The 9 Best large Size Watercolor Papers (2023 reviews)

The latest arches large size watercolor paper is an absolute beast in terms of its features, and rightfully takes the top spot with ease. This paper stands up to a lot of sketching, erasing, and then painting and re-painting like a champ. It takes paint so well. This is the best watercolor paper in all. The purpose of the paper block, being secured on all four sides, is so that it stays flat when you paint on it. It comes apart very easily.

This product is portable for outdoor or indoor landscape or portrait painting. It is great for layering colours. The size is very good and paintings are kept nice and flat while being painted. These have your palette knife at the ready.

Why We Like This:

Good thick quality paper, paint doesn't seep, good for watercolors
Boasts a protective cover sheet and ph
Hot press paper is very smooth
Makes a difference even for a beginner

Best With Prismacolor Nupastels: Arches Hot Press

Buy on Amazon

Best part: arches hot press costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This paper stands up very well for both wet-on-wet and wet on dry painting. It is made from 100% natural cotton fiber with no optical brightening agents, the arches paper has an archival, natural white color and an exquisite texture unlike other papers on the market. It is cotton fiber so it makes painting on it much more successful.

It comes with long fibers, this thick, stable sheet is beautiful, durable, and resillient. It is thick and rigid, 140 lb (300 gsm), and is acid-free. The hot press is lovely for botanical paintings. It allows for blending edges, layers excellently and does not damage easily when lifting color for highlights. The texture is rough, and it is excellent for amature for professional artists alike. It is available in several formats and sizes including blocks, pads, sheets and rolls, and 3 luxurious textures.

Why We Like This:

Good quality and very absorbent paper for a watercolors
Great paper, can break up into smaller pieces for smaller paintings
Beautiful, high quality hot press watercolor paper

Best For Watercolour Painting: Arteza large Size Watercolor Paper

Buy on Amazon

A two-pack will satisfy many hours of sketching or fine finishing your artistic visions. Your Arteza watercolor paper is thicker & heavier (140 lb./300gsm), so it can stand up to multiple washes without warping or bleeding through. It has performed as well as higher priced watercolor papers.

Unlike most "watercolor paper" it handles a fair amount of water before starting to tear and decay. The quality is actually decent, and you can put a few washes down without having the paper fibers peel up. These are great drawing books. It would be great paper for kids.

Why We Like This:

Best for watercolor pencils or watercolor brush pens only
Fantastic for watercolor pens and paint
Great sturdy paper, perfect for working wet

Best With Acrylic Paint: Strathmore large Size Watercolor Paper

Buy on Amazon

Best part: strathmore large size watercolor paper costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This is just a standard established for watercolor paper. There are 12 sheets of 140 lb watercolor paper. It is bound on all 4 sides, keeping it flat while the artist works without the need for taping edges down. You can paint wet on wet without buckling, and paint lifts off of the paper easily, highly recommend.

You can cut the pages out easily after your painting is dry, by sliding a palette knife or exacto knife or something similar underneath it starting at the little spot where there isn't any glue. It is a block and is bound on all sides so that the paper won't warp when you paint on it. There is no bleeding and it's a great size.

Why We Like This:

Perfect size, paper is really nice and thick
Perfect weight for a beginner or more advance artist
Nice, heavy-weight paper with a matte finish
Good size pad to carry around

Best For recording ideas: Lear Village large Size Watercolor Paper

Buy on Amazon

This 100% cotton watercolor paper has neutra ph to keep your artwork safe for centuries. It provides 100% pure cotton handmade paper suitable for all dry and wet mediums. White erasers also lift paper color while erasing sketch marks from 2h or hb pencil. These are a bit delicate but beautiful.

The paper is sturdy, but absorbs and holds the color very well. It is perfect for recording ideas, anecdotes, lessons learned, and daily events of fond memories. The paper comes in a durable box so you can store your wonderful artwork for decades.

Why We Like This:

Ph neutral so your work will last for centuries
Rich soft and strong all at the same time
Inks applied with fountain, brush, and foam nibs will feather on paper
Beautiful quality paper, easy to scribe on

Best With alcohol ink: Ucreate large Size Watercolor Paper

Buy on Amazon

This paper is pretty much like painting on poster board. It is great value for the amount of paper as well as the quality. This pack of paper measures 9 " x 12 ", has a smooth uniform finish on the front and the back, and includes 250 sheets, making it great for large groups or classrooms. It does tend to bend up a bit when it is drying.

This paper does have additive sizing to be used with watercolors, paints, markers, etc. The paper is a nice, thick, absorbable material. The paper is okay for a beginner and younger artist.

Why We Like This:

Very economical and great for experimenting
Cost effective and great for beginners
One of the new comers and featured product

Best For studio Use: Strathmore Watercolor Paper

Buy on Amazon

This paper is great for watercolor paper that is wood pulp and not cotton. The sheet spiral or detachable higher-quality watercolor paper, this is the same paper, unbound, and large. It is relatively lightweight, but if it warps while using watercolors just spray the back with a little water and place something flat on top while it dries. The size of the paper is wonderful for a large project, and reasonably priced.

The paper is durable and has a nice torn edge look. It cuts well with a sharp blade. The paper is more textured than an 8x. It is great for watercolor paper that is wood pulp and not cotton.

Why We Like This:

For watercolor, pen and ink and colored pencil drawings
Good quality, poster size watercolor paper
Good investment for long term

Best For classroom projects: Tecunite large Size Watercolor Paper

Buy on Amazon

Next on the list, we've got yet another paper that manages to win our hearts. It's the tecunite large size watercolor paper and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient paper you can buy. For kids and beginners it's a fun, inexpensive paper to just play around with. It is great value for student grade watercolor paper. It takes longer to dry, it definitely ripples/curles as you paint, even if you tape it down. It is used to cut in half and make christmas cards. It is suitable for mixed media, such as wet and dry.

It’s a little large for the palette but easy to trim and the paper is nice. It will curl up a bit when the paper is saturated, but this is easy to overcome by taping down the edges before you begin. It is great for color swatches or wash tests.

Why We Like This:

Perfect size for kids or a small painting
Perfect size and nice quality paper
Good investment for long term

Best For Watercolor pencil: Winsor Newton large Size Watercolor Paper

Buy on Amazon

Not everyone likes to purchase paper for their regular usage, but the winsor newton large size watercolor paper would be an anomoly. This paper often produces the brightest water colour paintings because its increased surface area holds more colour and therefore reflects more light. It is made with 100% archival grade cellulose wood pulp and natural artesian spring water with neutral ph properties. It has a less textured finish and is the most widely used paper surface. It can be used by graphic designers.

The smooth and rougher side allow for different effects to be created with the paint. If you like to sketch outdoors or on the go, cutting these up into quarters or long halves for quick sketches fits them into your painting kit, possibly in a fanny pack or small camera type bag.

Why We Like This:

Made on a traditional cylinder mold
A regular source of reliable colours and brushes
Internally and externally sized for optimal water absorbency, pigment dispersion and lasting colour adherence
Allowed artists to enjoy oil colour without the use of hazardous solvents