I really love Baohong’s watercolor journals. They’re everything I want in a journal: Sewn pages, lays flat, nice cover, and high quality paper. I painted a witch last night in my cold press journal, and her hat had about four heavy washes of color, with another layer of detail. It barely buckled, and I can easily paint on the next page as well.
I LOVE Baohong. And honestly I find the academy paper is better than the artist grade for me (abstracts & landscapes). But the artist grade is fantastic for water comtrol. I think it really helped me get comfortable. Anyway, sorry for geeking out over paper, but I wanted to add my enthusiasm for this brand, lol. 🥰 Thank you for the video!
I also love Baohong. You are absolutely correct when you say you can feel kind of timid and when painting with Arches. I discovered Baohong about a year ago, bought a range of textures and sizes and I absolutely love them all. Arches still has an important place in my paper arsenal but I feel I can grab Baohong and just paint anything. All that said, I mainly work on masonite treated with several layers of gesso then watercolour ground. Thanks for confirming that I am on the right track with Baohong!
Can I just say? Your speech is quite articulate and soothing. Thank you for this video. I’ve been stressed trying to find a watercolor paper that is both affordable and good quality.
I feel the same way. I bought Arches 9x12in block last month and I’ve only used like half a sheet. I’ve been using my Baohong block instead 😬 this Christmas when I go on vacation I’m gonna force myself to use the Arches by leaving my Baohong at home. Haha. Have a great day guys! Lots of love from the Philippines ❤
I have used Baohong for years. I especially love their Academy/student grade paper blocks, which you can get from Shein or Temu for as low as $4 for a 5x7 size of 20 sheets. It sure takes the pressure away when you're not faced with possibly wasting $2-3 per sheet of paper. 😅 Thanks for the tip! 🙏😊
I highly recommend Kilimanjaro paper from Cheap Joe’s, which is significantly cheaper than the expensive brands like Arches, W&N, Fabriano Artistico, and SW. in fact, I’ve used all of those brands, and I think I like Kilimanjaro the best. It lifts spotlessly, it stays wet for ages, and it can handle a metric crap ton of water and pigment. I absolutely love it, and while I do own those other brands, I do feel more comfortable reaching for my Kilimanjaro pad than I do the others, if only because Kilimanjaro is so much more affordable, yet will still give me the results I love when I use expensive paper. And of course, as with all paper, buying the huge 22x30” sheets is your cheapest route. Cheap Joe’s (and I believe also Jerry’s Artarama) has a mix and match of large, hogh quality sheets, and if you buy ten, you get 20% off. Just buy a paper cutter and you’re good to go for awhile. I would also recommend Kaede, a handmade paper from India that uses recycled rag cotton. I know handmade paper can be a bit sketchy, but Kaede paper is actually phenomenal, and I love working on it. I only have the small, paperback sketchbook for now, but plan on ordering single pages in the future once I run out of what I currently have.
Used to paint on Arches CP and Saunders Waterford CP, but have now settled on the Hahnemuhle Expression CP. I think the colors flow and blend much better on that paper, they also get more intense. I always get the 50x65 10-packs, more economical that way. Tried regular 100% celulose and blended ones in the beginning, but quickly realized that those weren't up to my standards at all.
The price of Baohong paper on Amazon has just jumped sky high in France, but on Temu it is still very low, however, I am against the ethics of both the business of Temu and exploitation of Uighars. So still looking for an ethical supplier here in France. I have tried it and DO like it. Thanks for the review. Jo in France 🇫🇷
I'm in Australia and Baohong is readily available online. I use the blocks and both the Academy and Masters grade in a variety of sizes both CP and rough, though honestly I find myself going for the academy CP unless I want to use a large rough. I have a pad of Arches but I pass it by for the Baohong block, so much easier, just as pleasant to use and so much cheaper.
Great tip, thank you. I found that the cheapest market place for Academy paper is Temu. With free shipping as well. Just for reference, I am located in US.
Thanks, very useful. Just FYI, cotton is also cellulose; in fact it is 90-95% cellulose while wood-pulp paper has around half that. Not to worry though; most of the Internet has it wrong too.
Thanks for this tip! I am a Certifed Zentangle Teacher, so my watercolor usage is somewhat limited. But I know that Zentangle uses a 100% cotton paper out of Italy, and it’s expensive (though awesome)! So I am very interested in something that might produce some similar results at a more affordable price. Thanks for sharing!
@@KrisDeBruineStudio I know some talented people who actually tangle using watercolors. Blows my mind! I just use watercolors (mostly pencils) to enhance my drawings with color. Muuuuuch easier to do that! :D
I might be missing something but it seems that the Artist Grade is less expensive. Going by the links you provided: Academy Grade: $35.59 for 10 sheets of 15"x22" is $3.60 per sheet. Artists' Grade: 62.99 for 10 sheets of 30"x22" which are cut into 20 sheets of 15"x22" is 3.15 per sheet.
Wow. Great deal on the Artist grade. Jump on that! :-) I think it is more cost efficient to send it in larger, uncut sizes. So they pass on the savings. That's all I can think.
Ty, this is incredibly helpful! Just received one of their small blocks and a variety pack of 5 small sheets of their 3 grades of textures from Amazon. Looking forward to creating and discovering if this brand ticks all my boxes! I am an artist 🧑🎨 😉
I ordered a sample pack from Amazon. I like the paper! However, when I went to order the bigger sheets today, I realized the price is about the same as Arches. Unless I am doing my math wrong. Hoping you see this since it has been over a year when this aired. Thanks!
They need to offer larger Rough paper sizes. Aside from that, love the brand. I have the Artist Cold Press / Rough blocks and their Academy Hot Press & Cold Press sketchbooks at present.
Thank you, Kris. I have waisted so much money on Arches. I wonder if artists receive a kickback from Arches. I found many times there was an issue with sizing.
I think Arches has just been around for soooooo long (the company was founded in 1492!!) and held the top spot for eons....that it is hard for some to accept change. I definitely have made Baohong my "go-to" paper. I love it.
I was using a store brand cotton paper to learn botanical painting techniques. The more I did the more convinced I became that I should be using the expensive paper the tutors recommended. So I bit the bullet and bought an expensive large pad. Today I tried it out and was shocked to discover that the few things I didn't like about the store brand paper were worse in the expensive paper I'd bought. One is slight spreading of the colour beyond where I've put the water for a wet in wet techniques. It happens with the expensive paper too. The next was bucking appeared to be worse with the expensive paper, to the point where paint was pooling in dips. This doesn't happen with my cheaper paper. The third is the water drying quickly on the paper making lifting of fine lines difficult. Again this was worse with the expensive paper. The only down side to the cheaper paper is it only comes in pads, not blocks, and only comes in three sizes, A5,A4 and A3. The recommended paper comes in those same sizes if I buy it from an Australian supplier, but in the standard 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 sheets if I buy it from Jacksons. Jacksons is a lot cheaper, but only if they have it in stock in a warehouse they have in Australia. If it has to be shipped from the London store, the cost of shipping makes it just as expensive as buying it locally. The cheaper paper works out only a little cheaper than buying from Jacksons if you pay full price but they often have good specials, up to half price on it. When I bought mine, it was in a clearance sale and was a quarter of the price. It was so cheap that I bought 3 large pads, and had been regretting doing that, but now I'm glad I did! I don't think I'll be buying the expensive stuff again.
I'm sorry to hear you had a negative experience with this paper. If what you have used in the past works for you....GREAT! Keep with it. Have a great day and keep on painting!! :-) ~ Kris
@@KrisDeBruineStudio It wasn't Bao Hong I had the negative experience with. It was Fabriano Artistico Enhanced paper. Probably if I hadn't been using the store brand paper and found it better, I wouldn't have viewed the more expensive one so negatively, but I had high expectations given the good results using Bao Hong and the store brand, which are both significantly cheaper than the top priced papers. The higher priced ones just don't suit my style, but I can see that they may suit people who work in a looser style.
I'd take Pontentate and Rubens over baohong. All the baohong paper i got had some issues, They definitely suck at quality control. and also, bravo to all of you who paint enough for paper price to be an issue. lol😅😅😅 I probably can only "consume" maximum 3 pieces of watercolor paper, small to medium size, every week....
Wood pulp watercolor paper "works." A few people prefer it. However 100% cotton watercolor paper is the standard, and most people that begin to use it....don't want to go back. If price is an issue, the best deal I have found is Baohong Academy (i.e. student) grade. Here's a link to another video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zzto4-zjafA.html
@@KrisDeBruineStudio I did watch your vid thanks, glad I found your channel. For the academy what price should I expect to see. Amazon wants $26 for it and I think that’s way too much. Thanks!
I'm sorry for your difficulty with the link. Amazon links are customized to the region you live in. I've heard from other viewers that you cannot get Baohong in Europe. I'm not sure why. I would contact your local art supply store or look for other online retailers that might be able to ship to your area. I mentioned a few such retailers in this video. Thanks for watching and leaving feedback. If you find a way to get the paper in your area, please leave a comment here to assist others. Thanks!!
You can get Baohong in Europe from Artemiranda. Shipping costs to Germany up to 99€ are 5,99€, above that it's free. They sell the paper in pads, sheets and rolls. It's ceaper to buy sheets or rolls.
@@KrisDeBruineStudio Not really unfortunately, it'd still be around 50 eur for a block of 20 quarter sheets or so, and about 35eur for a full sheet of 600gsm, which is what I would use normally. From what I understand though finding Saunders paper is much cheaper.
Search “products thought to be made by slave labor in China” and you will find articles that point out that up to 84% of cotton produced in China comes from the Uighur region. Consider this when purchasing.
Thanks for sharing about this important topic. My understanding is that Baohong is made with cotton "rag" which would otherwise go into landfill. It is a form of recycling, which of course is a good thing. However, the original origin of the cotton rags could be from an unjust industry, as you report. Thanks for your thoughtful feedback.
Most paper manufacturers source their raw cotton from China and India. The paper may be made in Europe, but cotton does not grown in Europe so it must be imported. It's unlikely that any European paper mill is free of Uighur cotton. Indian paper mills may be your best bet since India grows 25% of the world's cotton.
@@antoniocoelho8568 , believe what you like. Last time I checked, neither the EU nor the US has any "re-education camps" where minority religious groups are imprisoned and forced to make products so that we in the west can enjoy cheap stuff. We are just as guilty for buying the products, knowing where they come from and the cost to these minority groups.
Yeah, and? Cotton has been growing in China since BC … Keep in mind, Schmincke is made in Germany and Fude in Japan. It’s rude to use someone else’s page for your personal political platform. Moving on.
