The 10 Best Cold Press Watercolor Pads (2023 reviews)

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

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Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Arches Cold Press Watercolor Pad READ REVIEW

Best With Prismacolor Nupastels: Buy: Arches Hot Press READ REVIEW

Best For keeping An Art Journal OF zentangle drawings: Buy: Strathmore Cold Press Watercolor Pad READ REVIEW

Best With Water colour Paint: Buy: Artnfly Cold Press Watercolor Pad READ REVIEW

Best For Water coloring: Buy: Strathmore Watercolor Paper READ REVIEW

Best For Heavy layered work: Buy: Artnfly sketch Pad READ REVIEW

Best For higher end Watercolor Painting: Buy: Speedball Cold Press Watercolor Pad READ REVIEW

Best For Handmade card making: Buy: Gencrafts Cold Press Watercolor Pad READ REVIEW

Best For frame: Buy: Fabriano Cold Press Watercolor Pad READ REVIEW

Best Premium: Buy: Canson Cold Press Watercolor Pad READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Arches Cold Press Watercolor Pad

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We are personally inclined towards arches cold press watercolor pad, it is not so pricy, but it overachieves its purpose and outstanding in important aspects. When it comes to high-end consistency and variety, you'll find the exceptional quality you seek within the premium papers at arches. This is the best 140 pound cold pressed paper made. It is available in multiple sizes and 3 revered textures. It provides timeless beauty and an inimitable touch.

It is this watercolor pad durable, but it is also versatile. The colors are fibrant and the paper is thick so it can hold water well. It is easily removed from the edge-glued pad. It is the best 140 pound cold pressed paper made.

• Great quality for a perfect piece of art
• Gives a whole other dimension to watercolor painting
• Brings out blues nicely, especially granulating ones
• Love texture, very little warp, darkens colors compared to cheaper brand

Best With Prismacolor Nupastels: Arches Hot Press

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Next on the list, we've got yet another pad that manages to win our hearts. It's the arches hot press and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient pad you can buy. Rough is a very, well,rough textured surface and is more for loose painting styles, expressive paintings like landscape, it is very hard to create crisp lines and details on rough. It comes with long fibers, this thick, stable sheet is beautiful, durable, and resillient. It is excellent for amature to professional artists alike.

This is gorgeous, thick smooth paper, perfect for drawing with pen and ink and then adding color. The hot press is very smooth, with no texture to the surface and is great for super crisp lines and details,but it will amplify/show any mistakes made. It is allows for blending edges, layers excellently and does not damage easily when lifting color for highlights. The surface is smooth and velvety.

• Compact and easy to take plein air
• Rough texture makes for interesting paintings
• Holds water well, warps less than all others, reliable always
• Takes many layers of watercolor, scrubbing, easily stretched

Best For keeping An Art Journal OF zentangle drawings: Strathmore Cold Press Watercolor Pad

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention strathmore cold press watercolor pad for daily purpose. This is a heavy weight paper that can be used for zentangling or zendoodling with markers or for water colors. It is easy to take with you when you have a few minutes to paint. The front cover is removable and there is a sturdy front and back cover in addition to what you see. The pages are thick enough to withstand abuses in watercolor painting as well as some Sharpie drawings. The spiral binding is wonderful because it will lie flat, not flip around and allows for working on the entire page.

The paper is also lightly perforated if you ever want to remove your paintings. The paper is also lightly perforated if you're backpacking or need to travel light. It is a great option if you're backpacking or need to travel light.

• Designed to be carried around in the bottom of your art supply travel case
• Good for travel or trips outdoors
• Great gift for artists and teens
• Takes watercolor, pencil and pen well, as well as collage

Best With Water colour Paint: Artnfly Cold Press Watercolor Pad

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The artnfly cold press watercolor pad's superior materials makes sure that it ages well with use. Featuring 30 heavy 140lb/300gsm sheets that fold over for an easy tear, this watercolor sketchbook is the perfect companion to your watercolor paint set. They settle and move into the different spots creating lovely pools of color which often separate out into other colors as they dry. The second class is graded on the NUMBER of pottery pieces produced. It is ideal for all wet on dry and wet on wet water color techniques, and combination with other media like ink.

The texture is so pronounced that it's difficult to get a nice painting unless you are deliberately using that texture in the painting. The front side is quite a coarse texture. It is decent quality, shows up the paint well, has a great choice for texture vs smooth, and the binding is perfect on the pad too.

• Better at allowing lifting paint than layering
• Fun to get a flow going with paint
• Excellent watercolor pads for beginners, or just for fun
• Good sturdy paper that stands up to water

Best For Water coloring: Strathmore Watercolor Paper

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate pad. The strathmore watercolor paper is exactly that - it's a simple pad that hits all the right notes. It's the best watercolor paper, but good for a beginner or for crafting projects. It is necessary to have at least a 140 pound density paper to use. The paper quickly peels, dissolves and sort of unravel when it gets wetter on cheaper brands. The spiral helps work while not having to tear out a page.

It's nice and thick with light texture on one side. Colors blend beautifully on it while still being able to maintain sharp edges without bleeding like some. It's great for beginners. It is easy to use and high quality for a beginner that's dabbling in watercoloring. They are awesome for illustrations and heavy duty acrylic paintings and washes.

• Stacks up pretty well against the heavier watercolor boards for wear/tear/re-working/re-wetting
• Lifting is easy, providing you do not use staining watercolors
• Holds watercolors well without running or curling
• Very thick and heavy so it doesn't crinkle with a lot of water

Best For Heavy layered work: Artnfly sketch Pad

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention artnfly sketch pad for regular usage. Featuring 30 heavy 140lb/300gsm sheets that fold over for an easy tear, this watercolor sketchbook is the perfect companion to your watercolor paint set. It can absorb a lot of water with minimal buckling. The specially-formulated sketchbook with art paper preserves your watercolor paint, so you can revisit your paintings for years to come. It comes with pro-grade supplies, creating art feels easier, and your product will be brighter, clearer, and longer-lasting.

The paper holds large amounts of water well, dries nicely and doesn't bend or crease a lot. It is great for heavy layered work or mix media experimentations. The paper doesn't warp easily or pill, either, so that's a huge plus. This is great art tablet for those who like to paint and color with different mediums.

• Good quality product for watercolour painting
• Easy to use paint easy to apply paint great for art and craft
• One of the new comers and featured product

Best For higher end Watercolor Painting: Speedball Cold Press Watercolor Pad

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Next on the list, we've got yet another pad that manages to win our hearts. It's the speedball cold press watercolor pad and it's widely considered as pad that has the most suitable features. This paper holds up to multiple layers of watercolor washes without pilling, unlike some of the other budget brands of identical specs. It is produced at slow speeds by European mill masters with over 400 years of paper making experience that creates a stronger, premium quality paper. It handles only two gentle layers of wet on wet though. The glue along the two long edges will hold the sheet flat as you paint.

Fluid watercolor blocks come in 12 artist friendly sizes in cold or hot press surfaces, so there's sure to be one that inspires your creative spirit. It is heavy and does not cause the inks to feather. It is great paper for higher end watercolor painting.

• Great no water bend in paper great quality
• Great paper for cards, stays flat
• Good investment for long term

Best For Handmade card making: Gencrafts Cold Press Watercolor Pad

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Next on the list, we've got yet another pad that manages to win our hearts. It's the gencrafts cold press watercolor pad and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient pad you can buy. If that distinctly 'Watercolor Look' is your style, then this paper would fit your needs perfectly. This pad of cold pressed (medium texture) watercolor paper has 20 sheets. It is easy to take it off when you want to and it is not bound to the cover at the spine. The overall effect has more blooms and cauliflowers, and harder watercolor edges.

The paper is a heavy-weight, cold press. The sheets are glued together on one end to form the pad at a time. It is perfect for handmade card making. The Great weight paper with a smooth texture, it removes easily from the pad one sheet at a time. The texture is a decent middle-ground texture.

• Comes with 20 sheets of paper
• Delivers what they promise

Best For frame: Fabriano Cold Press Watercolor Pad

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Compared with other pad in this category, the fabriano cold press watercolor pad has a convenient design. It features an affordable, high-quality, cold press paper that is ideal for students. It measures 9 in x 12 in and contains 12 sheets of 140 lb. The Archival sheets of the pad are made from a mix of cotton and lignin-free cellulose that have a non-animal internal and external sizing, making them very absorbent. The paper is quite thick and is glued at the top for easy removal. It has a nice texture to it and the size is good for framing.

The color is more cream than white and has texture on both sides that appears to be the same or very close. It is great for paper, for water color and making your own tiles. The pad's sheets are also ideal for gouache, acrylic, ink and charcoal.

• Excellent for wet on dry painting
• Good quality for both beginnbers and advanced artists
• One of the new comers and featured product

Best Premium: Canson Cold Press Watercolor Pad

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention canson cold press watercolor pad for daily purpose. The amount of water/paint it absorbs is crazy. It is painstakingly crafted from 100percent cotton fibers, so it doesn't bleed or warp. Your paints will retain their beautiful sheen on this arches watercolor pad. It comes with long fibers, this thick, stable sheet is beautiful, durable, and resilient. It has a great texture and lets you blend easily.

This paper has just the right amount of tooth and absorbs a lot of water. It is great for wet-on-wet technique and holds up to multiple washes & glazes.

• High quality for your finished products
• Lot of satisfied buyers