Watercolor Wednesday with Schut-09 #Exaclair #Schut #Watercolor

Each Wednesday for 22 weeks, I'll be sharing artwork that was done on paper from a Schut Papier sampler.  I'll be giving you a little information about each of the papers.

Schut Watercolor Paper, Medium Fine Grain/Cold-Pressed, 250 gm2/115 lbs

Acid-free, ph-Neutral. As you may have noticed, Schut has a variety of watercolor papers.  This particular variety has no name beyond 'Schut Watercolor Paper' and the pad/block cover doesn't give information on its composition.  I wasn't able to find further information that was in English, so I'm not sure if the paper is cotton, cellulose or something else.  It is stiff, more like Schut's Terschelling than their Noblesse, so I suspect cellulose.

Although the cover labels the paper medium fine grain, I found it rougher than most cold-pressed but not as rough as most papers labeled 'rough'.  Rough grain paper can be difficult to work with but satisfying once you get the hang of it.  This might be a good paper for a someone unfamiliar with rough grain to start out with.

The outcome of my tests:
  • The texture of the paper is rough enough that you can get *granulation, even with paints that don't normally granulate. 
  • Washes moved well, but the color shift** is more dramatic, because of granulation.
  • Paint lifts, but some granulation may remain.  
  • The paper is rough enough that masking tape and liquid frisket must be removed with care.
  • No problem with backruns.
  • Pencil marks wash into paint without smearing.
  • Scraping works without excess fuzz or pills.  
  • You can gently fold the paper over until the edges meet.  The paper 'remembers' the fold, but will straighten completely if weighted down.
  • Folds crease cleanly without radiating or cracking.
  • There was no dimpling, buckling or curling.  
*Granulation--the speckled effect you get when watercolor pigments separate by weight.  The heavier pigments settle into the indentations, the 'tooth' of the paper leaving darker spots. Some people love granulation and some people hate it.
**Color shift is the term used to describe the difference in a color when it is wet and when it has dried. Watercolor goes on darker and lightens as it dries. 
  
'Buddies' Done in my watercolor class taught by Kathy Delumpa Allegri 
I combined bits from several exercises for this painting.  They all came from James TooGood's 'Incredible Light & Texture in Watercolor'

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