How do I decrease the buckling when using watercolor paper?

Is using 400 pound paper enough? can I use a fixative to attatch lighter weight paper to a stronger board? I have not had much luck with taping paper to a board, any advice? thanks

How do I decrease the buckling when using watercolor paper?
Buy a watercolor "block" of paper. Try "Aqvarelle Arches, Bloc Pour L'Aquarelle Et La Detrempe."





It's cold pressed paper, 100% cotton. It comes in 20 sheets per block, 140 lb, 10"x14" blocks...at least that's what I buy, but they may have more options.





Yeah, I just read the back, they come in 6 different sizes, 7"x10" - 18"x24".





You know how when you buy a pad of paper, and it's kinda glued at the top, so you can rip off one page at a time? Well, a block of paper is attached on all four sides. So they're glued together in a block. But, there's a small one inch opening at the top, when you're done painting and it's dried, you just use a bone fold or butter knife to separate the page from the rest of the block.





It's a little more expensive, but WELL worth it!





:)
Reply:You don't need expensive paper to avoid buckling, but you should get the best you can afford and ALWAYS prepare it as follows:


Soak the sheet of paper, let it drip dry, then fix it to your drawing board with paper-fixing tape (brown paper tape that has gum on one side). Let it dry completely, in a warm and airy but not hot place (day or two) before use.





This minimises buckling because paper only really buckles once when it gets wet the first time - you may have realised this if you've tried to 'un-buckle' a sheet of warped paper. Soaking it and letting it dry does it so that it is flat when it dries, and hardly warps when wet again. This is also helped by the fact that the tape holds the sheet in place.
Reply:You really don't need to go to the expense of #400 paper. #140 or #300 work well and resist buckling if you wet both sides of the paper before painting. Clip the top of the paper to your board and lift up liberally spray underneath and on top. Roll off the excess water on top with a towell. The paper is now damp on both sides and will resist buckling. Use #300 is you intend to do a very wet wash over entire sheet, otherwise the less expensive #140 works.
Reply:1) Are you wetting the paper before taping to board? That may be a solution if not being done.


2) Or, have you tried a watercolor pad that you slice each sheet off after you are finished - thus no need to tape and no buckling at all?
Reply:Just tape all the sides of the paper down with masking tape.
Reply:you're supposed to soak the paper in a tub of water for around ten to twenty minutes then let it drip dry for about five seconds then lay it carefully on your board then tape it down with paper tape (the kind your supposed to wet to get it sticky, wet the paper tape and rub it a bit to make sure the sticky side is sticky before laying down the tapes).





when you're already painting make sure you dont use too much water also coz buckling will still happen if you use too much water.





what i do when i'm done and i've made a mistake is wait for it to dry completely then just lay it on the floor and put about 4 encyclopedias on top of it. it'll flatten out believe me!!! :-)
Reply:Just about any decent watercolor instruction book will give you a method for stretching the paper. However, it's only a way of getting the painting to dry flat--it will not prevent it from buckling some when you're painting--particularly if you paint very wet. Water makes the paper fibers swell--and there isn't anything you can do about it. Heavier paper does help--it doesn't buckle as much as lighter weight paper.





Fixative is not glue--don't try to use it that way--it will coat the paper with resin and make it non-absorbent.





Aquarius II paper by Strathmore is a paper made from synthetic fibers and the claim is that it does not buckle. I've never used it so can't say for sure.





You can staple the paper to the board around the edges. It helps hold the paper in place until the glue on the tape dries.



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