How To Make Watercolor Paper Not Curl

Addressing paper curl problems requires that we look to converting process and the very structure of paper to find why curl is occurring.
How to make watercolor paper not curl. You can also use a damp sponge. Every link in the production and logistics chain can make a difference. Smooth the paper down as flat as possible with your hands. For each of the approaches below if water soluble paint was used extreme care must be taken to make sure the water used to soften the back of the paper doesn t travel through the paper and dissolve the paint on the front side.
What are the simple solutions to prevent watercolor paper from curling. Spray or blot the back of the watercolor paper thoroughly with a spray bottle or sponge. This is my go to paper stretching method when i want to create a large painting. Instead of stapling or taping the wet paper to the board the paper is fastened through the use of the screws spaced around the metal frame see picture.
How to keep the watercolor paper flat after the painting is finished. I have never had a failure when stretching my paper with the watercolor board. However it is also a lot more expensive than thinner watercolor paper. Avoid wetting down the very edges of the paper unless there is a crease in that area.
Use as much water as it takes to make the paper relax and start to feel more like heavy stiff cloth than paper. Sometimes if i am painting a misty scene such as that in rising mist i will pre wet my paper because the colors are going to be pale in any case and all the edges in the sky will be soft. In this video i m going to talk about the top 5 dos dont s watercolor mistakes and how to avoid them. Mist the back of the paper with water using a fine mist.
As a beginner i didn t really want to invest a lot of money in high end paper just to practice my technique so i decided to keep looking. How to keep watercolor paper from warping. Do not pre wet watercolor paper if you want hard edge sections such as the white parts at the edge of some clouds. To prevent my watercolor paper from moving around and buckling i place my watercolor sheet of paper on a glass.
And it is very often the case that the lack of information is all pervasive. From how to blend watercolors evenly to how to avoid color bleeding. Logically it makes sense that heavy duty paper is less affected by water. Do not over wet.