Arches watercolour paper is a 100% cotton paper. Arches Watercolor Paper is a professional grade watercolor paper of the highest quality. Manufactured in the same French mill since 1492, Arches watercolor papers are produced on a cylinder mould with pure French stream water. Made with natural gelatin sizing; naturally white containing no optical brightners offers optimal longevity. Each sheet of Arches watercolor paper is hand inspected to ensure consistency and durability. Arches is strong enough to handle multiple washes of color, masking fluid, scrubbing and artist tape without damage to the surface. Each sheet is permeated with sizing to give each fiber a consistent feel and absorbency. It is an ideal paper for watercolor and other wet media, and can also be used for drawing and printmaking. Acid-free.
Arches is available in ROUGH, COLD PRESSED (NOT) and HOT PRESSED (HP).
The rough is the roughest paper, NOT is a medium texture and HP is smooth.
Each pack contains 5 full imperial sheets of paper, which can be cut into 1/2 or 1/4 imperial at no extra charge.
Please note that if the paper is cut then there will no longer be deckled edges on all four sides. When the paper is cut, in half, there will be 3 deckle edges and when the paper is cut, in quarter, there will be 2 deckle edges.
All packs of paper* are supplied in the following options as regards size:
| Pack Size | Inches | CM | No. Sheets |
| Full Imperial | 30"x22" | 76.2x55.9cm | 5 |
| Half Imperial | 22"x15" | 55.9x38.1cm | 10 |
| Quarter Imperial | 15"x11" | 38.1x27.9cm | 20 |
140lb rough is my favourite paper. Always consistent and suites my loose style. The darks against lights seem to sparkle, achieved for me like no other paper. Trevor Lingard (Sabden) on 27 Aug 2008
Switching to painting watercolour on 100% cotton rather than paper is a revelation. The way paint and water moves on this surface is so different and makes for excellent pictures. Karen Alexander (Gosport, United Kingdom) on 17 Aug 2012
I'm still relatively new to painting watercolours, having practiced over and over again using the more inexpensive papers and paints. However, I've reached a stage whereby I was confident enough to invest in a better quality paper as recommended by a professional artist, so I made my choice and bought Arches Aquarelle. I just cannot believe the difference it has made to my painting even though I'm still not that good at it. Painting on Arches paper is like painting on silk! The paints flow beautifully over the paper, so much so that my washes are really good now. I never thought that a better quality paper could have that kind of result but it really does. This paper is worth the investment . Sylvia Krzak (Leven, United Kingdom) on 25 Feb 2013
