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.

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.

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.”

(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.

The workingman’s sheet. I kind of think of Strathmore as the blue collar worker of paper. That is not to denigrate it, but I seldom use it for serious really work. It is quite inexpensive and excellent for sketching, student work, pieces that you don’t expect to last for a long time. A lot of it is made of pulp or high percentages of pulp, and a lot of it is not acid-free. It yellows and gets brittle, but I am talking about after some forty years, here… I have used it since I was in junior high school! Strathmore is now owned by Internatinal Paper, so is not the friendly little company it used to be. And art paper is a small segment of their market.

And the chart of “Elements” is funny and quite beautiful. Check it out. Navigation is confusing, but you can get around.

And another American company: (I get the feeling that this outfit is small.) For making your own paper, Twin Rocker has supplies here for the general public to make sheets and sculptures.

About fifteen years ago, I drove over one hundred miles to get some linters so I could make my own paper. It was the closest location I could find that had them. I'm glad that has changed!

This paper is so heavy it is rigid in its small sizes. It is so flexible when wet that it can be deeply embossed, without showing a sign of weakness. Specialty paper. Fun to use. I have quite a few of their tiny sheets to experiment with.

I am not endorsing Dan’l Smith here, but I have gone through them for years by mail order, especially for the wonderfully informative catalogs they have. I have a collection now that goes back many years. I must say that I have not been nearly so happy with their online presence, and have let them know about that! Little by little, they are making it more user-friendly. But the catalogs are printed on paper...

Dan Smith started out as a printmaker, and began making his own inks many years ago. That is just before I found out about him and his then tiny company. Remember, I have been at this for… never mind!

By the way, although we learn about papyrus as little kids, do not discount the role of the Chinese in making paper. It is another complete history in itself!