Arches Watercolor Block, Cold Press 9X12

Great paper. Too bad it has the black binding around the edges of each sheet. . Of course if you frame your work the black binding wont be visible. And if you work VERY hard, maybe you can get the black binding off. . . . . It was beyond me though!

This block is an excellent price being sold here on Amazon. In stores they are almost doubled in price. Cutting out the middle man is in dead worth it. I love blocks for a couple of reasons. First is that the stretching of paper or taping is eliminated. Just flip back the cover and youre ready to go. But the other thing I like is that there is a protective page inside the cover that protects the first piece of paper and this way you wont have to worry about fingerprints and oils from hands ruining that piece by causing a resist of watercolor. I cant tell you how many times I purchased a pad of paper in a store and people handle the pages ruining it for me. I have stopped buying books in stores because of this. But if you must, then choose from underneath the stack! You may have better luck that way. The tooth on this paper is perfect. Not too rough but just right allowing fabulous results with dry brushing. I ordinarily use these blocks for paintings, not for exercises. I use my Strathmore 400 series for that. When I can afford to order nothing but arches I will. Beginning with buying full sheets to cut down. Absorbency on arches is great. Colors that sit on top stay on top and others that absorb and spread, do it well. In watercolor painting, Arches paper is considered one of the most popular papers used among watercolor artists. There are also other brands out there that are excellent but I havent tried them yet. I may in the future. Arches is the only favorite I know. But if you cant afford it make sure you always buy 140lb 300gsm or higher paper. Cold press is the norm for watercolor. Hot press is used in certain circumstances but if youre starting out, you need to read labels and do not buy 90lb paper for watercolor. You will hate this style of painting and wonder how anyone does it. Artists dont use 90 lb in watercolor. If you have never used a block, it is very easy. It has the gummy stuff you see on tablets of paper all the way around it except for a little over an inch. You can take a sharp non serrated knife or exacto and cut carefully around to remove that page after it has completely dried. Be careful when cutting. I always am my blade slightly downward into the stack to prevent cutting the edge of my painting.

I ordered this book of paper for my son. He loves it. Its the only kind of paper he uses. He is a tattoo artist and uses it to draw his flash on.

The quality is good, but the only thing made me wonder was that I did not see the arches watermark anywhere. I am not sure if Arches is still watermark its 140lb CP block.

Just what I needed! Perfect for painting!

Wow- my first good paper- what a difference. good price.

Watercolor artists love Arches watercolor blocks. I am so glad Amazon has them. I do watercolor painting a lot and I wont buy any other watercolor paper besides Arches.

Way overpriced

this is the best paper out there, for watercoloring, on a block.

Its crazy; Ive used Strathmore before and its very nice but then my friend gave me a piece of this paper. Just the look of it is amazing; the texture is wonderful and it feels great and thick. The color looks brilliant on it, even with cheaper paints. Now strathmore is for my fun small projects and this paper is for my big ones.