Incoming Storm at Capitol Reef – Millford Watercolor Paper

Yesterday’s paper – Meeden – came as a really nice surprise. I did not expect it to be as good as it was. I am skeptical about paper without a long pedigree, and even then, things can go wrong. Sizing has proven to be dicey just a few times with name-brand watercolor papers, but when it ruins a painting, it ruins its own reputation. Realistically, it does happen. Once I had a pad of paper with bad sizing not along one edge, but throughout the pad in random places and in very large areas. Ick, ick, ick. And I have never bought their paper since.

And, given the praise for Millford paper and the weird streak across my 9×12 pad that ruined the sky in a painting, part of me was very hesitant to try another pad. Luckily for Millford, and happily for me, I had a 16×20 pad (not a block) of the same paper. So, as the painting on the smaller paper had been so good despite the flaw, I decided to chance it.

Millford paper, an English paper from St. Cuthberts Mill, is based upon a now-defunct and beautiful watercolor paper, Whatman’s, which was hard-sized and thus less absorbent than other papers. Ted Kautzky (of Ways with Watercolor fame) recommended it as well as Arches. Kautzky was my first adventure into “serious” watercolors – back in my teens I found his book in the local library, bought my own copy (which I still have) and dug in. So, when I finally could get a hold of Millford in the US, I had to give it a try.

Sizing on watercolor paper basically determines how long water will stay on a paper’s surface. Less sizing, quicker absorption. Bad sizing, mottled and spotty color as the paper absorbs water and color haphazardly. Harder sizing, watercolors stay on the surface of the paper longer, permitting the painter to really work with color. And water.

If you are a fan of wet-in-wet, Millford is your best friend! This is what made me fall in love with this paper. It also made me slow down – really, really sloooooooooowww down!

I would say that most papers – Arches for example – will stay damp 10-15 minutes if you use a good bit of water. I had to get up and leave my painting, sometimes for at least an hour, because the paper still had not absorbed the paint. Usually I use a hairdryer when I want to move along, but I didn’t so I could see how long the paper would stay wet. And, as the colors sit on the surface of the paper, a hairdryer could blow the paint around and ruin the effect.

Having previously worked with the block of Millford, I knew the paper could handle abuse. I did the same here – big, wet washes, lifting of color, re-wetting the paper with a lot of water, and on and on. This painting, as a result, took a lot of time. I worked on it over the past 3 days, which is a record for me.

To learn a bit more about Millford, here is a link and another link outside of St. Cuthberts which tells a good story.

St. Cuthberts Mill, Millford watercolor paper, 16×20, CP, 140#.