The 8 Best Smooth Watercolour Papers (2023 reviews)

The arches smooth watercolour paper should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. It is best paper for watercolor or colored pencils. It can be used for pencil, pen, watercolor and more. Because of the smoother surface this paper is great for "cleaner" more detailed paintings or times when you might want to layer colored pencil on top. It has a finer tooth than cold-pressed, so you can achieve more detail.

This item is "hot press" which means it is smooth. The colors blend beautifully on it and the smooth paper is a nice change of pace. It's nice and heavy as well as smooth, making shading easy and effective. This also comes in a pad, which means you have to stretch your paper first to prevent buckling.

Why We Like This:

Absorbs watercolor faster than cold press paper
Very good for certain watercolor paintings such as flowers or other botanicals
All arches hot and cold pressed are acid free and fully archivable

Best For portrait: Canson Smooth Watercolour Paper

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The canson smooth watercolour paper is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your daily usage. These are really nice quality papers. It works for watercolor and tombow markers. The paper has great texture and it is fun and flexible to paint on. It doesn't wrinkle from too much water and it blends colors so well. The paper does not permit alot of scrubbing, no need to scrub very much, paint will lift so well.

This paper is good for small pieces like tags. It also comes in different sizes. It is great for testing, not so much for finished work.

Why We Like This:

Definitely works well for heavy use of water
You can cut it without a problem and water absorption amount is perfect
Doesn't warp with a lot of water

Best For Water Colors: Arteza Smooth Watercolour Paper

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The arteza smooth watercolour paper is capable of outshining several other paper featured in this list in overall features for the price point. Premium watercolor paper is typically thicker (think 140 lb), but is made of cellulose. It works fine enough with acrylic style gouache techniques, which is when you use less water and more paint, and you use it like it is acrylics. On the bright side, the paper's texture is really nice, takes painting really good and has a beautiful ivory color.

The front side is textured and does better with watercolor and the backside is smooth and does better with pen, pencils, and color pencils, but not watercolor so much. It is excellent quality and this pack is enough for many hours of painting. The spiral bound makes it easy to use, that way you don’t have to bend anything. It is perfect for layering. The pages are preferated on the edges so it makes it easy to tear a page out of the book.

Why We Like This:

Endurable and thick enough to scrape off and remove paint
Good quality watercolor paper for painting
Good paper, has serrated edge to tear out if wanted

Best For Really responsive Paper: Strathmore Smooth Watercolour Paper

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Compared with other paper in this category, the strathmore smooth watercolour paper has a convenient design. This hot press paper has a much smoother texture and prints really nicely. It stands up very well for laying down many layers of wax, and burnishing. It provides greater water hold-out, improved color lifting, and blending. The high quality of the material inspires more intense and beautiful paintings, and the paintings start to take on a more integrated look.

It is ideal for pen & ink, watercolor or acrylic artwork. The cover is fairly soft and flexible but that makes it perfect to just open up flat so you can use every inch of the paper to paint on, just use some clips to hold it in place and flat.

Why We Like This:

A heavy-weight paper with a hot press finish for mastering watercolor techniques
Great for plein air or travel kits
Color blends beautifully, looks sharp (not dull at all) on the paper
Great size and works well with water colors

Best With alcohol ink: Ucreate Smooth Watercolour Paper

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The ucreate smooth watercolour paper's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. This paper is made of wood pulp (cellulose) and not cotton. It absorbs well and does not get soggy/shed. It's perfect for watercolors. It's a watercolor paper so it's not smooth as silk. It does tend to bend up a bit when it is drying.

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 works great for chalk pastels and drawing too. It's very thick, very absorbent. The paper is okay for a beginner and younger artist.

Why We Like This:

Works great for watercolors and school paint
Cost effective and great for beginners
Very economical and great for experimenting

Best For urban sketching: Paul Rubens Smooth Watercolour 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 paper. The paul rubens smooth watercolour paper is exactly that - it's a simple paper that hits all the right notes. The quality of watercolor paper is really important for beginners. Adopted 100% cotton, this journal is acid-free and can keep your memories alive long after the trip. It's 140 lb (300 gsm), so it's thick enough that it doesn't significantly buckle when used for watercolor.

The paper allows watercolor without buckling or bleeding through to the other side. It does have a slight texture which is noticeable when using watercolor pencils. The paper's surface has enough texture for the watercolor work, but not so much that it affects the air brush work.

It's a really nice sketchbook.

Why We Like This:

Nice and thick, double sided, quality 100% cotton paper in a travel sketchbook
Colors are vibrant and handles anything you toss at it
Works for both watercolor and small airbrush work

Best With envelope: Fabriano Smooth Watercolour Paper

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If you often find yourself confused about appropriate and satisfactory paper, fabriano smooth watercolour paper should be your first option for buying. This is some beautiful paper, and very economical for testing out your preferences. It's great as white card stock and oil pastel paper. The watercolor paper is only 25% cotton, so the absorbency isn't on par with other brands. The paper does not stand up to any rubbing and quickly pills. It's really good if you want to apply a lot of water and then drop in the paint, as you get really nice flow.

The hot press is a creamy white, smooth and works well. It's smooth like bristle. It does work well with many die cutting machines like big shot series.

Why We Like This:

Excellent watercolor paper for botanical studies
Works beautifully with a wide variety of art mediums
Sketch pad good for young artist

Best For colored pencil: unknown Smooth Watercolour Paper

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Unknown is known for creating pragmatic and minimalist paper for people on the go, and its line of unknown smooth watercolour paper definitely falls in line with that reputation. This hot-pressed paper is awesome. It is made of 100 percent cotton ribbons and has a two sided decked edge. It has a smooth texture (versus a little bumpy in standard watercolor paper like swarthmore) and is white versus eggshell. It is easy to glue onto colored card stock for cards. It is also easily erasable, and displays minimal smudging.

This is a great block of watercolor paper. It really is superior for holding color and water in place and for blending. It is durable enough for light to medium scrubbing on its surface. This is beautiful, hot press paper in a very portable 5x7 format.

Why We Like This:

5 x7 perfect size for painting birds or other small scenes
Non waxed edge for sliding knife to release from block
Good brand reputation

The 8 Best Smooth Watercolour Papers (2023 reviews)

Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Arches Smooth Watercolour Paper

Best For portrait: Canson Smooth Watercolour Paper

Best For Water Colors: Arteza Smooth Watercolour Paper

Best For Really responsive Paper: Strathmore Smooth Watercolour Paper

Best With alcohol ink: Ucreate Smooth Watercolour Paper

Best For urban sketching: Paul Rubens Smooth Watercolour Paper

Best With envelope: Fabriano Smooth Watercolour Paper

Best For colored pencil: unknown Smooth Watercolour Paper

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8 Best Smooth Hot Press Papers