If you learned at least ONE tiny thing in this video, click the like button and share with an artsy friend!! Did I forget anything major or want me to cover a different kind of paper or topic?? Let me know below!! And thanks so much for hanging out with me today! ❤️
I feel so validated lol I have always found mixed media paper lacking for mixed media work. I decided some years ago to just use watercolor paper. I thought I was alone. So happy to hear you say “skip the mixed media paper”!
Usually, the best choice is Watercolor paper, which come in 3 different styles and in many different brands. If you're doing sketching with dry mediums, pencils etc, Fabriano Artistico Hot Pressed (Either Extra or Traditional white) is one of the best options, especially if you want a slight color warmth, which makes sketches look way better. If you want, the best possible "White" paper, for Graphite pencil drawing/sketching, then Arches Hot Pressed, is by far the best option! For watercolors, go with "Cold Press" papers, because that's what kind of paper, can hold water, to be able to use wet on wet etc. Arches Cold Pressed then Winsor & Newton Professional, or Hahnenuhle Cezanne, are some of the best options. Finally, there are Soft Pastels, that usually Artists lean towards Mi-Teintes or Pan Pastel papers and if you want a mixed media paper, I'd suggest the CANSON GRADUATE Mixed media 220gr in either Grey color if you're doing head portraits or birds etc, or Natural color if you're drawing anything else!! For Polychromos, Either Fabriano Aritstico Extra White Hot Pressed, or for more experienced artists, a couple of layers of Winsor & Newton (or Finnabair) Clear Gesso on any drawing paper, can provide a super fantastic drawing surface, that can make Polychromos work WAY faster, easier and look much , MUCH better, than any paper can provide.
Thanks for sharing Karen. I use watercolor a lot. And I do use other mediums as well. Did not know the watercolor paper could be used with mix media projects. Good to know. 🙂
Thank you! I have just been using Canson but the Fabriano looks great. Just as an aside, I have that coffee cup, mine has a large leaf and says fall is my season.
Thank you for the great video, as always! There's a point at which you say you don't know how much cotton is in a paper if it's not listed, and I'd hazard the guess that all those papers that don't specifically advertise that they contain cotton are either entirely made of cellulose or wood pulp. Typically if there IS cotton in a paper type, I believe that manufacturers will advertise the heck out of it. ;)
Thank you Karen. What was the brand of art journal with the rough water color paper that you showed in this video? It has birds and flowers in it. Looked amazing!!!! I never understood the difference between cold, hot, and rough pressed paper and you literally explained it so simply it seemed like I should have always known that!
Hi Karen, Amanda here from the UK I've been following your channel for years 😍🎨 Where's your Strathmore watercolour 400 series journal 🤔 the best paper I have ever used for mixed media, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have known about it, I'm surprised you have not mentioned that paper 🤔☺️😘
I only wanted to deal with loose leaf in this video. But that paper IS cold pressed 140 lbs, the exact paper I recommend (so one and the same just in art journal form). I have a separate art journal video coming out!
Hi Karen! This is my first time on your channel and I did Subscribe. I'm in the market for a good art journal that will take tons of everything I can throw on it, so my question is what are or is the best mixed media art journal(s). I'm okay with spending whatever I need to right now so price isn't really an issue. Thanks!
Hi Karen, I've been meaning to ask you, can you use watercolor paper on both sides? Like, for instance in an art journal. Would the color bleed through to the other side, and ruin whatever you have in the previous page? Pardon my ignorance.
The watercolor paper does not work well with colored pencils in my opinion. Maybe I will try a different one. Another thing I liked about a certain mixed media paper is a blue-toned paper that is amazing .
*what are the effects/results of pretreating the reverse side of your paper with something like the alum (a weak solution) used for marbling and then sealing it several times with a fixative after it dries?...what sort of interesting granulation patterns might result from such an experiment?*
I have absolutely zero clue - but that sounds like a super cool experiment to try out, absolutely!!! I’m assuming when you say granulation that’s means you’re wondering what would happen with watercolors? Have you tied this yourself? If you’re treating the back but not the front they won’t have an interaction at all…now my mind is spinning with possibilities….let me know what medium you were thinking of putting on the front side../
*exactly...i'm thinking that the patterns or crystallization from the alum would still be there especially if not done to make the paper soppy wet and soaking all the way through to the other side which i would personally want to avoid given how alum on marbled paper fixes the adherence of a dye or pigment being used resulting in sharp and defined edges...useful in some respects but limits the spontaneity and creative intermingling of other colors while painting that watercolor is known for*
@@KarenCampbellArtist *not at all...i have experimented with this idea/concept somewhat using my derwent grapitent half pan set...i like the results but i'm also not a professional artist...more of an enthusiastic dabbler in artistic creativity ...the real trick would be getting the saturation ratio correct...maybe even using the salt blooming technique on the actual painting side would enhance the effects... another tangent to start running after...oh look a SQUIRREL!!!!!*
@@KarenCampbellArtist Watercolor is porous paper. Of course, the back of the paper would interact with the front. I’ve never heard of this. I want to try it.
Amazon - it's by Speedball. Last time I checked they didn't have it anymore but I get 90% of my supplies from Amazon and the other 10% from Jerry's Artarama for the most part!
Hey Karen and everyone who loves her totally bummed hurt my right arm and it’s my dominant arm and not being able to create is sooooo frustrating anyone have any ideas?I have been trying with my left hand but grrrr anyway I love anything mixed media paint watercolor drawing pretty much anything…
Yes my suggestion would have been the same, to just go for it with your left - but be more "okay" with your performance there!!!! (i.e. be nice to yourself!) I'm so sorry you got hurt!!!
Might be the time to experiment with collaging and abstract art where you can imply the shapes of things (landscapes) then after your arm heals you can go back in with a micron pen and add the details. My arm isn't injured but I've been experimenting out of curiosity. I saw a similar effect somewhere and I loved that they used drips, drops, and lose brush strokes to create a whole Victorian looking garden. My results aren't consistent but I've only done three projects. Was disappointed with the first one, loved the second, and the third isn't going on the bin, lol. Progress not perfection, right? Happy experimenting! I think I would die without some kind of art in my life or at best, my head would explode! 😡🤯😆
@@mimiladd9888 that's the journey isn't it? Learning to shut off the critic and let go of our expectations and let our art become whatever it's supposed to be. Techniques are easy to learn, with practice you can become a professional, but if you cannot shut down your critic it steals your joy and takes all the fun out of it so people quit before the miracle happens. If you have any young kids around they are the best teachers because they love everything they do and if their project isn't going the way they want, they just change course. I've become a much better artist since homeschooling my grandkids, lol. Great little teachers!
Watercolor markers ? … Canson Montval Artist watercolor paper. Nothing cotton. Cotton will drain your markers because it’s made to soak up liquid. Regular / alcohol markers , just what she said, Bristol.
@@IzzymaticArt correct. I don’t recommend Mixed Media paper. It isn’t absorbent enough for watersoluble media and is okay for collage and such as a base but since watercolor paper IS 100% appropriate for 100% of mixed media projects (no matter WHAT art supplies you throw at it and no matter how much water) why even get it 🤷♀️ That’s just me though!! Everyone can use what they love!
If you learned at least ONE tiny thing in this video, click the like button and share with an artsy friend!! Did I forget anything major or want me to cover a different kind of paper or topic?? Let me know below!! And thanks so much for hanging out with me today! ❤️
I did hear some interesting thoughts and ideas but I don’t think tiny so I might have missed the tiny thoughts. Peace.
Fabulous! Just one note - watercolor paper also comes in 300# :-)
Thanks, Vonalda!
Karen a very useful video as always. So many instructors forget that beginners have never been told these fundamental facts. Many thanks.
You know I'm ashamed I've been teaching for this long and I've never formally brought it up!!! You're absolutely right! Thanks for watching!
I feel so validated lol I have always found mixed media paper lacking for mixed media work. I decided some years ago to just use watercolor paper. I thought I was alone. So happy to hear you say “skip the mixed media paper”!
Yes! right?! Absolutely!!
Usually, the best choice is Watercolor paper, which come in 3 different styles and in many different brands. If you're doing sketching with dry mediums, pencils etc, Fabriano Artistico Hot Pressed (Either Extra or Traditional white) is one of the best options, especially if you want a slight color warmth, which makes sketches look way better. If you want, the best possible "White" paper, for Graphite pencil drawing/sketching, then Arches Hot Pressed, is by far the best option!
For watercolors, go with "Cold Press" papers, because that's what kind of paper, can hold water, to be able to use wet on wet etc. Arches Cold Pressed then Winsor & Newton Professional, or Hahnenuhle Cezanne, are some of the best options.
Finally, there are Soft Pastels, that usually Artists lean towards Mi-Teintes or Pan Pastel papers and if you want a mixed media paper, I'd suggest the CANSON GRADUATE Mixed media 220gr in either Grey color if you're doing head portraits or birds etc, or Natural color if you're drawing anything else!!
For Polychromos, Either Fabriano Aritstico Extra White Hot Pressed, or for more experienced artists, a couple of layers of Winsor & Newton (or Finnabair) Clear Gesso on any drawing paper, can provide a super fantastic drawing surface, that can make Polychromos work WAY faster, easier and look much , MUCH better, than any paper can provide.
Thanks for the great info!!!
@@KarenCampbellArtist Your welcome! You're right about paper, I agree on everything you said!!!
I want to get into mixed media, and I had a block of watercolor paper left over, so I was wondering! Thank you for the video!! 🙇♀️
Yay, glad it was helpful!
Thanks for sharing Karen. I use watercolor a lot. And I do use other mediums as well. Did not know the watercolor paper could be used with mix media projects. Good to know. 🙂
So glad this was helpful, Madelyn!
Excellent video. Thanks for sharing Karen ❤️😊
Glad it was helpful, Wendy!
Thank you! I have just been using Canson but the Fabriano looks great. Just as an aside, I have that coffee cup, mine has a large leaf and says fall is my season.
Awww, I love that Wendy!
Thank you for the great video, as always!
There's a point at which you say you don't know how much cotton is in a paper if it's not listed, and I'd hazard the guess that all those papers that don't specifically advertise that they contain cotton are either entirely made of cellulose or wood pulp.
Typically if there IS cotton in a paper type, I believe that manufacturers will advertise the heck out of it. ;)
Yes! And charge a whole heck of a lot more (but understandably so).
Thank you Karen. What was the brand of art journal with the rough water color paper that you showed in this video? It has birds and flowers in it. Looked amazing!!!!
I never understood the difference between cold, hot, and rough pressed paper and you literally explained it so simply it seemed like I should have always known that!
That’s by Speedball!! I’m so glad you like the video!
@@KarenCampbellArtist thank you Karen! I'll be getting one of those. I really appreciate your teaching style and your reviews are amazing!
thank you
You are so welcome!
So would you recommend watercolor paper for mixed media and your favorite Hammermill card stock for drawing/pencils/alcohol markers?
Yes!! 100%
Ooo! I love the look you get on that rough cut!
Thanks, Jeanette!
It’s funny, here in Lisbon Portugal is the other way around! Arches is cheaper!
Wow, I had no idea!
Hi Karen,
Amanda here from the UK I've been following your channel for years 😍🎨 Where's your Strathmore watercolour 400 series journal 🤔 the best paper I have ever used for mixed media, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have known about it, I'm surprised you have not mentioned that paper 🤔☺️😘
I only wanted to deal with loose leaf in this video. But that paper IS cold pressed 140 lbs, the exact paper I recommend (so one and the same just in art journal form). I have a separate art journal video coming out!
Watercolor paper! I use a lot of water
Thanks for watching, Leslie!
Thank you for the info Karen. 💖
Any time, Sherry!
Awesome information. Thank you.
You're welcome, Veronica!
I hang on your every word!
Yay, thank you!!!!
Great ifnformation. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Can I please get the Hamburger pdf? Thanks!
Hi Karen! This is my first time on your channel and I did Subscribe. I'm in the market for a good art journal that will take tons of everything I can throw on it, so my question is what are or is the best mixed media art journal(s). I'm okay with spending whatever I need to right now so price isn't really an issue. Thanks!
Great question!! This is my fave- I’m on my 6th! Strathmore Hardcover Watercolor Journal
amzn.to/36cMPDc
@@KarenCampbellArtist Thank you so much!!!
good job......u r super spunky!
Thank you so much 😀
Hi Karen, I've been meaning to ask you, can you use watercolor paper on both sides? Like, for instance in an art journal. Would the color bleed through to the other side, and ruin whatever you have in the previous page? Pardon my ignorance.
Yes, I'd like to know that also!
You absolutely can!!! Yes!
100% you can!
@@KarenCampbellArtist ❤️ thank you!
The watercolor paper does not work well with colored pencils in my opinion. Maybe I will try a different one. Another thing I liked about a certain mixed media paper is a blue-toned paper that is amazing .
Blue toned paper is awesome!!!
*what are the effects/results of pretreating the reverse side of your paper with something like the alum (a weak solution) used for marbling and then sealing it several times with a fixative after it dries?...what sort of interesting granulation patterns might result from such an experiment?*
I have absolutely zero clue - but that sounds like a super cool experiment to try out, absolutely!!! I’m assuming when you say granulation that’s means you’re wondering what would happen with watercolors? Have you tied this yourself? If you’re treating the back but not the front they won’t have an interaction at all…now my mind is spinning with possibilities….let me know what medium you were thinking of putting on the front side../
*exactly...i'm thinking that the patterns or crystallization from the alum would still be there especially if not done to make the paper soppy wet and soaking all the way through to the other side which i would personally want to avoid given how alum on marbled paper fixes the adherence of a dye or pigment being used resulting in sharp and defined edges...useful in some respects but limits the spontaneity and creative intermingling of other colors while painting that watercolor is known for*
@@scottmantooth8785 i suspected you were messing with me ;)
@@KarenCampbellArtist *not at all...i have experimented with this idea/concept somewhat using my derwent grapitent half pan set...i like the results but i'm also not a professional artist...more of an enthusiastic dabbler in artistic creativity ...the real trick would be getting the saturation ratio correct...maybe even using the salt blooming technique on the actual painting side would enhance the effects... another tangent to start running after...oh look a SQUIRREL!!!!!*
@@KarenCampbellArtist Watercolor is porous paper. Of course, the back of the paper would interact with the front. I’ve never heard of this. I want to try it.
Hi, canson is 100 percent cellulose
Thanks, Doreen!
Where did you buy the rough paper journal…?… tks
Amazon - it's by Speedball. Last time I checked they didn't have it anymore but I get 90% of my supplies from Amazon and the other 10% from Jerry's Artarama for the most part!
Hey Karen and everyone who loves her totally bummed hurt my right arm and it’s my dominant arm and not being able to create is sooooo frustrating anyone have any ideas?I have been trying with my left hand but grrrr anyway
I love anything mixed media paint watercolor drawing pretty much anything…
Yes my suggestion would have been the same, to just go for it with your left - but be more "okay" with your performance there!!!! (i.e. be nice to yourself!) I'm so sorry you got hurt!!!
Might be the time to experiment with collaging and abstract art where you can imply the shapes of things (landscapes) then after your arm heals you can go back in with a micron pen and add the details. My arm isn't injured but I've been experimenting out of curiosity. I saw a similar effect somewhere and I loved that they used drips, drops, and lose brush strokes to create a whole Victorian looking garden. My results aren't consistent but I've only done three projects. Was disappointed with the first one, loved the second, and the third isn't going on the bin, lol. Progress not perfection, right?
Happy experimenting! I think I would die without some kind of art in my life or at best, my head would explode! 😡🤯😆
@@skeletalremains3860 that is seriously the best suggestion - thank you for chiming in! Totally agree!!
@@skeletalremains3860 thanks so much I have a tendency to be to critical so maybe it’s time to learn to let go! Great suggestion!!!
@@mimiladd9888 that's the journey isn't it? Learning to shut off the critic and let go of our expectations and let our art become whatever it's supposed to be. Techniques are easy to learn, with practice you can become a professional, but if you cannot shut down your critic it steals your joy and takes all the fun out of it so people quit before the miracle happens. If you have any young kids around they are the best teachers because they love everything they do and if their project isn't going the way they want, they just change course. I've become a much better artist since homeschooling my grandkids, lol. Great little teachers!
What is the best paper for markers?
Bristol - hands down
Watercolor markers ? … Canson Montval Artist watercolor paper. Nothing cotton. Cotton will drain your markers because it’s made to soak up liquid.
Regular / alcohol markers , just what she said, Bristol.
Karen,
Would you please send me your Free Supplies Guide? Thank you! :-)
Hi Marsha, here you go:
awesomeartschool.lpages.co/mm-supplies/
Mixed media paper? It shows only watercolor paper
@@IzzymaticArt correct. I don’t recommend Mixed Media paper. It isn’t absorbent enough for watersoluble media and is okay for collage and such as a base but since watercolor paper IS 100% appropriate for 100% of mixed media projects (no matter WHAT art supplies you throw at it and no matter how much water) why even get it 🤷♀️
That’s just me though!! Everyone can use what they love!