Another Paper Test!

11:10 AM

Accordion Fold Journal -
Canson Edition Watercolor Paper
Thanks to Ann at BlueBird Hill and Pam at South Carolina Low Country blogs, I have a new paper to play with and the first results are posted above! Ann and Pam both highly endorsed Canson Edition Watercolor paper and as luck would have it, the art store had two pieces in the 140 lb. weight left. I told them to stick my name on them, I was on my way!
First four panels with the "cover" still blank
I picked up the paper late on Saturday and torn it down for a journal that evening. I had a scrap that was a little over 2 inches (5.08 cm) wide and 22 inches (55.88 cm) long. I created an accordion fold with 8 panels. The images I painted are random things that cropped up over the weekend. Wildflowers, a new mug (which you saw yesterday), more flowers, a slice of cake (which you saw yesterday) and some tomatoes from an outdoor market we went to on Monday.
Close up of middle panels
Results: the paper folds well with no cracking. Again, it seems the pigment sits up on the surface of the paper with little seeping into the fibers as I was able to remove color with little trouble. The colors are very vibrant on the paper and this may be part of the reason! Corrections were easy as it allowed me to erase with little or no trouble. I still want to test it a little further though.
End of the journal with final panel blank
If you purchase this paper, you will notice a definite, marked difference in the textures between the front and back of the sheet. It isn't something that will bother me as I don't paint across the page that often, and I like the idea of having a rougher texture for some subjects. The decision will have to be made to either work in page/date order or to skip around if you want to choose the best paper surface for the current subject matter. Since my journals always tend to be a little erratic anyway, this hasn't proven to be an issue yet!

I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with this "scrap" journal and I highly recommend this type of "play" if you are testing out a new paper—it provides spontaneity without the usual threat of a brand new journal to "break in." I hope to have the sketchbook/journal put together later today and I'll post it tomorrow if it is done in time! As I continue to test out the papers (Stonehenge and Canson), I'll post the info here.

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15 Creative Thought(s)

  1. AnnSeptember 8, 2010 at 1:52 PM

    I am glad you are enjoying the Canson Edition paper. Your watercolors look great on it! When I make my journals, I orient the paper so that the same texture is always on facing pages, and that works out fine for me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lisa at GreenbowSeptember 8, 2010 at 2:42 PM

    Interesting. I haven't seen this paper around. Of course I don't get out to shop much though.

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  3. Laure FerlitaSeptember 8, 2010 at 2:47 PM

    Thanks for the tip on the orientation, Ann!

    Lisa, you're probably better off for not getting out to shop! Either Ann or Pam one mentioned that DickBlick has it and so does Cheap Joe's.

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  4. Cris, Artist in OregonSeptember 8, 2010 at 3:22 PM

    Your paintings are wonderful no matter what you use, but do they sing here. I would get some if I could paint with watercolors like you. :) I use oils because they leave me room to FIX things.

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  5. ArtistUnpluggedSeptember 8, 2010 at 4:04 PM

    Sounds like a winner....love all the little paintings....yum, enjoyed the cake.....belated happy birthday girl, no shame in growing older, only one way to avoid it, wouldn't want that!

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  6. Pam Johnson BrickellSeptember 8, 2010 at 4:25 PM

    I'm happy to see you testing Canson Edition :) Looking forward to more!

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  7. Laure FerlitaSeptember 8, 2010 at 4:59 PM

    Ah, Cris, watercolor is whispering your name! You could quite easily paint as well as I do!

    Thanks, Theresa!

    Thanks for the recommendation, Pam, I'm anxious to get going on all the fabulous papers!

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  8. A Brush with ColorSeptember 8, 2010 at 9:36 PM

    Nice to hear your comments on the paper--you're good at observing the differences in papers. Love your latest sketches--the cake is great and so is the mug! These are all good.

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  9. ElizabethSeptember 10, 2010 at 5:29 AM

    Ie enjoyed reading about your testing process - the watercolors really do seem vibrant on this paper! I scatter different papers in my handmade journals, too - keeps me on my toes and lends a bit of serendipity to my life.

    I keep hearing about Canson Edition but have never tried it (yet). Thanks! your paintings are beautiful BTW!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Laure FerlitaSeptember 10, 2010 at 7:06 AM

    Thanks, Elizabeth! As I test out the paper a bit more, I'll post what I learn.

    Would love to see what you do with it though!

    ReplyDelete
  11. TimareeSeptember 11, 2010 at 11:05 AM

    I've told my granddaughter to save her scraps to test colors or to try a bit of a new technique but didn't think to make a tiny journal. I've got to tell her about this as she would love the idea of filling a tiny journal.

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  12. Laure FerlitaSeptember 11, 2010 at 12:47 PM

    It's a great way to use the scraps, Timaree and I really do like the freedom that comes from having nothing more invested than the scrap!

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  13. TeresaSeptember 14, 2010 at 10:10 AM

    I LOVE your little folding test book! It's a work of art within its own right.

    Thanks for the info... I'm reading along with great interest.

    :-)

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  14. JulieSeptember 21, 2010 at 9:37 PM

    I made a photo journal using this folding technique for my daughter many years ago...I had photos, stamps and embellishments in there...really a neat way to use paper!

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  15. Spectro Analytical Labs LimitedAugust 1, 2012 at 6:14 AM

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