchased watercolor pads, then the following considerations can get you started in finding your perfect painting book.
GSM Value
First-time buyers may wonder about the type of paper to use for watercolor painting. A 300 gsm value means that a watercolor page will be able to handle a lot of paint without wrinkling or tearing.
This 300 rating is the gold standard in the watercolor world, for most art can be accomplished with this level of durability.
Yet a 300 rating is not always needed. Deliberately choosing watercolor pads that are below 300 gsm can save you money, and this saved money can be spent on more paint or brushes.
Not all paintings need to have a lot of watercolor, so accommodating your style to use less paint is another option to maximize your funds.
Shop When the Price Is Right
The prices for different types of watercolor paper fluctuates wildly, so stocking up during a sale is a habit that many artists will find themselves doing. It might limit the ability to pick up a new style on any given day, but the savings from putting this habit into practice helps keep costs low in the long term.
Therefore, doing research on watercolor styles and equipment is crucial to save money, for an artist doing this will always pick up their equipment at the best possible time.
Practice Versus Final Versions
It may be useful to have different pads for separate purposes. Some pads give you a lot pages that are best used for practice sketches, while other books have extremely high-quality paper.
Having two pads will let you paint without having to worry over wasting expensive pages, and your high-quality pad can act as your portfolio.
Standard Pad Size
9 inches by 12 inches is the standard size for watercolor pads, but smaller versions may be better for capturing sudden inspirations. Not only do smaller-sized pads save you money, but a smaller painting may be completed more quickly.
If you’re an artist that loves to travel, having a small pad with you may give you the opportunity to create many paintings wherever you go.
Conclusion
It’s important to have watercolor paper when painting with watercolor, and any of these 10 pads can prove to be useful. However, the Canson XL Series watercolor pad is the most recommended pad book for new and experienced painters.
Many sheets are included at an affordable price, and the build quality is fantastic. Additionally, a high amount of sheets in a single pad will let painters showcase their art in a single portfolio. Make the choice today to invest in one of these painting pads today, for this ancient art style is extremely popular.
If you are experienced with watercolor, then picking a watercolor pad from this guide will let you select the module to suit your needs.
