I do prefer 100% Cotton by far, but for my practices I do like Montval Canson, I just purchase a 9x12 Fabriano 1264 to try it... I could let you all know how it goes once I tested.
@@dena-ann-adams Actually I did test it... it is not bad for practice and play around with colors and practice your mixtures and ideas. And the best is the price, with the economy we are experiencing today, good price always help, and for practicing is a good choice.
@@waltpierluissi2301 Thank you for sharing your findings! It's always a personal preference at the end of the day and I can see this paper being a great option depending on your painting habits.
I found your review after having trouble with some Fabriano 1264 paper - I wondered if it was just me doing something wrong. Glad to see I wasn't alone. I found it an exceptionally thirsty paper, drinking up water but never staying damp. But then I'd get more water on my brush and the paper would get these uneven splotches. Like you, I also wasn't a fan of the texture. It's interesting you said it's man-made texture, because it reminded me of some cheap kids watercolor paper I got from Kid Mad Modern at Target which had a "texture" that screamed of being artificially pressed in to seem "more like watercolor paper." Maybe I can find some other uses for what I have left.
Thank you so much for the fabulous tutorial. I have had similar observations regarding both brands. I bought Fabriano once, at Blicks (I was tempted by it being on sale)--and regretted having done so! I ended up using the paper only for color testing. Montval is exactly as you describe it.
if you dont want tape to tear away your paper, blow it up with a hair dryer on the hottest setting before. this will soften the glue and allow the tape to come off smoothly :)
An interesting review, and I learned a lot. I use the Fabriano 18 x 24" glue bound version of the cold-press watercolor paper for acrylic paintings. I spritz it with water and lay down a coat of gesso before beginning, then a layer of charcoal and/or graphite with an acrylic paint for the ground. My paintings frequently have at least 8 layers on them (including isolation layers of gloss medium over the entire surface), and the Fabriano holds up beautifully, with wiping wet paint and even sanding it when dry. After the initial layers, it lays flat. It is thirsty, which is why I use gesso and a base layer of acrylic paint before I start my regular layers. I use the back side of the paper which has less texture than the front.
Thanks so much for bringing this up - it's a good mixed media option and I switched it over to that process and it's a nice sketchbook for mixed media. Have you ever tried the Fab Studio hot press? It's like a smooth bristol but you can beat on it with water - really good stuff too.
A technique I use for taping my paper is to mark my boarders with a light pencil line first. Then I lightly rub some white wax to use as a base before applying the tape over it. When removing tape lift away gently. My success rate is 99/100, depending on thorough wax coverage.
Thank you! Very useful. I think at my intermediate water color level, i am finding it so tough to get the results I want on these papers. I think they would be lovely for gouache, acrylics but as a person still learning the ropes of watercolor techniques, these papers will lead me to multiple level failures ...
Interesting review. Thanks for sharing. I just bought an A4 spiral bound pad of Fabriano 1264. I'm planning on using it for watercolour pencils and water soluble graphite. The paper looked hard and durable enough for these media. I'm curious to see how it will do.
Thanks for this...I've almost completed an abstract landscape using W&N Designer gouache on Fabriano 1264. I'm experiencing too much lifting and finding that very frustrating, but I'm dealing with it ok and I like the overall results. I typically paint with more traditional transparent & semi-transparent artist grade wc. I just thought I'd use my small W&N gouache set because I don't use it very much and the colors and quality are so good, that I wanted to give it some love. But that darn lifting. Plus I'm thinning the gouache out quite a bit. I think I'm gonna do another similar one on 100% cotton. I figure I'll have a lot easier time of it.
Thanks so much for your comment, this totally tracks with my experience too. I've recently revisited Fabriano Artistico, and I really do like that paper a ton, new sizing and all, so I know Fabriano can do it when they actually try.
Nice video. I have tried both papers and prefer Montval. But perhaps a closer comparison is Canson XL with Fabriano. Montval in my opinion is a definite step up. :)
That's a fair point - In my experience XL is so widely hated I figured I'm an outlier in finding it to be pretty OK as a baseline, my aim was to highlight supplies that may not have been as widely tried out. These are priced pretty closely and have the same formats. I'd still probably pick XL given the choice of that or 1264.
I am very curious what you think about the Fabriano Artistico. I really dislike it and you said something in this video about their 1264, which is also pretty valid in my opinion about the Artistico- it grabs. It grabs the brush, it grabs the water and pigment until saturated.. It's very thirsty and I never get smooth, beautiful washes on it. I was thinking about using the 1264 for pen and ink or gouache, we'll see when I finish my current sketchbooks.
I really like Artistico but I realize that I tend to use it for mixed media with a watercolor foundation or even pencil and wash (I love the CP with graphite drawing, but that's a me thing, it's too textured for more normal people lol) I agree that the working times are really short, I use it either wet on dry or for one or two layers of really abstract no-interference wet in wet at most.
I got Fabriano because there were selling them for 15 dollars in which buy one get one free, I was interested in watercolor, I was disappointed when I started to paint with the first page, I added some water and it later deformed the paper, I didn’t add any tape, and even when I added a little bit of water, I was very disappointed and frustrated with the overal paper . I hope canson is far much better than fabriano
Face it, neither paper is well suited for watercolor art. I used it for a pen and wash class, which was fine. But I'd never spend time and effort on permanent artwork with paper that doesn't allow techniques that make watercolor so special. The paper pills if you just glance at it the wrong way 😂
Ansolutely - I can’t disagree with the reality that cotton is better than pulp for layered work that has flow. But I think that practice and sketching is the most important tool in our toolkit, just time messing around and messing up, and having only great paper that maxes your budget doesn’t encourage that kind of edge pushing play. I like finding that “least worst” workable baseline in paper even if I’m a Saunders Waterford person for finished stuff.
Here in Canada Montval costs me 17-18 bucks for a 20page 9x12 while fabriano is 13 bucks for 30 pages of 9x12
This kind of review is just what I needed in every art materials! Thank you for all the information. Hope to see more videos like this from you 😊
Awesome! Glad it helped. Any material in particular you are wondering about?
I do prefer 100% Cotton by far, but for my practices I do like Montval Canson, I just purchase a 9x12 Fabriano 1264 to try it... I could let you all know how it goes once I tested.
That would be cool, I'd love to know other folks thoughts and experiences with it. Thank you!
@walt pierluissi how was your experience with Fabriano?
@@dena-ann-adams Actually I did test it... it is not bad for practice and play around with colors and practice your mixtures and ideas. And the best is the price, with the economy we are experiencing today, good price always help, and for practicing is a good choice.
@@waltpierluissi2301 Thank you for sharing your findings! It's always a personal preference at the end of the day and I can see this paper being a great option depending on your painting habits.
I found your review after having trouble with some Fabriano 1264 paper - I wondered if it was just me doing something wrong. Glad to see I wasn't alone. I found it an exceptionally thirsty paper, drinking up water but never staying damp. But then I'd get more water on my brush and the paper would get these uneven splotches.
Like you, I also wasn't a fan of the texture. It's interesting you said it's man-made texture, because it reminded me of some cheap kids watercolor paper I got from Kid Mad Modern at Target which had a "texture" that screamed of being artificially pressed in to seem "more like watercolor paper."
Maybe I can find some other uses for what I have left.
Thank you so much for the fabulous tutorial. I have had similar observations regarding both brands. I bought Fabriano once, at Blicks (I was tempted by it being on sale)--and regretted having done so! I ended up using the paper only for color testing. Montval is exactly as you describe it.
if you dont want tape to tear away your paper, blow it up with a hair dryer on the hottest setting before. this will soften the glue and allow the tape to come off smoothly :)
An interesting review, and I learned a lot. I use the Fabriano 18 x 24" glue bound version of the cold-press watercolor paper for acrylic paintings. I spritz it with water and lay down a coat of gesso before beginning, then a layer of charcoal and/or graphite with an acrylic paint for the ground. My paintings frequently have at least 8 layers on them (including isolation layers of gloss medium over the entire surface), and the Fabriano holds up beautifully, with wiping wet paint and even sanding it when dry. After the initial layers, it lays flat. It is thirsty, which is why I use gesso and a base layer of acrylic paint before I start my regular layers. I use the back side of the paper which has less texture than the front.
Thanks so much for bringing this up - it's a good mixed media option and I switched it over to that process and it's a nice sketchbook for mixed media. Have you ever tried the Fab Studio hot press? It's like a smooth bristol but you can beat on it with water - really good stuff too.
@@dena-ann-adams I have not! I will check into that.
A technique I use for taping my paper is to mark my boarders with a light pencil line first. Then I lightly rub some white wax to use as a base before applying the tape over it.
When removing tape lift away gently. My success rate is 99/100, depending on thorough wax coverage.
This is brilliant - thank you for sharing! Wax is the greatest stuff for a ton of things, and this is one I hadn't thought of!
Thank you! Very useful. I think at my intermediate water color level, i am finding it so tough to get the results I want on these papers. I think they would be lovely for gouache, acrylics but as a person still learning the ropes of watercolor techniques, these papers will lead me to multiple level failures ...
I use 1264 for swatching and mixing experiments with new palettes. I make sketchbooks out of my 9x12 Montvale, it suits well.
Was trying to decide between the two. This was very helpful!
Thanks! I'm so happy it helped.
Me too, very helpful! Thanks
Interesting review. Thanks for sharing. I just bought an A4 spiral bound pad of Fabriano 1264. I'm planning on using it for watercolour pencils and water soluble graphite. The paper looked hard and durable enough for these media. I'm curious to see how it will do.
it's fun for lots of things, I don't mind it at all as a mixed media heavyweight.
Informative and not drawn out, was a pleasure to watch 👍
Thanks so much and I’m so glad you didn’t think it was overloaded!
Thx! Using 1264 for watercolor sketch and swatching. Montvale for my travel sketch paper. This was helpful.
So glad it was useful for you, that sounds like a good set up!
Great review! Clear and precise. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Yes, it was very helpful, thanks! 😊
Thanks so much! Glad you got use out of it.❤️
Thanks for this...I've almost completed an abstract landscape using W&N Designer gouache on Fabriano 1264. I'm experiencing too much lifting and finding that very frustrating, but I'm dealing with it ok and I like the overall results. I typically paint with more traditional transparent & semi-transparent artist grade wc. I just thought I'd use my small W&N gouache set because I don't use it very much and the colors and quality are so good, that I wanted to give it some love. But that darn lifting. Plus I'm thinning the gouache out quite a bit. I think I'm gonna do another similar one on 100% cotton. I figure I'll have a lot easier time of it.
Thanks so much for your comment, this totally tracks with my experience too. I've recently revisited Fabriano Artistico, and I really do like that paper a ton, new sizing and all, so I know Fabriano can do it when they actually try.
Extremely helpful and practical review. Thanks
Thanks so much, glad it helped!
Very useful comparison, thanks!
Nice video. I have tried both papers and prefer Montval. But perhaps a closer comparison is Canson XL with Fabriano. Montval in my opinion is a definite step up. :)
That's a fair point - In my experience XL is so widely hated I figured I'm an outlier in finding it to be pretty OK as a baseline, my aim was to highlight supplies that may not have been as widely tried out. These are priced pretty closely and have the same formats. I'd still probably pick XL given the choice of that or 1264.
I am very curious what you think about the Fabriano Artistico. I really dislike it and you said something in this video about their 1264, which is also pretty valid in my opinion about the Artistico- it grabs. It grabs the brush, it grabs the water and pigment until saturated.. It's very thirsty and I never get smooth, beautiful washes on it. I was thinking about using the 1264 for pen and ink or gouache, we'll see when I finish my current sketchbooks.
I really like Artistico but I realize that I tend to use it for mixed media with a watercolor foundation or even pencil and wash (I love the CP with graphite drawing, but that's a me thing, it's too textured for more normal people lol) I agree that the working times are really short, I use it either wet on dry or for one or two layers of really abstract no-interference wet in wet at most.
Thank you for the time you put into this. Very helpful.
Thanks!!
I got Fabriano because there were selling them for 15 dollars in which buy one get one free, I was interested in watercolor, I was disappointed when I started to paint with the first page, I added some water and it later deformed the paper, I didn’t add any tape, and even when I added a little bit of water, I was very disappointed and frustrated with the overal paper . I hope canson is far much better than fabriano
This was so helpful thank you so much!!
Awesome, I'm glad it shed a little light on these options!
Thankyou, very helpful!
Thanks for watching and commenting, glad it helped
El fabriano se comporta mejor ,el canson montval me desilusiono,tiene el puro nombre...
Face it, neither paper is well suited for watercolor art. I used it for a pen and wash class, which was fine. But I'd never spend time and effort on permanent artwork with paper that doesn't allow techniques that make watercolor so special. The paper pills if you just glance at it the wrong way 😂
Ansolutely - I can’t disagree with the reality that cotton is better than pulp for layered work that has flow. But I think that practice and sketching is the most important tool in our toolkit, just time messing around and messing up, and having only great paper that maxes your budget doesn’t encourage that kind of edge pushing play. I like finding that “least worst” workable baseline in paper even if I’m a Saunders Waterford person for finished stuff.
@@dena-ann-adams That's so funny! "LEAST WORST". I'm going to borrow that. 🤣