• 2015.09.04 13:22:05
• Posted in: text / reference, watercolors
• 658 eyeballs
• Tags: tools

Here are my quick and sloppy biased testing results among

Moleskine Watercolor Pocket
Moleskine Watercolour Album (Pocket) Art Plus
FABRIANO acquarello 300g/m² watercolor block 5″x7″ extra white cold pressed
CANSON Montval 300g/m² watercolor block 19cm x 24cm Cold pressed
Bockingford 300g/m² watercolor pad 7″x5″ CP (NOT) WHITE
REMBRANDT 300g/m² watercolor block 13.5cm x 18cm medium grain 25% cotton
Gordon 701 Watercolor & Acrylic 250g/m² 6″ x8.5″
Arches Watercolor Paper Pad rough 127lbs
Arches Sheet Single (my 4th batch, honestly I can’t tell if they’re the same, they all stink tho)

Actual look
Moleskine > Fabriano > Canson  > Bockingford > Art Plus > Gordon > Rembrandt > Arches Sheet > Arches

Scan (relative to the actual look)
Gordon >>> REMBRANDT >> Moleskine > Fabriano > Art Plus > Bockingford > Arches >> Canson = Arches Sheet

Water
Fabriano >> Arches Sheet >> Bockingford > Arches > Canson > Moleskine > Art Plus >> Gordon >> Rembrandt

Texture
Moleskine > Fabriano > Canson > Arches Sheet > Bockingford > Arches > Rembrandt > Art Plus >  Gordon

Liners
Gordon >>>>>>> Canson > Rembrandt > Moleskine = Art Plus > Bockingford > Arches > Arches Sheet = Fabriano

Graphic
Gordon >>>>>>> Canson > Moleskine = Art Plus > Bockingford > Fabriano > Rembrandt > Arches = Arches Sheet

Overall
Moleskine > Canson > Fabriano > Arches Sheet > Bockingford > Art Plus  >>  Arches > Gordon > Rembrandt

Moleskine – I like the grainy look.
Art Plus – Quality control is shitty. Textures differ from page to page, some pages can’t even take water, but there’s still a possibility to get the grainy look.
FABRIANO – I don’t like how the liners feel on the paper. It’s more suited for water, like Arches.
CANSON –  Overall GREAT, except for the fact that scans look horrible… ugh.
Bockingford – not bad actually
Arches sheet – You smelly and I still don’t know how to use you… liners a no no. I think the previous batch looked better also sucked water better.
Arches pad – There’s probably 20 different types last time I checked. Why you yellow? Kinda crummy for smaller detailed work.
REMBRANDT – liners feels ok, I think, watercolor is just… noooooo… noooooooooooooo
Gordon – funky grooves yet surface is super slick for liners/graphic, my guess is it fits well with markers