Do You Always Have to Stretch Watercolor Paper?

Watercolor painting can be a bit tricky for a beginner to figure out. And a lot of that has to do with stretching the paper you paint on. So, Do You Always Have to Stretch Watercolor Paper?

However, the answer to this question depends entirely on your skill level and choice of medium. The main objective of paper stretching is to prevent buckling. Consequently, if you are using 425 gsm watercolor paper or lighter, your best bet will be to get the stretching done beforehand.

Please notice that even considering using watercolor paper for printing, you might have to consider humidifying the paper. Some heavier paper can take a lot of wet medium without the need to stretch; but for a beginner, mostly working on student grade paper surface, stretching watercolor paper is a must.

Read on to learn more details, how exactly the stretching paper is done, and more.

What Is Watercolor Paper Stretching, and Why Is It Necessary?

When you add watercolor, the paper expands somewhat on the wet side as a result of the moisture present. The opposite side stays dry, resulting in bending and buckling on that particular side.

Because the paint settles in the lower parts of the paper, it might be problematic for the painter to work within this situation. Sheets that are typically lower in weight are more prone to buckling when subjected to strong water applications.

To combat this, stretching the watercolor paper is a must. This process involves:

1. Soaking the paper until it expands.
2. Draining the excess water.
3. Tying the soaked paper down to a firm flat surface.
4. Allowing it to dry flat till it shrinks and becomes tight

The tight surface gives you the flexibility to paint without having to contend with puddles of color and lets you use as much liquid over the whole surface as you want.

Even for thicker paper, stretching is a good idea though not highly necessary. Additionally, you can keep pre-stretched watercolor paper stored ready for painting, while you can also watercolor paint on wet paper that has been freshly stretched for that sweet wet on wet action.

All of this sounds fine in theory and all, but sometimes the experiences of real-life artists matter more. So we always recommend talking to your artist friends or being part of a community.

How to Stretch Watercolor Paper?

There are a lot of different methods floating around the community for stretching the paper. Many artists use their own methods learned from years of experience, but the general approach remains the same.

Below we discuss a simple and easy method for stretching watercolor paper that does not require any fancy equipment while giving you a fantastic result:

Materials Needed

For our easy and simple method, you’ll need the following

1. Your choice of watercolor paper
2. Gummed paper tape or masking tape.
3. A wooden rigid board (at least half an inch or 12 mm thick and big enough for your watercolour paper of choice) or a similarly sized gator board
4. A clean sponge or large brush
5. A ruler
6. A box cutter

Step-by-Step Method:

Overall, this stretching process is very easy and hassle-free and should take only about 20-30 mins, and obviously, you can scale it up for large sheets of paper. The next seven steps are:

Wet the Paper

For roughly 15 – 25 minutes, take a clean wet sponge and gently dab all over the watercolor paper, making sure that the paper is completely saturated and that you used a sheet of clean paper.

Or, you can run a wet brush through the paper for the same results. This should be done on both sides of the surface. If you are excessively harsh with the damp sponge, it will cause damage to the surface of the paper.

Alternative to Soak the Paper

If all that is too time-consuming for you, you can take the lazy route. Completely soak the watercolor paper in cold water for around 5 mins (longer for heavyweight paper). Do not oversoak as that can ruin the sizing and show the paper fibers in your finished painting. You can even take a spray bottle to wet your paper.

Drain Excess Water

Now you need to take your soaked sheet and drain the excess water. You can use any method you want for draining.

Stretch the Paper Over a Board

For this step, you need to attach the paper to a clean wooden board. Even if the paper is not fully flat, place the wet Watercolor Paper on the taut surface of the wooden board and cut off pieces of gummed tape or masking tape to the exact size requirements. You can even use an office stapler for this purpose.

Stick the Paper to the Board

Use half of the gummed tape to cover the sheet edge and another half to cover the wooden board and adhere the paper to the board with the paper edge facing up. Keep pressing down on the tape carefully, being mindful not to contact or scrape the wet paper, as this might cause it to get damaged.

Inspect the sealing around all four corners to ensure that they are fully sealed. Be careful that there are no air bubbles inside the taped edge. The surplus water will need to be swept away with a dry sponge, absorbent paper towel, or blotting paper if there is still a significant amount of it.

Drying Time

Ensure the paper sheets remain flat on the board and let them dry completely. It might take 5 hours for lighter paper while taking a lot longer for particularly thick kinds. A hairdryer can speed up the drying process but do not use too high heat.

Painting on the Dried Paper

Once your paper dries, you can start painting. Remember to keep the top sheet attached to the board flat while doing your watercolor painting.

Cut the Painting off

After you are done with the watercolor painting, you can safely take the paper off the board. You can use a sharp box cutter or scalpel, or craft knife to cut the painting off.

Alternative Methods for Stretching Watercolor Paper

The fundamentals of stretching will remain the same for every method, while you can use different equipment or stretching boards for your stretch paper. Some alternatives are as follows:

Using a Canvas Frame

You can use a cheap disposable canvas for this method. All you need to do is take your wet unstretched paper and lay it over the canvas flat and smooth.

After that stretch, the paper over the edges of the canvas and use some strong staplers to stick it to the canvas. Then let dry as before, and you will have a sheet of beautifully  stretched watercolor paper ready for painitng.

Using a Paper Stretcher

When it comes to stretching paper, this is a fantastic approach since it produces a beautiful flat “drum-like” surface. You will need the specialty-made tool, though.

The board is rounded on the edges and contains grooves. Rubber strips are used to hold the wet paper in place while it dries. It is possible that you might have to use a mallet to drive the rubber back into position, which will result in a significant amount of extra tension.

Some artists propose placing hot wax into the crevices of the paper before removing it to make the process simpler.

Using Alternative Equipment

Going back to our original methodology, we used wooden or gator boards. Marine-grade plywood is a fantastic alternative to those. Some artists also said that plexiglass could be great for painting afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Watercolor paint on unstretched paper?

Stretching paper combats buckling, and lighter paper are more prone to this particular issue. If stretching seems too much of a hassle for you, you can always choose a heavier paper. You can also use a watercolor block. They come tightly glued together, so you don’t have to see any buckled paintings.

Are there any other benefits to Stretching paper for painting?

Yes, there is. Since there will be no lumps on the surface, stretching provides much smoother strokes when adding color.

This means that no paint will get stuck beneath and you wont get bleeding or inconsistent colors/tones down the line.

Additionally the painting will also require fewer touch ups.

Can I stretch the paper after painting?

Yes, it can be done, but the results might vary vastly depending on the paper. If you experience buckling after you’re done with the painting, we suggest using the same paper to paint another disposable picture and stretching that up to see the results first before you try to stretch your main painting.

Can I buy pre-stretched paper?

Yes, you can. We recommend Arches 140 lb cold press paper.

Last update on 2024-05-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Final Words

Do you have to stretch watercolor paper always?

Hope the answer is clear now. By now, you should know why there is a need to stretch watercolor paper and what to do if you do not want to stretch. It isn’t without reasons that some artists exclaim stretching to be one of the most important skills in this arena, and with practice, you can get your stretching skills near-professional too.