hi guys! I have to say I loved making this video, particularly considering how the results weren't what I expected at all! After watching this video, I think it will become quite clear that I need your assistance with some issues so... if you know the answers to my questions, please let me know! Other than that... just enjoy! :D
I’ve tried both the Academy and the Baohong artist grade, and preferred the Academy grade, just seemed to hold the color better and overall just easier to paint on.
@@docsavagefan2795 I feel the same. Academy is a pleasure to paint on, I don't know if the paper structure is more forgiving or what, but it's really good to deal with.
One thing I found with Bao Hung Academy is that it is difficult to get off the block and thickness of the pages varies. As long as it’s cheaper and 100% cotton, I’ll continue to use it for practice. I like Legion’s 100% cotton, also.
From all I have seen, the Artist version is just course paper where the academy paper is textured almost the same as Arches cold press. Course texture can hold more color (takes more color to do that), and it is useful for when you want to pull the brush across until you run dry, leaving that interesting hit or miss thing. I do lots of portraits, so that would not be a plus, but it has great value to those doing things like landscapes. I was looking at this 12x16 and saw the academy for $30 (block of 20) and that artist for $40. Unless you need the rough texture, that's a no brainer, and the cheaper one would likely be better for those preferring normal surface texture. In the meantime I've been doing my own study of portraits on various cotton papers 12x16 cold press: Saunders A+, Arches A, Stonehenge Legion A-, Meeden A-, Fabriano B+, New York Central B, Artbeek C+ (they don't make it very large, either), Strathmore C-. All of that just based upon my work and maybe different for others, but I put big value on the paper holding up to 10 layers, reductive painting, sometimes outright brutality, while still making the piece feel clean and mudless. Time to add Baohong to this study. Oh, and I should add that if you look above I have Stonehenge and Meeden both rated at a high A-. But they both work really differently. Different is sometimes just fine (bleeds, rate of absorption, effort needed to smooth a line) Difference can mean that you just need to get used to it, not necessarily that one paper is worse than the other. This is one reason why Arches seems to always have an advantage: Folks compare everything to it, not necessarily understanding that a thing can be different and still be just as good or maybe even better. Knowing when something is just different and not actually bad, takes some introspection. Peeling, blotchiness, lack of bleed, inability to lift, those things are bad.
I really like the Academy hot press. First time using hot press and found it absolutely wonderful. Better than the cold press. It’s great when using paint and ink. Try it on a small pad and tell us what you think!
Thank you very much for making this video. I was very curious to know what is the difference, and could not find anything online, so your video is very helpful. Have a wonderful day!
Student papers are traditionally harder sized (so more paint stays on the surface). That's for easier lifting, since it's assumed the student will make more mistakes. I think that's why the red laid down so evenly and so brightly, and lifted more easily. Other than that they seem super similar.
I also use both papers from Baohong and am delighted with the quality of both variants. They easily stand up to comparison with some more expensive papers (e.g. Hahnemühle). The paper structure of academy paper and master paper is almost identical in terms of the degree of roughness. And I have to agree that you would assume “rough” just by looking at the paper. What can be noted here is that the structure of the master paper seems to be more uneven, which can certainly lead to more interesting results. From a block size above Quarter Imperial (15 “x11”) the price difference between Baohong and other brands (e.g. Arches) disappears.
@@sandyowncraftsi just got a 10 m roll as well. Cutting it is the easy part, as I have a guiliotine style paper cutter. The problem is that the paper stays curved and not flat. Not a big problem if you wet both sides before you tape it down to a board.
FYI: My understanding is that there are three grades of Baohong… Academy, which I use, Artists Professional grade, and Masters Choice which is quite different and over twice the price of Academy. I have just ordered some MC through one of the Master Watercolourists (Michael Solovyev), and it is only available in sheets as far as I know. It was designed with input from many of the contemporary masters, and many are using it exclusively now.
@@sandyowncrafts - I haven’t… I paint on Academy (and Arches) most often. I love the quality and the price. It will be interesting to see what they do with the MC once it’s been out for a bit… hopefully they will make blocks, and more people will carry it, so the price goes down.
Unsure what the price is like where you are but Mont Marte (Australian art brand) has some 100% cotton water colour paper and it’s comparable with Bao Hong in my opinion. I like the BH paper but it’s getting expensive with increasing popularity. The MM paper is easy for me to buy in store which is an added bonus
apparently the academy has been discontinued and the professional has got new packaging, so now comes the question... which paper remains? are they selling the academy one as Masters' choice now? or did we lose the two sided version 🤔🤔
I have been told that master's choice is a third option that no longer exists but when I did my research for the video, the website had the professional grade as master's choice, yes.
Wild guess here: maybe the Academy is machine-made and the Artist’s is mould-made? If so, that could explain the difference in texture! As far as I know, mould-made has the tendency of exhibiting texture that is rougher and more random. Maybe that’s the difference, who knows? 😺
Where in the EU are you? I really like Fabriano, 25% cotton and 100%cotton. I still have a ton of Arches 300Lb which I didn’t like. Went back to 140Lb and only Fabriano. Frankly, I can’t tell the difference between your papers. I’d definitely stick with the lower cost one.
@@sandyowncrafts Hi, have you tried Fabriano? It’s really inexpensive by the sheet. Yes, you should try Arches, but I don’t think it’s all that as they say. I’ve used Arches 140Lb too and it’s nice but I like to paint skies and they come better on Fabriano, really smooth. You could go to Serra Da Estrela to become inspired by the sky… and buy some cheese too!
Heheh yes, there is a lot of inspiration to be had at Serra da Estrela for sure. Fabriano is expensive around here,.sometimes more than Arches. But there are so many brands out there people love loke Strathmore and hahnemuhle, I absolutely want to try them all! 😁
I'm in Brazil and here, Hanehmule is the most accessible one. They have a variety of papers with 100% cotton and I love Cesanne, The Collection, Leonardo and the affordable one, Expression. I tried Arches and Fabriano,.Winsor & Newton and Strathmore, but felt the quality does not improve as the price does . 😂 Baohong Academy keeps being the paper I feel most confortable using, with no guilty and obtaining the best results. I tested them all using tape, masking fluid, painting on the place you just extracted the masking and the tape, painting a circle with water and dropping only a tiny bit of paint and observing how the paint behaves, and the baohong one succeeded in every challenge. Definitely, my chosen one 👏❤️
@@celirondoni7717 Oi Celi, eu moro na Europa e estou voltando a morar no Brasil. Estou tão perdida em relaçao onde comprar material de aquarela e preço já que aqui é tudo tao mais barato que no Brasil!! Voce poderia me ajudar? Onde vc compra papel? Que lugares sao confiaveis para comprar as coisas? E a aquarela? Eu uso White Nights e aqui é tao barato, dei uma olhada no google e meu deus.. é tao caro no Brasil! Espero que possa me ajudar! Obrigada. Sara
@@sandyowncrafts you get used to it. The rough is amazing for trees and landscapes. i would certainly have a cold press at hand for anything more detailed. But the finish for the artist is more vibrant, it dries slower, the paint moves better, etc., a very different quality to Academy.
hi guys! I have to say I loved making this video, particularly considering how the results weren't what I expected at all! After watching this video, I think it will become quite clear that I need your assistance with some issues so... if you know the answers to my questions, please let me know!
Other than that... just enjoy! :D
Thank you for the great review! I buy Baohong paper in rolls online and I cut them down myself. This saves me a ton of money.
I’ve tried both the Academy and the Baohong artist grade, and preferred the Academy grade, just seemed to hold the color better and overall just easier to paint on.
Yes, the artist grade is much more rugged!
@@docsavagefan2795 I feel the same. Academy is a pleasure to paint on, I don't know if the paper structure is more forgiving or what, but it's really good to deal with.
my favourite..
i used so many paper brands .. but the BAOHONG is still my favourite..i used it for more than 2 years
i love it..highly recommend it ..
One thing I found with Bao Hung Academy is that it is difficult to get off the block and thickness of the pages varies. As long as it’s cheaper and 100% cotton, I’ll continue to use it for practice. I like Legion’s 100% cotton, also.
That's true! It's probably the hardest one I own!
From all I have seen, the Artist version is just course paper where the academy paper is textured almost the same as Arches cold press. Course texture can hold more color (takes more color to do that), and it is useful for when you want to pull the brush across until you run dry, leaving that interesting hit or miss thing. I do lots of portraits, so that would not be a plus, but it has great value to those doing things like landscapes.
I was looking at this 12x16 and saw the academy for $30 (block of 20) and that artist for $40. Unless you need the rough texture, that's a no brainer, and the cheaper one would likely be better for those preferring normal surface texture.
In the meantime I've been doing my own study of portraits on various cotton papers 12x16 cold press: Saunders A+, Arches A, Stonehenge Legion A-, Meeden A-, Fabriano B+, New York Central B, Artbeek C+ (they don't make it very large, either), Strathmore C-. All of that just based upon my work and maybe different for others, but I put big value on the paper holding up to 10 layers, reductive painting, sometimes outright brutality, while still making the piece feel clean and mudless. Time to add Baohong to this study.
Oh, and I should add that if you look above I have Stonehenge and Meeden both rated at a high A-. But they both work really differently. Different is sometimes just fine (bleeds, rate of absorption, effort needed to smooth a line) Difference can mean that you just need to get used to it, not necessarily that one paper is worse than the other. This is one reason why Arches seems to always have an advantage: Folks compare everything to it, not necessarily understanding that a thing can be different and still be just as good or maybe even better. Knowing when something is just different and not actually bad, takes some introspection. Peeling, blotchiness, lack of bleed, inability to lift, those things are bad.
thank you so much! That was really useful! 😀
I like your comparisons!
I really like the Academy hot press. First time using hot press and found it absolutely wonderful. Better than the cold press. It’s great when using paint and ink. Try it on a small pad and tell us what you think!
I've never tried anything other than cold pressed. So much stuff to try in the bew year, can't wait!! Thank you for the suggestion 😁
Thank you very much for making this video. I was very curious to know what is the difference, and could not find anything online, so your video is very helpful. Have a wonderful day!
So glad I could help! 🥰
Student papers are traditionally harder sized (so more paint stays on the surface). That's for easier lifting, since it's assumed the student will make more mistakes. I think that's why the red laid down so evenly and so brightly, and lifted more easily. Other than that they seem super similar.
I didn't know that, but it does make sense! Thank you 😊
Prices seem to have doubled since the last time I bought. I stocked up about two years ago.
@@SuperCutealien yeah, it's getting more and more popular... I noticed it too.
@@sandyowncraftsdo you still recommend bahong papere academy ? I am a beginer painter and i neeed a paper that lift wery well color from the paper ?
@@bijelimedved2983 Yes I do, best price for quality by far.
I also use both papers from Baohong and am delighted with the quality of both variants. They easily stand up to comparison with some more expensive papers (e.g. Hahnemühle). The paper structure of academy paper and master paper is almost identical in terms of the degree of roughness. And I have to agree that you would assume “rough” just by looking at the paper. What can be noted here is that the structure of the master paper seems to be more uneven, which can certainly lead to more interesting results.
From a block size above Quarter Imperial (15 “x11”) the price difference between Baohong and other brands (e.g. Arches) disappears.
Thank you so much for your input, it's really helpful 😀
Wow, thank you for doing this video :) makes me very keen to try out some baohong paper!
Give it a try, you'll love it 😁
Thank you for this comparison, I was wondering about the difference between those two 🤗 Thank you for your honest opinion 🙏
Thank you for the comparisons.I think the academy is the nicest. I have just purchased a 10metre roll.
I've been thinking about that but have such a small desk that I'm afraid I won't be able to cut it properly
@@sandyowncraftsi just got a 10 m roll as well. Cutting it is the easy part, as I have a guiliotine style paper cutter. The problem is that the paper stays curved and not flat. Not a big problem if you wet both sides before you tape it down to a board.
FYI: My understanding is that there are three grades of Baohong… Academy, which I use, Artists Professional grade, and Masters Choice which is quite different and over twice the price of Academy. I have just ordered some MC through one of the Master Watercolourists (Michael Solovyev), and it is only available in sheets as far as I know. It was designed with input from many of the contemporary masters, and many are using it exclusively now.
Hi, thank you. I've been told they're ending one of the ranges and selling just the Baohong/Academy range. Have you heard anything about that?
@@sandyowncrafts - I haven’t… I paint on Academy (and Arches) most often. I love the quality and the price. It will be interesting to see what they do with the MC once it’s been out for a bit… hopefully they will make blocks, and more people will carry it, so the price goes down.
@@kristapedersen1828can you describe what is to paint on Masters choice, is it worth the price and do colors lift well if i make a mistake?
There is a review of masters choice baohong on UA-cam.
Unsure what the price is like where you are but Mont Marte (Australian art brand) has some 100% cotton water colour paper and it’s comparable with Bao Hong in my opinion. I like the BH paper but it’s getting expensive with increasing popularity. The MM paper is easy for me to buy in store which is an added bonus
Hi. I've never heard of that brand but I'll look into it, thank you!
Thanks for this I’ll try this paper now. X
Let me know what you think!
The Artist has much brighter color pigment with less paint. It’s coarser, so it requires a bit more water yet it holds pigment better.
Yes, the difference in the water was obvious
Love those papers I buy mine on temu all sizes
apparently the academy has been discontinued and the professional has got new packaging, so now comes the question... which paper remains?
are they selling the academy one as Masters' choice now? or did we lose the two sided version 🤔🤔
I didn't know that and it's a big question because the two are very different, particularly texture wise...
@Clara-ow6wz so the texture is the same?
@Clara-ow6wz lets hope it is more similar to the now extinct Academy line then
Love them both😊
I, too, tested both. I cant see a difference in mine as well. ☺️
Aside from one being much more toothy than the other heheh
Hi! Just wondering what brand is if the round brush you are using? Thanks
Hi! It's Talens, I got the set at the supermarket and they were very very cheap. I'm still using them and I quite like them.
So professional graduate same as Masters choice ??
I think they are different?
I have been told that master's choice is a third option that no longer exists but when I did my research for the video, the website had the professional grade as master's choice, yes.
Wild guess here: maybe the Academy is machine-made and the Artist’s is mould-made? If so, that could explain the difference in texture! As far as I know, mould-made has the tendency of exhibiting texture that is rougher and more random. Maybe that’s the difference, who knows? 😺
Temu has the Bao Hong paper even cheaper, I think
Great! I'll check it out.
I started with Canson. I did not like it. Love Academy
Same here!
Baohong is a great paper. It's really good and very cheap
Yes! It was such a great surprise! Even the student grade version is good
No one talks about Blick Premier 100 percent cotton 140 lb watercolor paper blocks and sheets
I don't know that, I don't think they sell it where I live. Do you recommend it?
I have my eye on the student grade one. 👁️
I think you'll love it
@@sandyowncrafts They certainly seem like a solid price/quality pick. 👍
Where in the EU are you? I really like Fabriano, 25% cotton and 100%cotton. I still have a ton of Arches 300Lb which I didn’t like. Went back to 140Lb and only Fabriano. Frankly, I can’t tell the difference between your papers. I’d definitely stick with the lower cost one.
Hi! I'm in Portugal. I'll have to try Arches one of these days but these are so much better priced!
@@sandyowncrafts Hi, have you tried Fabriano? It’s really inexpensive by the sheet. Yes, you should try Arches, but I don’t think it’s all that as they say. I’ve used Arches 140Lb too and it’s nice but I like to paint skies and they come better on Fabriano, really smooth. You could go to Serra Da Estrela to become inspired by the sky… and buy some cheese too!
Heheh yes, there is a lot of inspiration to be had at Serra da Estrela for sure. Fabriano is expensive around here,.sometimes more than Arches. But there are so many brands out there people love loke Strathmore and hahnemuhle, I absolutely want to try them all! 😁
I'm in Brazil and here, Hanehmule is the most accessible one. They have a variety of papers with 100% cotton and I love Cesanne, The Collection, Leonardo and the affordable one, Expression. I tried Arches and Fabriano,.Winsor & Newton and Strathmore, but felt the quality does not improve as the price does . 😂 Baohong Academy keeps being the paper I feel most confortable using, with no guilty and obtaining the best results. I tested them all using tape, masking fluid, painting on the place you just extracted the masking and the tape, painting a circle with water and dropping only a tiny bit of paint and observing how the paint behaves, and the baohong one succeeded in every challenge. Definitely, my chosen one 👏❤️
@@celirondoni7717 Oi Celi, eu moro na Europa e estou voltando a morar no Brasil. Estou tão perdida em relaçao onde comprar material de aquarela e preço já que aqui é tudo tao mais barato que no Brasil!! Voce poderia me ajudar? Onde vc compra papel? Que lugares sao confiaveis para comprar as coisas? E a aquarela? Eu uso White Nights e aqui é tao barato, dei uma olhada no google e meu deus.. é tao caro no Brasil! Espero que possa me ajudar! Obrigada. Sara
That background music... Why?...
I'm sorrryyyyy!! I was still doing experiments and trying new things and... Yeah... It's bad...
Absolutely not. The artist is 100x better.
I find it a bit too toothy
@@sandyowncrafts you get used to it. The rough is amazing for trees and landscapes. i would certainly have a cold press at hand for anything more detailed. But the finish for the artist is more vibrant, it dries slower, the paint moves better, etc., a very different quality to Academy.