Tuesday 26 April 2016

Watercolour Paper Review- Botanical Ultra Smooth


A review of the new Botanical Ultra Smooth paper from St Cuthberts Mill

Artist's hand painting Spanish lavender in watercolour using a sable brush on Botanical Ultra Smooth Paper

In recent months, watercolour paper has been a hot topic across social media. 

Many botanical artists, like myself, use the Fabriano Artistico Hot Press paper, and recent changes to the manufacturing process have left lots of artists feeling less than satisfied.  St. Cuthberts Mill, a British company, recently brought out two new papers, which they are marketing as an alternative- Saunders Waterford HP and the Botanical Ultra Smooth. 

So, when Jackson’s Art contacted me and asked me to try out the new Botanical Ultra Smooth for them, I immediately said yes. I haven't had any problems with the Fabriano Artistico myself, as I still have a reasonable stock of it, but like many, have been wondering what paper to get when I need to order more. There have been mixed reports about the Botanical Ultra Smooth (some good, some bad), so I was curious to see for myself just how this new paper performed.