Arches Watercolor Block, Cold Press 9X12

It definitely makes a difference to use quality paper.

Arches is my favorite watercolor paper. Worth the price to me. It is sturdy and flawless. I spend a lot of time on a painting so I invest in something that will last for a long time.

Arches is always the best!

This is the cream of the crop of watercolor paper, so no complaints.

Arches is the bomb! I have used nothing else with as much success for the last 30 years. It holds up well, it is responsive and durable, and it shows off the pigment without deadening it. As a watercolor artist, I have used both the large sheets and the smaller sizes, and each time the paint dries without buckling the paper. You cant go wrong with it. And you will be very happy that you are painting on it.

the best water color paper, I am doing tattoo flash, perfect for spit shading,

Watercolor paper just doesnt get better than arches. The make THE highest quality paper that I have ever used, and I will need no other brand. The cold press paper is bumpy in comparison to the hot press and creates more muted tones from the paints. I like to use this for darker subject matter. It is still very easy to draw on with pencils and Micron pens. I also enjoy using water soluble sketch pencils with this paper. This paper is definitely more expensive that the stuff I started out with on the big pad from the craft store. But it is worth the price if you are looking for professional appearance and presentation in your works. High quality paper like this is labor and time intensive. When you compare how watercolor paint looks on this paper to another brand there is HUGE difference in depth and color. It really feels like the aper does most of the work!

Its crazy; Ive used Strathmore before and its very nice but then my friend gave me a piece of this paper. Just the look of it is amazing; the texture is wonderful and it feels great and thick. The color looks brilliant on it, even with cheaper paints. Now strathmore is for my fun small projects and this paper is for my big ones.

I really love Arches paper and particularly their watercolor blocks. They are truly sealed on all sides (except for small are where you insert your palette knife to separate the pages). Ive used other blocks that separate right away and its annoying; I buy blocks for a reason and if they separate before you even use them, may as well buy loose papers. The paper has consistent, even tooth and hold the watercolor beautifully while also providing you time to work the paint as needed for blending/blotting, etc.

The quality is good, but the only thing made me wonder was that I did not see the arches watermark anywhere. I am not sure if Arches is still watermark its 140lb CP block.