How to Stretch Watercolor Paper 

THAT'S why I've sometimes had trouble with my tape lifting after 'stretching' my watercolour paper. This is the first time I have learnt that my tape was probably too wet. I so appreciate your careful and thorough explanations, both in this video and all of the other ones that I've seen so far. Thank you, this was really helpful.

It would be great to see a video of you removing the painting from the board after it’s done!

I am so glad that you said that any weight paper including 100% cotton and blocks all buckle! I thought it was just my problem. From now on I will stretch all my paper. 😊

I look at your finished paintings and I know you know what you are talking about-thank you so much for sharing your years of experience.

Thank you for this comprehensive tutorial. I agree with what others have said regarding your strength as a teacher. You have a calm and patient manner that has a strong impact. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

Thank you so much for this demonstration! I am so thankful for how patient and thorough you are in showing how you stretch the paper and explain not only the process but the reasons for what you do. 🙂

Great information. You are a terrific teacher, communicator and brilliant artist. Thank you for being so generous with your talent.

I am sooooo glad I found you on RU-vid. You have helped me so much with my painting. This was my biggest problem because I like working wet into wet and no one has explained stretching paper so well. Thanks for doing this. I have now watched all of your videos and they have all helped me. Thanks again!!!!!

Thanks Oliver, I remember doing something similar back in Art college in the late '70s! I'm about to move up from painting quarter sheets to half imperial sheets, so this was exactly what I needed to see. Really well explained and very helpful

Thank you so much Oliver for your time.Considering how much time it takes to make a video edit etc. it is really appritiated for every second you share with us.Also the painting you showed there is soooooo gorgeous that i can't explain 10/10.

Hi I have been considering giving watercolours a go for some time and find your explainations easy to understand. Now I realise I need a board!! So much to learn and practice, which means lots more video watching .I appreciate your work and videos.

Oliver, that painting you showed as an example of why you stretch paper was really nice. I liked so much about it.

Like so many others I've often trouble with the tape lifting after stretching the paper. There are several steps I've never seen before and I'll give it a try for sure. Thanks for sharing your process. I love your work.

Thank you for this useful explanation. You are amazing teacher.🙂

Thank you so much for demonstrating this process!

Thank you for this demonstration. It was very helpful!

Excellent instruction! Keep them coming 😁👍

Thank you for sharing. You have great tutorials.

Thank you for another very useful video!

Wooow!!! Beautiful!!

Hugely informative, describing things clearly. Thank you - top notch!!

Going to give it a try. Thank you. Loved your finished painting you showed.

Thank you for this excellent instruction.

Thank you again for a very clear helpful video 👍

You are wonderful teacher

Oliver, thank you! You are a wonderful teacher. I so look forward to seeing every notification.

Incredible artist

Brilliant, thank you.

What an absolutely beautiful painting, I must say! And thank you for the instruction.

Thank you Oliver! A very clear demo on paper stretching! So very helpful!

Allways Learning something interesting from you. Thank you very much.

great artwork. thank you for explaining the stretching paper technique.

Thanks for doing this. Very helpful. Much appreciated.🙂

Thank you very much Oliver, very useful. I love your paintings.

You are an excellent communicator, sir.

Great demo, thanks for the tips. I like the white border masking tape gives me for a quick sketch but yeah even a block buckles when I get it wet enough and a nice flat surface is much nicer to work on.

The best instruction videos.! Thank you so much Oliver you have helped refine my approach to painting in this medium.

Thanks Oliver. Very informative.

I just found your channel and I absolutely love your work and your teaching. Thank you!!!

Very neat! ❤

Best video that I've seen so far, for this subject! Thank you! 🙏

Thank you. I have 3 boards so I always have paper ready to paint on. I had had an issue with the brown tape not sticking properly, so your technique is helpful. I am a new (and left handed) painter and find your videos useful.

Muchas gracias!!! Muy útiles sugerencias para sujetar el papel!

Thank you so much. You are a great instructor. It now does not seem as intimadating as before.

Thank you for your information I find it very helpful and you're awesome

I had a problem with lifting tape, like many people in the reactions below it seems. I'll try drying the edges, the plastic tool, more tape on the board, and maybe another board (mine is melamine). Thank you so much Oliver !

Thank you~~ This is very helpful

Again, Many thanks!! After viewing many tutorials on this subject, yours has inspired me to take the time and do it properly:) 👏 Kudos Ollie!

I love your painting of the castle from Arun estuary - so gorgeously tranquil! Thank you for showing us how to stretch watercolour paper, if we should need to - good to know! Thank you so much for your time and generous spirit 👍😀

Your Castle/Boat painting is absolutely wonderful!

Thank you 🙏🏻 it was very useful

Extremely helpful guidance Olly thankyou. Absolutely adored your gallery painting of the river arun. We really are so fortunate to have such rich landscape around us. Take care.

I literally stopped at 2:46 in because you said "don't do it 'cause I do it" haha. The blocks have been working great for me for now! Thank-you for that honest statement :)

I just watched your Best Ever Watercolor Exercise and I gotta say it was one of the best tutorials! Thank you so very much for sharing all your expertise for us beginner watercolor artists! Had to subscribe! ❤🇨🇦

Thank you, very helpful.

Artista sensível, grande didata.

Awesome, as always :)

I really like your painting, memorize me how beautiful of Sussex n UK

Thank you very much for helping those of us who can be quite challenged by paper stretching.......you really helped me! May you and yours stay healthy and happy! Sending big hug!

Thank you!

I enjoyed it very much and learned something. even that I paint for 35 years! But to be honest I don't stretch a lot. But tomorrow I going too!

I am fond of your videos!!! Very clear, cool, and i love your style ! I am not a beginner any more... so i am starting to be able to experiment your top tips ! Like painting trees for example. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I am french, and living in Togo. I want to try to paint tropical trees more accurately. I just saw your videos about trees in winter/automn then in summer !!! 😊 Would you please think about a video showing tropical foliage, and meditterranean as well...???? Best wishes.

Great technique tip... seems simple enough though I've always been a bit intimidated to do this...

Thank you so much! Now I know that you are the real deal! I can’t tell you how many “teachers “ say that you don’t need to stretch paper on a block! I don’t know what they are using but for me even the blocks buckle! Thank you for making me feel like this job of stretching is actually worth it! Great on you! Love your videos!!

Many thanks for this very useful video. I've watched many videos of other people stretching paper and myself have had mixed results. After leaving the paper to dry over night i find the gummed tape has not attached properly to the paper. One thing I have taken from your video is that you use heavy duty gum tape and that you dry the edge of the paper before you apply the tape. Please keep these wonderful videos going.

It also helps with seems to be sizing on the paper.

Very helpful video.

Great instructional video, thank you for making it. I usually use Arches 140# (300 gsm) CP, and soak mine for 20 minutes. I find I get better results for my style of painting over soaking it for only 5 minutes. Thank you very much for clearly stating that what you do is your preference and that it works for you and that there are other ways out there for other people. I really appreciate that as so many artists have been gatekeeping art lately, saying that there is only one true way to do something.

Thank you.

Could you please make another video to show your method for removing your painting from the board? What clean up do you do of the board itself to have it ready for taping down your next painting?

Great video

This is really helpful, thank you. I stretch my paper, and my concern has been whether it’s ok to leave that edge of gummed paper on a finished painting if you’re going to frame it. I’ll stop worrying about it 😊. Also the ruler trick looks useful. I might try that too!

I would love to see you do a series of videos if necessary on the full process you go through for a full painting including glazes, etc. don’t believe I’ve seen that.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge which is very helpful as I paint half sheets and boy do they get wet and I really don't want any more troughs!

Thank you🇨🇦

Sorry but this is my 2nd comment on this video. I'm imploring you to add more content if possible. Been bindgeing what you have available and really appreciate your precise and comprehensive instruction. You are greatly appreciated ~ Gail, Alabama, USA

A great tutorial for stretching watercolor. Mine always seems sub par. Glad I ran into your channel.

helpful!

Thank you! I now know how important stretching is. I have used blocks, and been disappointed.

Thanks for the tips! I started off a couple of years ago working exclusively on blocks per the advice of a lot of several misinformed and misinforming RU-vidrs... Only my paper almost always buckled on the block. I've even had my Arches blocks fall apart all together. More recently, when I realized I do have to stretch the 140 lb paper and not bother with blocks, I switched to 300 lb paper instead... so I'm working with this heavier paper for the moment until I'm better at stretching. I did a couple of trial stretches on 140 lb paper and it really didn't work for me. That said, thank you for all the info in this video.

If you have the patience for it I found that one can remove the tape afterwards by repeatedly wetting it with a brush until the water gets through to the glue. I found a soft brush cut at an angle with rather long hairs at a hardware store also helps not getting water onto the edge of the painting. When cutting the painting out I tend to leave a gap between the cut and the tape as Oliver said, since some of the glue tend to bleed through and glue the bottom of the paper to the board, so a 5 mm gap should be fine, I you don't over wet the tape like he shows.

I never knew we can flat our paper with this tip! thanks for your professional sharing!!! 😊 P.S I couldn't help noticing the book " the making of the British Landscape" on your bookshelf, almost falling down, lol!

This is great. I had tried to do this with staples and it worked.... but now I need a new board.

I am new to watercolor and loved this straightforward explanation. I wonder if I can soak my paper and then lay it between sheets of blotting paper I use in printmaking to absorb some of the excess water. Clean, unused blotting paper of course. I'll have to experiment with that and see if I an find a happy spot that isn't too dry or too wet to work properly in eliminating buckling.

I used to stretch a couple of boards at a time like that so I had one handy. If I was going out for the day to paint, I would stretch a sheet on either side of a lightweight ply board and fix a sheet of drawing paper on top with masking tape to protect the painting surfaces. I tend to only work on 1/8 or 1/4 sheets though and lately I only bother to stretch the 1/4 sheets.

I'm so happy that I had found your channel ❤ ... so many helpful tips, thank you, Oliver. I have one question please: is it important on what kind of surface I stretch the paper? Can I use plexiglass too or is wood better, and if yes, why?

Again, I really like this format of live chat with you, Oliver, while watching the prerecorded video. This format avoids the annoying voice chat that's common on live YT tutorials that delays content and is distracting. ("Hi Andy from Georgia. Glad to see you Mary," etc. with 20 viewers. I don't need the ego stroke of a shout out. 🤭) I realize this requires more time and work for you, but I think it's very appealing and a good way to learn from you. Side question, do you have a Patreon account yet? Your way of teaching is something I'd like to support.

Great video! Thank you. How do you take the tape off, please? Do you pull or cut it off? 🤔

WONDERFUL!!!! Question though..... after you complete your painting.... how do you get it out from under that tape???????

I've always been an advocate of properly stretching paper with gum strip since I was at art college training as a graphic designer in the 70s, and before at school! I think it's a pleasurable and satisfying process in fact. Using masking tape without stretching is an unsatisfactory and lazy solution in my book. Also noticed the Rowland Hilder book on your shelf. What an absolute master.

I got this wrong first time, missed your drying board edge trick. The tape lifted. Tried again and I must have missed a wet patch down one side. Luckily I had been keeping a watchful eye on my prepped board and caught it just in time as i noticed the tape growing an air pocket and rescued it by tightly binding masking tape all the way around my board like a belt. Phew! This langtons prestige paper makes me 😓 😬 nervous... i will follow your video to the letter next piece. Sorry I rambled, thanks Oliver.

Oliver, what a beautiful painting. Any chance you did a video while you were painting it?

Such a useful channel. I’ve only recently started in watercolour so lots to learn. Quick question about boards. I use a sheet of acrylic (non porous) to tape my paper down onto. When stretching paper should it be taped to a porous surface? I’m concerned that it may not dry out properly on the acrylic sheet.

Hi Mr. Pyle, I have really benefited from your watercolor videos! Thank you for all the hard work you've put into this channel. I was hoping that you could answer a technical question of mine. When I paint with watercolor, I like to sketch the composition out to get my lines right on a separate sheet of drawing paper, and then use a light box to lightly transfer it to the watercolor paper when I'm happy with my sketch. I'm running into the problem where either I am unable to transfer using the light box because the watercolor paper is stretched on a piece of wood, or my graphite lines sink into the paper and become much harder to erase when they are put through the paper stretching process. What can I do to solve these issues, or is there a better way to do this? Also, I like to use liquid drawing gum to block out white tones, but am unsure of when is the best time to add those in: before the stretching or after it's dried after stretching?

Nicely done video, Oliver. One thing that you (and every other watercolorist I’ve seen discussing this topic) didn’t address - how do you get the tape off the board once you’ve cut the painting out?

I'm at that age now where I even have to stretch before painting... Stretching paper has worked properly once in all the years I've been painting, keen to see if this technique works.

Looks easy the way you do it! Do you go round the edges with a razor to cut the painting out? And what do you do with the remaining paper on the board, leave it and paste over it with next painting or??

Great info for a beginner like myself….one question do you have a video of how you drew the picture of the river Aaron?

I heard from an austrian watercolorpainter, who paints since over 40 years and often works on very thin inges paper that he doesn't strech his paper but glues his paper down with thinned wallpaper paste leaving only a small corner, where he can take off the paper afterwards. So this seems to be an good option as well. 🙂

I have watched several of your videos and I just want to say thanks for your clear and informative instructions. I have yet to put paint to paper, and for me, just watching your videos is so inspiring. I do have, I feel a silly question regarding this technique of stretching the paper, maybe you have previously addressed this. I can see that you would stretch your paper when in the studio, but what do you do when you are painting outdoors? Also, for me as a beginner, I feel I would need to have a dozen sheets of paper all stretched and ready to go should I want to start something over. Thanks again for putting together really great information. Ready to paint in Phoenix, AZ!