The 7 Best Arches Watercolor Paper roll Cold Press (2023 reviews)

We consider a arches watercolor paper roll cold press to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your purposes from all the best available products in market today.

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Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Arches every sheet READ REVIEW

Best For Watercolour Painting: Buy: Arches Hot Press READ REVIEW

Best For practice: Buy: Arches Best Paper READ REVIEW

Best For serious Artists: Buy: Arches Watercolor Paper READ REVIEW

Best Heavy Quality Watercolor Paper: Buy: Arches High Quality Paper READ REVIEW

Best For prop: Buy: Arches Acid Cotton Paper READ REVIEW

Best Premium: Buy: Arches Watercolor Paper roll Cold Press READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Arches every sheet

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a press. This product is exactly that - it's a simple product that hits all the right notes. Rough is a very, well,rough textured surface and is more for loose painting styles, expressive paintings like landscape, and it is very hard to create crisp lines and details on rough. It provides timeless beauty and an inimitable touch. This paper stands up very well for both wet-on-wet and wet on dry painting. It is thick and rigid, 140 lb (300 gsm), and is acid-free. All arches paper is acid-free and made from 100% cotton, ensuring it valiantly stands the test of time and allows you to make the most out of every sheet.

This paper is so easy to layer with and you can tape it down without the tape tearing your paper and design/paintings/drawings. It is good for multiple layers of washes. It is perfect for rugged landscapes and any project where added texture is desired.

• Perfect amount of texture for amazing detail with nice thick quality
• Takes many layers of watercolor, scrubbing, easily stretched
• Rough texture makes for interesting paintings
• Good quality and very absorbent paper for a watercolors

Best For Watercolour Painting: Arches Hot Press

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The arches hot press is capable of outshining several other products featured in this list in overall features in its price range. This 140 lb, hot-pressed, Arches paper is exactly what it is supposed to be. This paper is glued on its four sides and accepts a good amount of water and layers. It has a nice texture, and rough texture for special projects. It is perfect for watercolor/water-soluble pencils, blocks, and other media.

These pads contain 12 sheets of natural white, acid free, and 100% cotton paper in a fold over pad. This "paper" contains some cotton, which helps prevent the surface of the paper from disintegrating when it gets wet and you try to erase a mistake. The paper stands up to a lot of water. It is easy to recommend this brand in all of the textures. They offer a wide variety of textures and sizes in pads or large sheets.

• Incredible for calligraphy, authentic gold gilding, sketching, and any paint
• Great flat surface paper, due to the hot press
• Absorbs watercolor faster than cold press paper

Best For practice: Arches Best Paper

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Next on the list, we've got yet another product that manages to win our hearts. It's the arches best paper and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient products you can buy. These blocks contain 20 sheets of natural white, acid free, 100% cotton paper, and are glued on all 4 sides. It features a much heartier texture with grooves and ridges that provide that slightly rougher look typically associated with watercolor. It's thick, it lets you put layers and layers of paint and water and it lasts forever. It is good for flow of colors, can tolerate masking fluid well, and also adhesive tapes.

The paper is brilliant and gives beautiful results. It can be separated if you want to divide it in half or quarters but otherwise you paint on the block and when done separate that sheet from the block. It is great for impressionistic painting and other heavier textured pieces, while hot press is a good choice for more illustrative work requiring a cleaner finish or inking.

• Nice texture to do watercolors on, careful about lifting
• Great for multiple techniques, so very versatile
• Not too rough but just right allowing fabulous results with dry brushing

Best For serious Artists: Arches Watercolor Paper

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The arches watercolor paper is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily purpose. This is a very durable and wonderful surface to paint on. It is for those who hate to stretch your watercolor paper. Because its less porous, it also extends drying time, so you can do more color manipulation after application. The rough texture adds all sorts of possibilities for the application of paint.

This is one of the best quality art papers. It allows for "scrubbing" without lifting the paper. This weight even holds up to very wet washes.

• Nice watercolor paper for beginners or intermediate watercolor painters
• Nice quality paper, heavy keeps shape
• Heavy duty, good sizes and easy to frame

Best Heavy Quality Watercolor Paper: Arches High Quality Paper

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Best part: arches high quality paper costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. It's absolutely the best you can buy for watercolor. It absorbs the paint nicely and colors bloom perfectly. When the pencils are activated by water, they bloom nicely and the work becomes a very vivid watercolor. It is made with natural cotton fibers on a cylinder-mold machine. The glue sides help it from buckling.

The paper is good quality and glued edges hold well, but still release easily when it's time to take the top sheet off. It is much higher in quality when compared with wood fiber paper. It takes a lot of brush work without breaking down, or warping.

• Nicely textured paper and a pleasure to use
• Blend, bleed, lift pigment easily without piling
• Larger than the mat opening so that the paper edge is behind the mat

Best For prop: Arches Acid Cotton Paper

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The features department is where arches acid cotton paper truly manages to shine. It is an old manufacturing process of using a mill and a rotary retaining system to generate flat paper. It takes wet on wet and dry painting. It really encourages growth in your skill as it makes painting far more enjoyable. It doesn’t easily get over-saturated or dry too quickly to prevent working a bit more slowly and carefully.

This paper takes wet on wet and dry painting. It holds up well to scrubbing salt off. Love the block as it keeps paper smooth when learning techniques with water and paint. It is best for beginner or prop.

• Much easier for an armature to get professional-looking results
• Good quality watercolor paper is best even for beginners
• Good investment for long term

Best Premium: Arches Watercolor Paper roll Cold Press

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Best part: arches watercolor paper roll cold press is available to ship in 24 hours, the premium features compensate for the higher price. This paper pad is amazing in the fact that it acts as a painting board and paper at the same time. It is where you separate the top sheet of the watercolor pad. The black sides will hold your paper while you paint and you will not have to tape your paper to a board. The block consists of 20 white watercolor sheets and 1 black protective sheet on top. This holds the sheets together and prevents the paper from buckling or getting wavy if you use a lot of water when you're painting.

When you are done with the painting you cut the page off the block with a small knife, it is very easy. This paper is sealed on the ends with wax, so that it does not roll up while you paint. It is a great way for painting.

• Text paper is gap without block, are four hardened
• Excellent absorbency for wet on wet work
• Good investment for long term