The 5 Best Watercolor Papers for Artists in 2025
Not all watercolor papers can keep up with your creative steps. In this guide, I compare the five I trust most in 2025—so you can find your perfect dance partner on the easel.
Choosing watercolor paper is a little like choosing a dance partner—you want one that makes you look good, doesn’t trip you up, and can keep pace when things get messy. I’ve ruined more paintings than I care to admit on cheap paper. One buckled so badly it looked like a potato chip. Lesson learned: the right paper matters.
Below I’ll share the five papers I trust most in 2025, plus a quick breakdown of textures, weights, and what to look for before you drop serious money on a block.
Quick Picks (2025)
- Fabriano Artistico – My daily driver. Tough, versatile, and doesn’t complain when I scrub.
- Saunders Waterford – A pro’s favorite, smooth as a Ferrari, with the price tag to match.
- Arches Bright White – The bulletproof option, built to last generations.
- Blick Premier – Training wheels that don’t embarrass you. Great value for practice or first serious pieces.
- Winsor & Newton Professional – The underrated “indie band” of papers. Affordable, surprisingly solid.
Before I was a paintslinger, I was a full-time competitive ballroom dance instructor. Can you see the rhythm in my washes? The way edges soften and harden like steps on a dance floor? Yeah, me neither. But, paper choice plays a role in that rhythm too—some sheets lead, others stumble.
Why Good Paper Matters
Cheap paper is like cheap shoes—you can walk in them, but you’ll feel every pebble. With watercolor, low-grade sheets buckle, dull your washes, and make lifting nearly impossible. High-quality cotton paper holds up under heavy washes, glazes, and even a bit of scrubbing.
The Three Types of Watercolor Paper
- Hot Press – Smooth as glass. Fantastic for detail work and pen-and-wash, but paint skates like it’s on ice. Beginners often struggle.
- Cold Press – The “just right” middle ground. Forgiving, textured enough for character, smooth enough for detail.
- Rough – Tooth for days. Amazing granulation and expressive washes, but less control. Perfect if you love wild textures.
Student vs. Professional Grade
Student Paper: usually wood pulp. Cheap, good for practice, but buckles easily. Think sketchbook warmups.
Professional Paper: 100% cotton. Archival, durable, and handles water like a champ. Costs more, but worth it if you want your art to last.
The 5 Best Watercolor Papers of 2025
1. Fabriano Artistico
- Why I love it: My go-to paper. It’s versatile and can handle a beating (scrubbing, lifting, reworking).
- Unique feature: The only brand that offers a “soft press” texture, sitting between cold press and hot press.
- Buy it: Blick
2. Saunders Waterford
- Why I love it: Elegant handling and beautifully crafted. Endorsed by the Royal Watercolour Society.
- Unique feature: “High White” option makes colors pop brighter than traditional Natural White.
- Buy it: Blick
3. Arches Bright White
- Why I love it: Legendary durability. Feels like you could hose it off and it’d still hold a wash (don’t try it).
- Unique feature: Brighter base without optical brighteners = pure color vibrancy.
- Buy it: Blick
4. Blick Premier
- Why I love it: Best bang for your buck. Great for practice and first serious paintings without killing your wallet.
- Unique feature: Internally and externally sized for better lifting, rare at this price point.
- Buy it: Blick
5. Winsor & Newton Professional
- Why I love it: The underdog. Affordable, strong, and dependable—yet often overlooked.
- Unique feature: 100% cotton, archival, and bright natural white without brighteners.
- Buy it: Blick
Here it is, the absolute best watercolor blocks money can buy!
Honestly, I'm not a block guy these days, I prefer paper. But I use to be and can recommend my top two picks below.
Fabriano Artistico Bright White – Best block paper
Maybe you prefer blocks over single sheets and that’s totally cool. In this case I would stick with Fabriano Artistico block that comes in bright white, 140 lb cold press. It’s offered in various sizes but 12″ x 18″ is ideal for studies and beginner finished art.
There are a total of 20 sheets per block/pad. And use the back as well. Many students only use one side of paper and miss out on the other side. After-all, you will probably invest most of your time doing studies, exercises and sketches. So, why not use it all and get more mileage out of the paper?
Buy Fabriano Artistico Blocks at Blicks
Fabriano Studio Watercolor Blocks – Runner Up and Budget Friendly
As you can see I’m a fan of the Fabriano brand. They do a great job of producing quality products at affordable prices.
The Fabriano Studio Block is great for painting on location! It’s a professional-quality paper is 100% cotton, acid-free, gelatin-sized and archival, ideal for watercolors artists.
Shop Fabriano Studio Blocks at Blick
Two things you need to know about watercolor paper
- Paper weight is specified by how much 500 sheets of that paper weighs in lbs. (pounds). The higher the weight, the thicker and more durable the paper. With shopping for high quality watercolor paper, you want to go as heavy as your budget allows. Good watercolor paper for beginners starts with at least 140 lb cold press (CPS). You shouldn’t go any lighter, or really any heavier. It can handle all types of watercolor washes and techniques.
- One factor that is very important, but often not talked about is sizing. Sizing reduces how much a piece of paper soaks up water allowing you to paint for longer before it buckles which causes your painting to pucker and wrinkle – no fun! Good watercolor paper for beginners should have sizing already built in so that you don’t have to fuss with paper and focus on other more important things like color, values and so on.
What’s The Difference Between Hot, Cold And Rough Press?
- Hot press: this is a smooth surface suitable for very detailed work. It’s also a fav for illustrators that prefer to use ink pens and draw over their watercolor washes. Paint can be more difficult to control with a slick surface which makes this a more challenging paper for beginners.
- Cold press: this has a slightly rough texture to it which makes it easier to control washes. Beginners often find this somewhat difficult and confusing at first. The texture allows the water to move around a bit and will often dry with some random qualities. Again, beginners who try to control the wash too much will fuss over this and typically that will ruin the work.
- Rough press: basically cold press on steroids. It’s suited for very loose work and those watercolorists that really want to push the randomness of the paint. The wet washes will settle into ruts in the paper and often dry unevenly as compared to cold press paper.
Watercolor Papers To Avoid For Beginners
- Popular papers such as Arches: it’s overpriced and overrated in my opinion. It costs about 20% more than Fabriano Artistico and really doesn’t make any difference in the outcome of your work. Many beginner watercolor artists blame their mistakes on materials but usually it has more to do with their technique, not paper, paint or brushes.
- Student grade papers: it’s made of wood pulp and maybe a little cotton if you’re lucky. The paper just doesn’t respond well to the characteristics of the medium. Plus it dries very slow and will buckle when wet which makes your washes puddle up in random places. This puddling will also cause ballooning, or a cauliflower effect.
- Sketchbooks: they look so cool but really a waste of money. Buy full sheets or blocks to the job and I would personally recommend saving your money and investing it in other things like more paint. Be sure to check out these other articles where I share thoughts on watercolor brushes, and the perfect watercolor setup for beginners.
Ultimate Decision
It really comes down to how you prefer to paint. Blocks are great because they’re lightly sealed, or glued, along the sides which helps reduce buckling. While loose paper would need to be taped to a firm board to help prevent buckling.
My personal choice is Fabriano Artistico, bright white, 140 lb. cold press, full sheets. I find them very flexible and easier to work with because I can reduce them to smaller sizes and have several paintings going at once.
Everyone is a little different so why not try both to see how which you prefer?
One thing for sure both options are suitable watercolor surfaces for beginner and experienced watercolorists. And whatever you decide on please avoid cheap, student grade paper if you have the budget. They just don’t respond the same and can easily cause more frustration in the long run.
I hope you enjoyed the article and it helps you decide on which watercolor paper works best for you.
Next Steps
- See how paper choice affects washes and lifting → Watercolor Hub
- These are my go-to watercolor paints and brushes?
- Browse original watercolor art (painted on the good stuff) → My Etsy Shop
