7 Tips to Prevent Watercolor Paper from Buckling - Watercolor Problem Solving 

Thanks Oto &Co. I just glue the edges of a regular pad to make my own block. Be sure to leave a gap to insert pallet knife at removal time. I use acrylic mat medium, or hot glue or just regular Elmer's glue. Paint it around the edges or smooth the hot glue over the edges. With the pva or acrylic medium I add clothe pins or binder clips to keep the paper aligned until dry. Works like a charm and it's cheap.😉

I tape my Arches 300gsm CP but yes sometimes it buckles. Once I've finished my painting, I remove the tape and on the reverse I wet the paper. I then put it between a few sheets of paper (usually whatever paper is hanging around- not watercolour paper) and press it under a few heavy books until it dries. And it comes it flat every time.

I'd say drying warped isn't such a problem, cause you can manipulate (sometimes even iron) painting. Problem is when paper warps during painting and you're painting fairly wet, cause then you can't control puddling and general movement of paint.

I just make my own watercolor blocks by buying pads glued on one side, and gluing the other sides down with PVA bookbinding glue and some binder clips (to hold everything together while the glue dries, I think the person I learned this method from had a book press, which works even better, but binder clips have worked fine). It may not be quite as good as commercially manufactured blocks, but it works pretty well for my purposes.

I use Louise De Masi’s watercolor stretching method - works every time.

Hi. I am a beginner watercolour painter (or artist in general). My go to method is actually using the gummed tape, it has never failed on me and the paper stays super tight during the painting and does not buckle at all, which makes for a very enjoyable painting experience. The key is to slightly dry the edges of paper before applying the tape and spray the tape with water rather than wetting with a sponge or brush as that will ensure the sticky glue stays on the tape rather than being wiped off. It is also possible to cut the paper off the board without damaging the board, you just need a sharp knife / Stanley knife to cut in the groove between board and paper and cut around in a similar manner as removing the paper from glued pad. The sticky tape which stays on board can then be rewetted and scraped off. The tape which is left on the painting can either be cut off on a cutting mat or guillotine or left as is for framing (the framing would hide it). The benefit of this method is that you can use the lighter paper which is a lot cheaper :)

Gatorfoam Board, all day long, is one of the best investments I ever made. I use several sizes and have never regretted this decision. No more heavy boards, struggling with staple removal (when the painting is finished), plus, I like the white board as it doesn't clash or interfere visually with my subject matter. Also, I try to find the lightest white or cream colored masking tape that is available. Thank you for sharing your expertise and this video.

Great suggestions liked the staple one the best will try with cardboard ... ty 😄

@13:19 I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but use painters tape (for painting walls etc). It's designed to form a better barrier, and release off the substrate better, unlike just plain, regular masking tape.

I've had good luck wetting paper on both sides and using a glass cutting board to tape it to so the water can't evaporate so fast and cause buckling so quickly. I don't like the gummed paper or staple methods because they waste paper. I wet one side, tape that side down, then wet the exposed side. I use masking tape too. I prefer it to painter's tape. You can also run some watercolour ground around the edge of the tape that could help to prevent water going underneath. Just use a sharp item like a craft knife to help get it up so you can't rip the painting off the paper, or the paper itself. I haven't actually tried this yet, but it's a method that's used when using tape in acrylic paintings (they use gel medium instead of the ground), and I don't see why it couldn't work with watercolour ground and tape on watercolour paper.

Thank you for the tips, I always enjoy your scientific method of studying art supplies. I wonder if adding paint to that water would have let you see more differences. Maybe the paper wet on both sides would have dried without ugly blooms, like the ones that the tapped paper would clearly have. It buckled horribly.

Most expensive (but works) 300# paper, alternative wet both sides 140# paper fully with brush put on eg plexiglass for painting (think it was Tony Crouch at workshop painted this way). No staples, no tape, no stretching. Also advantage of paper drying slower so you have longer time to work.

Ah! A bonus cameo featuring Eve! Sweet!

I use the masking tape method on 100% cotton, 140lb cold press paper, and I haven't had any problems with it drying flat. 🙂

Make sure you take your environment into account! For example, I live in the desert, & as great as watercolor blocks are, all they do here is break apart due to the lack of humidity! Every. Single. Brand. 💔

Here’s how to replace all these methods with a simple, effective one. Place a piece of microfibre cloth over your board. It should be larger than the board. Next, lay your piece of watercolour paper on top. You do not need to tape with masking tape, unless you want to keep a clean border. Your paper will not move, and any buckling will be minimal. This does not work with mixed media paper or hot pressed watercolour paper - the paper needs to have a tooth, as with cold pressed (NOT) and rough watercolour paper.

I've tried the staple method and all I can say is that it's an immense waste of paper, staples, and time. The method I've been using that I really like is similar to #6. I wet/soak the paper, give it time to expand first, then place it down on the work surface. I find the paper still curls a little once fully dried, but it's minimal and, most importantly, the paint goes where I want it while painting. The only con is that this method makes it more difficult to move your paper around while painting, if that's part of your process. One thing I've not tried yet is using tape partway into the drying process of #6. Something to test to see if it reduces the curling.

I use magnets, to hold the paper down to a magnetic white board, covered in plastic shrink wrap. I can handle up to half a sheet, and I don't lose ANY paper!!

Oto, you read my mind! I just spent hours this last weekend looking for how other artists prevent buckling, stretch their paper, etc. wonderful timing, thank you for your work!

Hello. I have recently found your channel, and have been enjoying your videos. I have recently begun to wet the back of the paper and lay it on my art board. Then before wetting or painting on the front, I tape all around. Once taped I spray/spritz the front as needed, then proceed with my painting. When it dries it is not buckled at all. It dries flat. It may bow a little while painting, if I make the front very wet. I first discovered this while trying to keep the paper from drying out too fast, as I live in a very arid environment. Have you tried this?

Maybe a gator/foam/wood board with a dozen or so metal springy clips with the paper folded over the edges, similar to the Bromley or stapled fashion, might work without using tape.

Hi Oto, The brown gummed tape works the best in my opinion. After you are finished painting, you don't cut the tape with a knife or razor blade in the vertical position, but use it in a horizontal position. The watercolor paper is thicker than the tape, so at the edge of the paper there is a transition between the higher paper and the brown gummed tape. Just cut it there. You can then remove the watercolor paper and cut off the portions that have tape on them, and rewet the remaining tape on the board and it will release. Then wash off the remaining gum on the board. An easy way to wet the tape is to wet a sponge and put it on a small plate. Then take the precut strip of gummed tape and press it lightly on the sponge with your fingers, and then draw it across the surface of the sponge while holding it down with your fingers, thus wetting the entire length. After applying the 4 strips of tape, press them down on all surfaces to move the gum into the paper and board. This will make a better bond. I have found that one only needs to cover about 1/2" of the paper edge with tape if it is making a good bond. I think this provides a better painting experience than all other methods. I like to paint my boards with a flat white latex paint, as it creates a nice water resistant surface. You can even sand them lightly with fine sandpaper to provide a better surface for the tape to adhere.

I use masking tape, 2" pieces put in a ring in. Each corner and center. Maybe more for larger paper.

I'm located in the US and have tried Gatorfoam board ... and it's expensive here too! It can be ordered from Blick or Jerry's Artarama for around $20-$30 USD for half size. Full size (to fit 22"x 30" imperial sheets) costs anywhere between $30-$70 USD. It is strong and lightweight and does hold up well to being stapled. I've had mine for at least 5 years. However, I don't really use it unless all my other boards are in use, which is rare. It's a little too thick for my taste and I don't really like stretching my watercolor paper, so it doesn't work well for me. But other artists love it, so it's probably just a preference thing. I tape my paper down dry, and to prevent bucking, I prefer to use 200 or 300 lb paper. Or a 140 lb paper that handles lots of water and, even if it buckles a bit when wet, dries flat -- like Arches, Stonehenge Aqua, or Strathmore 500.

I use washi tape on the watercolor paper. I find that you can press it down hard on the paper with your nail or bone folder and it'll keep water from seeping under it, but it's light enough that it doesn't tear the paper when you take it off. It doesn't hold well on the surface that you're mounting it to though, so I then put painters/masking tape over the washi tape to secure it to my board. I don't experience much buckling but I also work fairly small, so I'm not sure if it'll work for larger sizes.

Everyone send Gator Board to Oto. I got mine from Cheap Joe's. Personally, I've tried every method of stretching my cotton paper and none have wow'ed me so I just paint by the sheet off a pad. Blocks have been a waste of money for me because the top sheet will split from the block, defeating the purpose. I end up ironing with steam my totally dry paintings using high absorbent cotton bar/kitchen towels (top and bottom). Perfectly flat every time and no paint smudging or transfer. 👍

Hi Dr Oto Kano! I've been enjoying your videos lately. Thank you. I used to have my own studio, but I was ALWAYS a "starving artist"😊. After decades purposefully avoiding painting bc I get obsessed..... anyway, I have a purpose now and a reason to start up again and now I'm just reviewing the important stuff to look for updated methods. RU-vid did not exist back then, pre-1994, and all my knowledge & experience came from paying to learn under working/experienced wc artists and visiting working galleries in Palm Springs, Laguna Beach, and Santa Ana, California. Also, books, books, and more books were the learning tools back then. I am finding RU-vid has changed all that. However, this video particularly brought back to me the struggle I had, in the past, finding the most effective and least problematic/wasteful method of stretching wc paper. You mentioned very briefly the method I ended up using. I used a full sheet size board of basswood. (Gatorboard did not exist). I thoroughly wet the 140lb 100%cotton paper on both sides(up/down & side to side) then let it rest for a min or so then stapled it down by diagonal corners first, then evenly placed staples (left/right/top/bottom) till there was a staple every 1.5" or so. Stretched paper pulls a LOT, I'm sure you are aware. Then, I would proceed with the painting. I wasn't aware of this at the time, (and I will test in 2023), but i like the idea of using artists tape over the staples to create a sharp border. Thank you for your videos. You have such an incredible teaching style.

Nice video. The only method to prevent buckling imo is stretching. I never used a stretchboard, always glued the paper down. The tape not coming lose is a question of water control. It should have a slight sheen to it, I hang it for some minutes before aplying the tape. And you have to rub the tape into the paper a bit and let it dry. Can't remember the tape coming loose this way. But you have a surface which will not buckle while applying a great amount of water. And the sheet will be totally flat after cutting it out. That said: I find that a tedious work and don't do it often. Luckily i like small formats and use blocks or taped down dry paper a lot. Which will always buckle a bit while painting on it...physics...darn. For wet first washes and a la prima I wet the backside and lay the paper flat on an acrylic board without taping. That is quite flat in the time of working on it, but you want to tape it down or weight it down while it dries to prevent the curving. Same may be valid for heavier paper. It is the same as finding your colors: You have to experiment. Thank you for this good overview.

Watercolor blocks are not only expensive but unless the paper is 300 gsm or more the paper still buckles. I learned this the hard way- I ended up removing paper and stretching each page which is what I would have done with regular unblocked paper.

Thanks for the info... it's very easy to glue the sides of a paper pad.. just weigh it down, and use a brush to brush on a PVA glue, bookbinding glue, 2 or 3 times, leaving it to dry between the layers.

I love these kinds of experiments! Thanks for going through them. 😀

Great testing! Very helpful! Thank you!

Thank you for the experiments and analyses! Very thorough, as always.

As always great video. Your videos are comprehension and easy to follow.

Thank you for all of your wonderful tests, demonstrations and reviews! They are so though and informative! For years and years I had used gummed, paper tape or staples to stretch watercolor paper. I even taught college studio classes how to prepare paper this way, but I have no patience to wait for the paper and would rather use Arches rag watercolor pads that are glued all around the sides. I would also advise my students to just get the pads too! But I also especially love the heavy, "elephant", single sheet rag paper that have deckled edges and are 300 or 400 lbs! They are very thick, like a cardboard, and I have never had a problem with it buckling! I get the large size and crease and tear them, to keep the deckled edges in a smaller size!

great to see that..... but you mist one. using bulldog clips is like the stapling but you can move the clips as the paper moves if needs be but you dont really need to.

Thank you very much for these great tips. Your channel is a treasure of tips for watercolor fans. Do you possibly happen to know if what you referred to as Gator Board has an equivalent here in Japan?

I do wet on back, and then transfer to wood with glass on top. The wood (or a corkboard) seems to suck out the water, and having the paper sandwiched between the board and glass presses it flat.

You can use reg foam core half inch thick and glue mat board (it must be glued with an even layer --to form laminate layers) on each side then sea; the sandwich board to make thim water proof. you can streach water color paper using office staples. Also check out a recently posred video making lightweight board by gluing multiple layers of cardboard.

I buy Arches illustration board. Fantastic no warping , pops in a frame with no need to hang with linen tape :) I was sad they discontinued the huge sized ones though.

I was about to mention the Ken Bromley stretcher when you started to talk about it. I haven’t tried it. It looks interesting but large.

Oh, and it should be mentioned that if you tape your paper down, but use a heat gun to speed drying time, you may need to re-stick,or replace the tape after applying heat because it melts the glue in the tape and it can start to peel up.

When my paper has really buckled (usually it's not too bad, I use masking tape) I sometimes iron it flat. Put down some newspaper or something similar, put the painting on top (painted side down), spray it with water, put a tea towel on top, and then gently iron it until the tea towel is dry. If it's still really buckled, you can repeat the process. It doesn't fix all of it, but if the buckling is really bad, it will at least help.

I'm not sure how much it would help, but I'm trying to find the video you linked of Eve's to suggest she add ribbons under the plastic rods so it might be easier to pull them out? I think it would be worth a try anyway, but perhaps she's already thought of it.

Hi Oto! Thank you for another informative video! Regarding the taping method, shouldn’t you tape the paper while it is still wet so that it would stick to the table while at the maximum expansion?

Wetting on both sides is fine for a quick painting but what happens if it dries out, how does one re-wet both sides, I wonder.

Water on the back method results in a painting which will flatten very well under a weight with no distortion. I believe this is because both sides have been subjected to a similar degree of wetting. I tend to use a combo of wetting both sides and taping with masking tape because I like a border. Having said this I am less successful with preventing the problems of masking tape than the curling issue. I really hate losing edge surface and most taped paintings have some slight issues with leakage. Unless these are with a staining colour or it is a heavy leak they can usually be sorted out by scrapping of the surface with a sharp blade or scalpel. I was taught years ago to use the gummed tape method with soaked paper, it worked very well and removal of tape was from the dried painting, and entailed gently wetting the surface of the tape, leaving a few minutes then gently peeling the tape away before the paper absorbs more than a trace of water. I have not used this method recently as it is more messing around with water and it only really works on a wooden board, most of my drawing boards are mdf. However it does work very well if you have the right things at hand. Nice thorough video as always! I do like the Ken Bromley gadget but it is a bit too pricy for me.

Hi Oto! Lately I've been having an issue with my moleskin watercolor sketchbook, I really like the paper and the way it lays etc but in some parts of every page I get this beading effect like when you don't prep properly a palette, has anyone ever encountered this issue, if so do you know what is happening?

After wetting and drying the whole paper, you'll notice that its length and width has changed by a millimeter. That's the reason why the paper buckles.

You can actually tape the wet paper after letting it dry a little bit.

I have used blocks but I find single sheets of paper accept water and paints better. Am I missing something?

I am in US...gaterboard isnt cheap here...for sure. It is like corrigated cardboard only made of a " sift" plastic

I prep my paper in a few ways. A quick one is wetting only the back of the paper, place it on glass, then dry the edges very well, and taping it onto the glass. Another one is wetting my paper and stapling the edges onto my art board. And i cannot think of what it is called right now, but it is a stiff board, with a smooth (melamine) surface that i can staple onto and it holds securely. I've done the same on wood panel that I've sealed to keep the acid from the paper. This is my favorite because it takes up the least amount of edge. My least favorite is using water tape. Dip the paper in water, place on board, wet tape and place on edges. Once this is dry, I staple it because I work wet on wet and this will release the tape. Every tape I've used is finicky and sometimes comes up before the paper is dry. If it weren't for that it would be perfect. Oh, I've also wrapped paper like you would canvas. This works great, too. I just cut the paper away from the stretcher when I'm done. But taking the staples out can be a pain.

Sadly, watercolor paper “blocks” are not immune to warping. All blocks, if subjected to enough water, will buckle.

So basically no solutions provided to paper buckling.

It is fairly easy to glue your own watercolor blocks. It’s a process but worth it for the cost savings if you have those pesky loose paper pads laying around.