Arches Watercolor Block, Cold Press 9X12

Always the best paper I use.

Only complaint: All the paper rips unevenly from the block. The black bonding is like a solid glue, rather than just binding to hold the block together.

My wife the artist likes it.

This is the cream of the crop of watercolor paper, so no complaints.

Quality product

Watercolor paper just doesnt get better than arches. The make THE highest quality paper that I have ever used, and I will need no other brand. The cold press paper is bumpy in comparison to the hot press and creates more muted tones from the paints. I like to use this for darker subject matter. It is still very easy to draw on with pencils and Micron pens. I also enjoy using water soluble sketch pencils with this paper. This paper is definitely more expensive that the stuff I started out with on the big pad from the craft store. But it is worth the price if you are looking for professional appearance and presentation in your works. High quality paper like this is labor and time intensive. When you compare how watercolor paint looks on this paper to another brand there is HUGE difference in depth and color. It really feels like the aper does most of the work!

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

Ive always used Strathmore Watercolor Blocks. Although the quality of Strathmore is nice, now that Ive used Arches I cant imagine using anything else. Arches seems to be in a category all its own when it comes to paper quality. Arches is substantially thicker, holds water and color very well, and when using the watercolor block does not buckle even when using a lot of water. You can use tons of water and layers of paint, and it never effects the paper underneath the piece youre working on. I couldnt be happier. Plus the price of this paper when buying from Amazon is fantastic and affordable.

Havent used it yet. But its exactly what my teacher told me to get.

Great paper for watercolor and you cannot beat the price. My local retail store was charging $49 for the same paper. I ordered the Arches and received it in 3 days. Who could ask for anything more.