Hot press paper is excellent for details and florals, but it is often worked in a different way than cold press paper painting. I always stretch mine first, which helps prevent any possible buckling, and yes for some people that's too much work, but for me it's worth it! Also, it is excellent for wet on wet work. For example, paint your leaf with pure water first and wait for the water to absorb into the paper until the sheen is mostly gone, and then you go in with the paint. It actually allows for the pigment to be pulled further into the paper that way, and then once it dries you can paint additional layers over top of the image without disturbing the previous layers of pigment underneath, like layers of stained glass. (Although if you do this method, I strongly recommend transparent pigment paints). It does take longer to paint this way, water first, let it absorb and then go in again with pigment, but the details and color layering you can get are amazing! If you want to learn more, Susan Harrison Tustain from new Zealand has some amazing videos on hot press painting! Just like printer paper is typically used for something different than cardstock or photo paper, hot press and cold press paper are meant to be used differently too. 😉

Hot press is for detailed work, a lot of botanical watercolour artists use it, it is less forgiving than cold press so not advisable for beginners, but great for thin glazes to build luminosity, not advisable for really wet washes, cauliflowers easily. Use less water and smaller brushes with Hot Press. It’s also great for colour pencil, gouache etc. Cold press is a good watercolour staple. PS: Arches isn’t the best Hot Press, it pills and can’t handle much abuse. The best hot press was the old version Fabriano Artistico. Sadly they don’t make that anymore but I am fortunate I bought full imperial sheets so still have some. Paul Rubens hot press is wonderful (PR cold press not so much.) Saunders Waterford hot press is also good. PSS: Further to my previous comments your illustration worked out better due to smaller brushes and less water which is how you should work on hot press. It’s more a wet on dry paper, though you can wet the paper, it’s done in sections for botanical work for example, and not too much water at once. It just takes time to learn how to work with it, stick to small brushes, mild washes, more wet on dry and you will learn to love it.

@artbysolar-theresa

4 жыл бұрын

Kyomii I love fabriano and dick blick hot press papers. They are my “go to” papers. I am not a arches hot press girl either. Great feedback. Ty

@Kyomiibrown

4 жыл бұрын

Art By Solar The dickblick hotpress does look good, I’ve always wanted to try it but with being in the UK it’s out of my reach as it would cost too much. The new version of Fabriano Artistico I have not tried but I know many professional botanical artists were unhappy with the change in formulation. Whilst Arches cold press is a good paper, there’s equal and better out there imho. The reason why it gets the attention it does is because in the past, there was very few decent watercolour papers around, so Arches was the recommended staple by teachers as it was considered the best at the time. Nowadays - and certainly in the last 5 to 10 years, excellent watercolour paper is being produced by several companies. Out of all the cold pressed papers I have tried, Winsor and Newton professional 100 % cotton is the best by far (NOT the “classic” version, as that one is pulp.). It’s a very robust paper that takes an enormous amount of abuse and colours are more saturated and brighter on it than other papers, including Arches. It feels thicker too. I’ve done literally everything to it to test it and it’s brilliant, always recovers and it stays wet longer than most too. Another of my favourite cold press papers is Mulin Du Roy, such a great “fine” texture to it. I’m not keen on Fabriano Cold Press (only their hot press) as it dulls the colours. You only realise how much different papers like Arches affect the colour when you do an intense study of several papers for comparison. Claire Fontaine 100% cotton is also good. If I were to put them in order, it would be W&N professional 100% cotton as number 1 for stability and performance and quality, Saunders Waterford 100% cotton as number 2 with Moulin Du Roy also in 2nd place, and Arches and Claire Fontaine 3rd.

@artbysolar-theresa

4 жыл бұрын

Kyomii yes I like Windsor and newton cold press too along with Bee 100% cotton cold press. Fabriano cold press does dull the colors and just doesn’t hold up. Now the Hahnemuhle Bamboo cold press paper is lovely. Man does it take a beating with brush work and water. Reacts totally different with the bamboo fibers.

@Kyomiibrown

4 жыл бұрын

Art By Solar I have the Hahnemuhle trial book of watercolour papers though the Bamboo isn’t in it sadly. I believe that is a mixed media paper? They tend to be strong by design. Will have to try it thanks.

@zemmie01

4 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU FOR THIS. Although I'm a beginner, I think hot press more suits my style, and after watching this video and reading your comment, I'm going to give it a try! :D

I think one of the most challenging aspect of working with watercolors is that your techniques need to change with your materials. So, when you're learning as a beginner with beginner materials you're limited to those techniques that work best with those materials. However, when you switch between more professional grade materials they allow different techniques, so, you do need to learn to work with the materials. Even an experienced artist, like yourself, needs to work with new materials for a while in order to learn how to work best with their characteristics.

@mdesnica

Жыл бұрын

I realized that, and sold my leftover pulp cellulose papers, student grade paints to buy cotton and proffessional. It is worth it, since I am now learning ONE time.

Hot pressed paper is also used for illustration work with linework. It's impossible to control fine lines on cold pressed. If the work is going to be reproduced for printing, books, comic books etc. The smooth finish is necessary.

@TimeCodeMechanics

3 жыл бұрын

Just tried it, it's great for pen and ink.

@AdindaQ

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this comment! It's very helpful to me as well.

@mdesnica

Жыл бұрын

Fineliners and brush pens get jigged-jagged on cold pressed and it wears down the tips. So hot pressed is a good trade-off for mix media, especially if you use a loose or "comic" style wc, with not so many layers.

The paperbumps are normal because the paper opens it‘s surface to let water and colour in. The bumps will disapear after drying. ☺️

I think that hot press paper is usually for thin washes and a lot of detail from my experience - my personal favourite watercolour paper as I like working in slow, thin layers. I like cold press too, but have a definite preference for hot press, which was developed by a nice watercolour sketchbook I got a few years back! Guess it depends on personal preference, as with all art supplies!

A wonderful artist to watch painting on Hot Pressed paper is Maria Raczynska. Maria uses less water in her paints. She is a wonderful artist. As with everything in life every artist has their own way to exhibit their painting style and prefer certain supplies and techniques in their work. Take Care. ~Barbara

I observed a gentleman paint a rose (as botanical evidence of the details) using hot press. Crisper details apparently through use of hot press. Interesting. I am new to watercoloring and I learn so much from all of you. Thank you, Emma for your brilliant expertise. You are easy to follow and I use your techniques a lot. So , indeed I think it's pretty cool for illustrations such a Botanical Flowers.

IMHO, hot pressed is smooth, water dries fastest and paints don't bleed that easily. Therefore it is used to draw botanicals and details and lettering, those items with defined borders. Whereas, cold pressed paper has enough grains/ pits to retain more water /moisture thus allowing for bleeding. It is ideal for illustrations, loose sketches etc... Rough papers have even more pits/ texture to hold more water and is ideal to work landscapes with lots of details etc...

Hi Emma, hot press watercolour paper is used for painting botanical art, it is great for detail. I have been doing botanical art watercolour workshops, and lessons with a wonderful professional botanical watercolour artist in Beechworth, Vctoria in Australia and we use the Arches hot press paper. The Botanical Artist, does the most beautiful detailed works of flowers. When we paint, you paint a layer at a time and you let paint dry, before you paint the next layer. Also we use natural bristle brushes are the best to use on hot press paper. I also painted a detailed fairy wren bird and entered in a art exhibition, I recently painted on hot press watercolour paper and I was voted second most popular painting prize. I have been following your youtube watercolour painting tutorials and recently and purchased on Etsy your A Beginners Guide To Watercolour Everything You Need To Know. I am enjoying learning tips on painting and mixing colours etc. Keep up the good work. Nella. 😘 🌷 🌸 🌺

Noah is getting so big. What a cutie in that Fisherman sweater! You can’t really do a side-by-side comparison on these two papers using the same techniques. Both high quality but with completely different characteristics. Since it’s so smooth, hot press paper can’t deal well with lots of water. It pools on top of the paper. And, you were generally using more water on the hot press. You can really see it on the landscape. Even the trees, since you painted hot press first you got a lot more water on the hot press leaves. If you want a flat wash on a large area hot press is best. If you want color bleeds cold press is best. You simply cannot get the same effects on both papers. Hot press is really good for illustrations where you can get very smooth lines. Also portraits are best on hot press so you can get an even texture. Or, no texture! And, as you point out, it’s much easier to ink on hot press. I’ve tried using a pointed nib and ink on cold press and it was a mess. I still love cold press best for all of it’s absolutely wonderful characteristics. But there is a place for hot press. Thank you for doing this informative video. As always, you’re the best! ❤️❤️❤️

This one was the best comparison video I have seen yet! And people’s comments have been so enlightening.

Great video for comparison. I was taught that Hot Press was for detail work and mostly thin layers and dry work. Cold Press is more for wet on wet. I use Hot Press for my cards and small detail work only.

@elizabethwallace7495

3 жыл бұрын

Best answer yet; clear and concise.

If you overwork hot press it "pills up", and makes those little dark rolled up paper. Too much water is a nono. You can't use the same techniques on both papers,. Less water, no need to have the wet bottom layer. Bleeds are hard to achieve. This works for really detailed work. Your typical work is very loose, and takes total advantage of the characteristics of your technique. Cold press will never work for what you like to do, as it needs less water, won't bleed well and give those effect that brought me here to learn. Hot is less absorbent, but gives great detail.

Thank you for sharing this video!! It's quite hilarious to me as I'm hearing myself talk. I asked for both pads for my birthday, I never tried hot pressed before and I was actually doubting myself when I got all these cauliflower patterns. Your video, plus some of the comments of your viewers made me realize I have to use them both for several purposes: cold-pressed for my botanical realistic work and hot pressed for detailed illustrations. Thank you all for this lesson in art materials (as well in not doubting myself) ;)

Thank you so much for this demonstration. Im a beginner and have tried both cold and hot and really couldn’t understand why there was such a difference in the water and pigment distribution. The comment by Kyommi is also very helpful. Again, many thanks.

Emma, I believe you could paint on a flip-flop and it would be beautiful! 😊

@Clauds71

3 жыл бұрын

I agree 😂

Great comparison demos Emma! Thank you. I have to try hot press for the first time today and you showed me clearly what to look out for.

Thank you for this video. I just followed one of your videos on painting tulips and other flowers. It turned out well for my first attempt, but now I see why my results were not blending like they should have been - I was using hot pressed paper. I have just ordered some cold pressed 140 lb watercolor paper because of your video. Thank you sooo much!

Hot Press and water soluble media (Derwent Inktense, Neocolor II, Albrecht Durer, etc.), are great together. Just don’t use too much water. 😊 easy to layer with that type of media, but not so much with regular watercolor.

Hot press, as you saw, allows markers and pens to glide easily. Markers last longer because the tips don’t get chewed up by the paper. I’ve used the hot pressed for detailed pen and ink watercolors. Love your videos!

Hi, great timing I received a pad of Archer's hot press for Christmas. All I know so far is it better for detail work. Thanks for the demo!

@debh3404

4 жыл бұрын

MoonsPath Please watch Mind of Watercolor explanation on hot pressed paper and how to use it. It’s much more informative because he has experience with both types and knows which techniques to use for different paper types.

OMG! I was in the art shop today contemplating this very question!!! I wasn't buying paper, but next time, I'll know what I'm looking for xxx Thanks Emma xxx

MAN I wish I would've seen this prior to buying the hot press paper from Arches! I have the same exact issue with it that you were having, and oddly enough even painting the same exact thing- roses & leaves. LOL Arches cold pressed paper is *definitely* the best! I see other people commenting that hot pressed paper is more for light washes and detailed painting, which would explain why its not suitable for my style at all. You live and learn!

Great Video for comparison. I was taught that Hot Press paper was for detail work with thin layers and wet on dry technique. I use this for my cards and small detail work, and Cold Press I use more for my Wet on Wet paintings and loose paintings.

Wow, thank you, I really needed this info, and is nice to see a your baby years ago, before the new baby Miles. 🥰🥰

Thank you so much! This demo explained so much about some of the outcomes I've experienced.

Extremely enlightening, Emma! Great job! I rarely use hot press unless I'm doing florals. It's notorious for cauliflowers, as the pigments sits on the top. And might I say that your son is the spitting image of you! I LOVE seeing him in your videos--brightens my day. He's growing like a weed! So flipping cute is he, and smart. Clearly a budding artist. Anyway, good to see you both this new year! And your beautiful as always, nails or not! (sorry about my snippy retorts--east coast girl). Another winner, Emma. So glad you're venturing into the art world and earning well-deserved consideration. You're a fine watercolorist, and we are all the better for it. Thank you for all you do. xoxo Frances (aka Fanna) Denver, Colorado PS: Not sure if my vote counts, but I'd love to hear some of your previous music lightly in the background. I LOVED it!

Most botanical instructors use hot press paper and rarely use cold press. I am struggling with hot press because it streaks with color changes. It is very infuriating. I bought a pad of cold press and had no issues. Thank you for this.

I really liked your video because you demonstrated the mind-roller-coaster you went through trying out hotpress.

I'm learning a lot from you as a beginner in watercolor painting. I'm a fan! 🇵🇭 More power!

Very interesting, I was looking for this kind of comparison, thank you very much!

Love watching your videos! Learning so much from the way you teach. 😊

Thanks for this demo. I've never used hot pressed myself & I absolutely love how the illustrated piece came out. I'll definitely be giving it a try with my own illustrations at some point in the future. :)

Very interesting Emma. For me too it's more difficult to paint on hot press paper, though I also find that it works very well on urban sketching and illustration. By the way, I really liked the portrait you made of yourself, I think you are good at it and would love to watch more videos on this topic. Thank you as always.

Emma I love your channel! Thank you so much for this comparison!

Thanks for the comparison of paper Emma! I recently picked up some Arches Hot Pressed paper as well. I have not had a chance to try it out yet. I have been watching another watercolour artist, Jean Lurssen, who does wonderful abstract landscapes, using Hot pressed paper. She is also very talented, and it's interesting to see the effects she gets! Also, your son is adorable! =)

Oh my goodness your baby is adorable, Emma♡

Card makers seem to gravitate to hot pressed paper for a smooth surface for stamped images they are going to watercolor. The cold press is much better to me as a card maker and watercolor artist, I just need to use a stamping tool to stamp multiple times on cold press paper. You’re right, illustration projects work better on the smoother hot press. Thank you for sharing this! Your son’s ADORABLE!!💙

Hi Emma! Great video as always, thank you 😊 I mainly use cold pressed paper for my watercolour paintings too but sometimes use hot pressed if I want to add coloured pencil detail in over top 😊💜

Thank you so much for this video! It was very informative and I loved being able to see direct comparison in paper performance!

I've always wondered about the difference between the two papers. Thanks for this comparison!

Hi Emma. I use and love both of them. Hot pressed is less forgiven, as pepople say, because it dries faster than CP so it’s used for realistic and lots of tiny details paints. You like to do more loose paints that’s why you love cp. In HP the blending has to be very quick or you won’t do it.

Emma, thanks very much for doing this comparison. Along with the different papers in other video, I think you saved me years of wondering and many $$$$$.😊

Thank you 🙏 for your demonstration which coveted several useful aspects & is the best tutorial i have found on the subject 😊

Thank you so much Emma. I’m a lettering artist and typically use hot press paper. As I have branched out to learn watercolor I have been so frustrated with those darn cauliflower marks and thought I was just doing it wrong. This encourages me! Too bad all my “stash” paper is hot pressed. Off to the art supply store...😊

Excellent demo. I’ve had the same question about the paper. Thanks

I think the flowers on the hp. actually had a classic touch of brilliance to it.

Great comparison! Thank you for sharing! 💜 Your son is absolutely adorable!! 💙

Hi Emma, nice experiment 😀👍 I prefer cold pressed paper but you’re right, hot pressed paper rocks for illustrations and lettering 💯

Hi Emma, I was looking for exactly what you are doing here, showing the differences between hot and cold pressed. And I saw your little penpainting and want to say that it's soo cute and you do it so fluently (is this a word, haha). So I'm impressed, again haha

Wow, thanks for this video. So interesting I always wanted to know what the differences were.

Nice video & paintbrush. Ty.

Hotpress paper is very beautiful for botanical artwork not for too much washes not to be treated like roughly ❤️Hotpress paper I love! Like coldpress too each one has its own purpose

I think Hot Press is used more for dryer style watercolor painting. Also for lettering. Very thin layering on Hot Press. I have used Hot Press for mix media. I use it with Golden Fluid Acrylics. Great for acrylic pours.

Thanks for doing this. I have also wondered what the difference is!

I’ve picked up watercolor and pointed pen calligraphy as a hobby and I used hot press paper to make an illuminated bible verse for my grandmother for Christmas. There was no way I was doing calligraphy on arches CP. My nib would have died and I’d make a mess. It worked out well for that with a floral border!

Thank you. I liked your explanation very much.

I just tried cold pressed paper for the first time and I love it! The Hot Pressed Arches Paper is a bit too textured for me so I’m gonna try the Cold Pressed.

Thanks so much for this video. I’m a beginner and now I understand exactly what is happening. (I started with hot pressed.).

watercontrol on hotpressed paper is a must. Its definitely for more detailed works and for realism than cold pressed. Cold pressed can handle a beating so most people prefer it but its simply because most hotpressed papers tend to be pretty hard to handle in general.

Look at Louise de Masi channel. An amazing botanical and animal wildlife watercolor artist. Works on hot press paper of course. And the Aussie accent is adorable!

@Missbexbex

4 жыл бұрын

Louise is awesome!! And what accent?? 😉😉😉

Thanks for the comparison. It was interesting. I mostly work in acrylics. CherryA19 Johnson had a great comment on using with acrylics. I appreciate your channel, Emma.

Hi Emma. Love your work. As a color pencil artist, I use it for my colored pencils.

Thannk you for this video - now I know which paper I use for the different types of watercoloring. 🌺👍🏼

Thank you that was very informative!!

Most of the professional artists I follow that work with watercolor prefer hotpress paper. And their works range from realism to super stylized illustrations. So you’re probably just not used to working with it. I’d say try working with only hot press for a month or two and you might see why people like working with it but then again to each their own :)

For me I like to use the hot press when I do lettering with Tombows because it doesn't fray the pens as quickly.

Like someone else mentioned hot pressed is nice to stamp on and then add watercolor. I like to do small watercolor paintings and stamp sentiments on them.

I use hot pressed paper when I stamp images to be painted. Cold pressed (and rough) is my favorite for straight watercolor painting.

I learned to use the hot press 140 for realistic colour pencil/ mineral spirits drawing. As well as inktense. As for watercolour, perhaps try the watercolor pencil work.

I use hot press when I'm working many layers of glazing for hyper-realism. The paper is never really 'soaked', so I don't encounter the negatives that you found.

I prefer hot pressed because I prefer detailed paintings like Anna Mason. Different paper, different brands behave differently so you have to know how to work with and learn the paper you're using. I know someone that preferred sketchbook student grade watercolor paper because she became proficient at using that paper and didn't know how to use professional artist paper and would give up learning and blamed the paper. It's obviously not the paper. It's how well you know and how skilled you are with your tools and media you're using.

I use Hot Press WC paper for multi layer wc painting. Brush is not very very wet and I give texture by stippling my short strokes.

I use hot press paper for calligraphy using nibs. The nib doesn't get caught in the paper like it does when using cold press paper. I use gouache or small amounts of watercolor on this paper with my calligraphy.

Hot press is more for illustration techniques. It's smooth enough for pen and ink and adding detailed watercolor or ink washes. I use it myself for hand painted comic book work. The rough paper works better for large wet in wet areas with sedimentary watercolor paint to make textures easier.

Really interesting video. Thank you!! ☺️👍🏼⭐️🙏🏼⭐️

I like hot pressed paper when I am making 4”x5”cards especially if I’m going to doodle with ink after it dries. Also especially if using a smaller brush. Also for detailed work, as noted in other comments.

I agree. Hot press would not work as well for your style. Mine either, but have you ever seen the work of Jean Lurssen? Check out her abstract landscapes. They are gorgeous!! Seems like youtube isn't allowing me to add a link but if you're interested: "Jean Lurssen Painting Abstract Landscape." She also has a video here explaining exactly why she loves the hot press so much: "Hot Press vs. Cold Press Paper".

Never tried hot press but i guess i can experiment. i use heavy cold press.Awesome and pretty art.🌹🌷🌸💐

Such a useful video

Great art! You have talent.

@oldgit4260

4 жыл бұрын

A little bit, not much

Agree with other comments on how best to use it but, honest opinion, the hot press tree painting looked more artistic. It would be nice to hear what you think of it after you look at it a few times.

I prefer hot press, but I’ve only tried it from etchr lab, which I love

I tried hot press paper, since I do realistic watercolor work and HATED it. I didn't like the pilling look like you mentioned, and it dried less vibrant than I was used to. It just seemed to take the magic away for me. I don't even use wet on wet, and my washes are very dry, and it still just wasn't for me. I actually love Arches Rough paper, even for very detailed work. I don't find that the rough texture gets in the way for me, and I love how it handles the water and paint.

THANK YOU FOR THIS NICE TEST....:)

I totally enjoyed this video. Thank-you for the comparison. Off the subject, could you please go further in-depth on people illustration. I love your style and I practice on what information you have given us already, but would love to learn more. Also, are there any books or sites that you could direct me to. Thank-you Suzie

Great video. I have just started using hot pressed paper for my botanical painting class. It seems better for wet on dry and very detailed botanicals. I'm just starting on this but so far I am not happy with hot pressed paper. Paint dries too fast. I prefer wet on wet with cold pressed paper. But that's just me.

Very useful video, thanks! And let this baby paint! ^^

beautiful!

A lot of card makers use the hot press paper because it’s easier to stamp on then watercolor the images. K Werner Design uses this technique a lot on her channel.

Happy you did this test. But I'm curious how they do with things like Watercolor pencils, Neo color Two's, other water-soluble products. I would think the Hotpress would do better with the pencils. But, I could be wrong. You can for sure see the diff. in the lettering. The hot press looks much better. TYFS

Billy Showell uses hot press for her botanicals. Her work is very different from yours but I love both of you.

100% crispy for the hp illustration. cp looks fuzzy

I don't like cold pressed at all. I think it depends on your technique preferences and what materials you like to use. For hot pressed I love working in thin washes for details since I do fashion illustration, but I also love using it for copic markers, colored pencils, and pen/ink as well as pencil work. When it comes to watercolor, I definitely prefer hot pressed over cold pressed. Thanks for making this video!

Hot press is much more expensive and more smooth than cold press. If I want to use pen and ink, or watercolor pencils, I use hot press and a fine brush. But I don’t have a lot of it as I prefer cold press because I can use my brushes with abandon. Loose and easy.

I'm using mostly hot press. It's great for making illustrations. I never liked structure on cold press a rough paper. It's not easy to use hot press paper that's why cold press is mostly recommended especially for beginners.

I’d be interested to see what you think of Arches Rough in a test like this. I didn’t expect to like it, but given a little sample find I love it. I would be happy to send you some pieces if you’d like to try it without the expense of purchasing a pad. I prefer the Windsor & Newton hot press to Arches HP.

@LauraAnn77

4 жыл бұрын

Inky N Frost that’s so sweet

@EmmaLefebvre

4 жыл бұрын

Inky N Frost I actually just got some! It’s very similar to the cold press paper just has more of a textured finish. I really like it for the type of work I do.

Emma, thank you for your lessons. I am learning a lot. What is the difference between Windsor and Newton Cotman and Windsor and Newton Professional watercolors ?

I find that I have more control with it which I like, blooming and color bleeds are not my friends. I tend to use mixed media with my watercolors and hot press is more excepting of color pencil, pens and markers. I actually liked your painting of the florals on the hot pressed better it had more variation. I guess it just depends on what an artist likes.