Is there a right side to paint on watercolour paper?
Most Artists’ quality watercolour papers are made on a cylinder mould machine. There are slight differences in texture between the two sides, however, you can work on both sides.
On cylinder mould-made papers, the ‘felt side’ is the side that is formed in contact with the woollen felts and usually has a more irregular texture than the ‘mould side’, which is formed in contact with the wire mesh. Both sides of the paper are pressed between felts (in the case of Rough and Cold-pressed papers), or between hot metal rollers (for Hot-pressed papers) later on during production, which evens out much of the difference between the two sides. If the paper is watermarked, you can identify the felt side by holding the paper up to the light and finding the side from which the watermark reads correctly. Additionally, pads and blocks of cylinder mould-made paper are generally bound with the felt side up. The paper is sized evenly on both sides so they are equally suitable for painting on.
Some Student quality watercolour papers are made on a Fourdrinier machine and have one textured side that is intended for painting on and one smooth side.
Like cylinder mould-made paper, handmade paper is externally sized on both sides so each side can be painted on, however, handmade watercolour papers are made individually, sheet by sheet, and the texture of the paper, including the difference in texture between the two sides, is subject to some variation. We recommend inspecting and feeling the texture on both sides of the paper before you start painting to see which one you prefer.
Thanks,
The Jackson’s team