Strathmore(298-103 400 Series Watercolor Pad, 5.5"x8.5", 12 Sheets , White

This is quite good for a 140 lb pulp watercolor paper. Being a block, there is some buckling, but it flattens-out nicely when dry. It works well with watercolor, gouache, ink and charcoal. As it is cold press texture, there is enough tooth for charcoal and pastels. Since my work is done almost exclusively on 100% cotton paper, this Strathmore exceeded my expectations. The individual sheets were easily removed from the block with no damage at all to the paper. Artist's tape also was removed cleanly without tearing. Overall, this paper performs very well. It accepts rather wet washes and allows for gentle pigment lifting.

The first this I did was have painter’s tape ready and back-roll (start at outer edge and loosely roll backwards into itself) the whole roll. It’s easier with two people and an empty tube mailer or similar to tape and roll into but can be done fine without either, and I have physical disabilities. I then left it for around a week. This pretty much erases the dreaded page curl problem you get from some rolled papers. Trust me. Do this step before trying to jump right in. Patience really is a virtue 😁After that 5-6 days I started using. Assessing as a low to mid-range watercolor product I love this paper!Pros-Can’t beat the price per square inch. I listed that first because why else do you buy in a bulk roll? To be frugal. 🤷🏼‍♀️Lovely surface. Not as toothy as a lot of cold-press but not quite as smooth as hot-press. It’s like having the silky water/paint flow of HP with a bit more control of the CP. Best of best worlds for my liking.Takes a lot of water, multiple washes and working without pulling, and multi-temp blow dries. Doesn’t warp heavily but when it does buckle air drying with heat brings it back to its original shape which is fantastic 👍🏻 (I do work with all sides taped down so helps reshape/structure as the fibers heat and shrink back up.)Able to move color around, re-wet and lift color, glazing looks very nice, good and heavy like thick cardstock, doesn’t want to peel when removing tape.No bleed-though.Gave successfully used the following: watercolor paints and pencils (including metallics), gouache, gel pens, markers, permanent markers, black and white charcoal, oil pencils.Cons- Takes time and effort to do the re-roll and cutting pages to size, as opposed to buying precut loose leaf, pads or blocks. BUT the savings is substantial and you can not only choose your sizes, including custom measurements, but i save nearly all scrap pieces to paint/doodle on and use with other mixed projects. So very very little goes to waste.Lastly- I can’t speak to scrubbing as in my usage I don’t do a lot of that. The amount I have done it’s handled fine though.I won’t be without this paper. Inexpensive enough to practice til the cows come home. Quality enough to be proud to display the artwork I do on it and give as gifts.

Just learning to watercolor. and this paper is good quality. The thickness keeps it from curling and absorbs as it should. Good size pad.

I liked working with the block that I didn't have to tape down my paper. But the paper warped and it wasn't only the one two papers down were warped by the opening where you begin to take the paper off the block, also paint bled to those papers at that spot. I will make sure I will tape that area before I paint from now on. The paper is very nice and sturdy, and I will probably buy this again. The weight was good, I like a heavier weight but can't afford at this time, so for the money this is a good value.

I have used these for years with no problem. Dries flat, can be reworked. Of course some colors, especially purple, can not be lifted when set. The blocks are the way to go: that and one good brush and watercolors are not difficult.

Good watercolor paper , nice quality!

Great quality rough texture paper for painting watercolors. Have been using this paper for years. Each piece is bound on all 4 sides to make a block...making it really convenient to work on since you don’t have to worry about the edges buckling up while the paper is wet. Also easy to remove each piece after it’s dry. Very happy with this paper.

I have a slight paper fetish and love the flexibility that 10 yards of 42" wide paper offers me. I also read the reviews to have an idea of what to expect. This roll of paper came as described - wrapped in a shrink plastic container and unboxed. You will see photos of what happens at the end of the rolls - they aren't my photos, though my roll bears striking similarity. I found that a Staedtler white plastic eraser removed 98% of the marks without damaging the paper. You will also read a review here about back rolling the paper onto another tube and letting it rest a few days before working with it - that is Golden advice particularly if you want sheets that will stay flat when taped to a board for painting. I will probably use this paper to make concertina sketchbooks. 42 inches will give me a lot of variety but I will probably choose a 12" and three 10" inch tall concertina books about 10 feet long. The paper is 140 pounds (300gsm) and is a good student quality so it will be excellent for my purpose. I am very happy to have it.