Stretching watercolour paper onto a board prior to a watercolour painting session is a practice that helps to keep your paper flat once the painting is dry. Paper stretching is a process of intentionally saturating the paper with water so that it expands fully, and then taping it to a board so that as the water evaporates again, the sheet is held taut against the board. If you do not prepare your watercolour paper in this way, it can become wavy once it is fully dry, an effect usually called buckling or cockling. This is caused by an uneven wetting of the paper as watercolour paint is applied to it during the painting process. Where the paper is wet it will expand to soak the water up and then contract as it dries, but as this happens at differing rates across the paper the buckling effect occurs, causing this irregularity.
This film is a step-by-step guide to stretching watercolour paper successfully, guaranteeing a flat watercolour painting that allows you an unhindered appreciation of the painting itself every time.
Contents – A Guide To Stretching Watercolour Paper
0:00 Introduction
0:17 Why You Should Stretch Your Watercolour Paper
1:02 What You Need To Stretch Paper
2:28 Before Stretching Watercolour Paper
2:56 Soaking The Paper
3:50 Placing The Soaked Paper On The Board
4:30 How To Apply Gumstrip To The Edges Of Your Paper
7:33 Painting On Stretched Watercolour Paper
8:19 How To Remove Your Paper From The Board
9:22 Removing Used Gumstrip From The Board
10:00 Summary
10:37 Credits
Further Reading
Stretching Watercolour Paper (Step By Step Instructions)
A Guide to Watercolour Painting
On Location at St Cuthberts Paper Mill
Shop Watercolour Paper on jacksonsart.com
18 Comments
Awesome, thank you so much for this
explanation of paper stretching.
Thank you Chris!
I have to disagree with much of what
Lisa has demonstrated in your video. I
have demonstrated watercolour painting
for many years and a novice would really
struggle to successfully perform this
tricky operation in the way she
describes.
Hi Peter
Thanks for your comment. I’m sorry to hear you don’t agree with my advice in the film. What parts in particular do you disagree with and what alternative suggestions would you make?
I too teach watercolour and have found this method works for my students, but it’s always useful to hear of other methods.
Many thanks
Lisa
Really helpful! Concise, clear and
detailed- thank you Lisa!
Thanks for watching Nigel, and for your kind comment!
So helpful! I thought I knew how to do it but
now I understand several way I was going
wrong. I also really like her delivery of these
short demonstrations.
Thank you for your kind comments, Carol!
THIS MESSAGE WAS VERY USEFULL I WANT TO THANK YOU
SINCERELY NICHOLAS M. HADJITHEODOROU- VISUAL ARTIST.
Thank you, Nicholas!
How do you remove the gum strip from the
finished watercolour?
Hi Caroline
Unfortunately because the gumstrip is not rewettable it’s very difficult to remove from the paper. Instead its better to either use a window mount when framing to conceal the edges where the gumstrip is, or cut the edges of the painting off.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes
Lisa
Hi Lisa, thanks for this – very helpful to see it
done by an expert. It’s probably the best way
to handle large sheets. How do feel about
painter’s masking tape on smaller dry paper
before the soaking?
Hi Peter
Thanks for your comment and question. Just to clarify on what you are asking, are you asking how I feel about simply using masking tape to fix smaller pieces of paper to a board without soaking it? Just want to make sure I understand the question before I answer!
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi Lisa, that is
basically how I
personally,stretch
my Watercolour
Paper,and the only
downside,is as you
say, the remaining
Brown glue paper
around the
edges,which as you
have stated,can be
covered with a
Window
Mount,before finally
Framing, excellent
advice to the
newbies
Thanks so much John!
It was a pleasure to watch this video. Keep
up the beautiful work you do for the
community.
Thanks Albert!