How to Prepare Watercolor Paper

Soaking watercolor paper will make the colors blend together more easily.

There are many different methods for watercolor painting on paper. One of these methods includes saturating the paper ahead of time. This allows the watercolor paint to become more fluid and blend into the other colors more readily. In order to successfully paint using this wet-on-wet watercolor painting method, it is important to saturate the paper correctly to prevent it from either becoming overly wet or drying out too quickly.

Things You'll Need

• Jelly roll pan
• Water
• Watercolor paper
• Watercolor board
• Art tape
• Sponge

Instructions

1. Fill a jelly roll pan with water.

2. Place a sheet of watercolor paper into the pan.

3. Let the paper sit in the pan for 10 minutes to properly saturate it.

4. Lay the saturated paper onto a watercolor board.

5. Tape the paper down using art tape. Art tape adheres to wet paper without tearing it when removed.

6. Sponge off any excess water using an art sponge. You can now paint onto the watercolor paper using watercolor paints.

References

• Watercolor Painting Tips: Preparing Watercolor Paper