Saunders Waterford Watercolour Paper Block CP (NOT) White, 14x20 inches

This watercolour block comprises of 20 sheets of Natural White Saunders Waterford watercolour paper from St Cuthberts Mill. The paper has a weight of 300g/m ² (140lb), which will allow it to perform well without requiring stretching, even after multiple washes. It is cold pressed (CP), which is also commonly known as NOT (meaning that it is not hot pressed) and so has a slightly textured surface, making it suitable for most types of work.

The sheets are 20 inches by 14 inches (51cm x 36cm) and are glued along all 4 sides to form a block; making it less likely to cockle whilst painting. The top sheet is easily removed from the block by inserting a palette knife in the small gap in the adhesive and moving it around the edge of the sheet, whilst keeping the blade flat against the lower sheet. Using a palette knife, rather than a sharp bladed knife, avoids accidentally cutting into the sheet of paper being removed.

Saunders Waterford watercolour paper is mould-made, which provides the charm of hand-made paper, but without the inherent variability from sheet to sheet. It is made from 100% cotton fibres, which give the sheet strength and durability due to the fibres' relatively longer length. Its surface is coated in gelatine size, making it strong and resilient to scrubbing and so is ideally suited when, for example, using latex masking fluid or large areas of colour need to be lifted out, as the paper’s surface is less prone to damage.

Watercolour papers made from 100% cotton are generally considered as the best quality. They can absorb and hold relatively more water and so are good for wet into wet techniques.

During the paper making process, Saunders Waterford papers are internally buffered with calcium carbonate in order to protect finished pieces of work from discolouration caused by acidic pollutants.