Jackson’s are excited to announce that we have the Royal Watercolour Society Watercolour Paper back in stock. Created in 2002 by John Purcell Paper in consultation with the President and Council of the Royal Watercolour Society, this exceptional paper was formerly a great favourite among our customers, and among watercolour painters more widely, who praised its suitability for wet-in-wet painting.
The paper comes in two weights (300 & 425gsm) and three finishes (Hot Pressed, Not & Rough). All sheets are of premium quality, and bear the stamp and watermark of the Royal Watercolour Society, which attest to the close involvement of the President and Council of the Society during the design and production processes, as the paper-maker John Purcell recalls.
‘At different times over many years, the President and Council of the Royal Watercolour Society have made commercial arrangements with paper manufacturers to make a paper carrying the RWS brand. This is seen as a good opportunity to add expertise to the paper maker and, by way of commission on sales, to provide funds for the society.
‘An earlier arrangement had been with the hand made paper maker Barcham Green. As stocks of the old handmade paper were getting low and Barcham Green were no longer trading, Francis Bowyer as president started to research doing a new version of the paper. John Purcell Paper were chosen as the paper supplier. Working closely with Francis Bowyer and David Gluck of the RWS, we tested many samples of existing papers and some laboratory samples of possible new papers in order to come up with a specification.
‘As a result of our testing process, we created the cylinder mould made RWS watercolour paper in 2002. The specification we chose was 80% cotton, 20% linen; surface sized with gelatine; deckle-edged. We chose the shade and we designed a watermark. The range we chose was to have 300 gsm and 425 gsm in HP, NOT and Rough surfaces.’
The former President of the Royal Watercolour Society, Francis Bowyer P.P.R.W.S., N.E.A.C. explains the rationale which lay behind the testing process: ‘It was a matter of making sure the paper is sized to allow the watercolour to strike a balance between the paint sitting on the surface of the paper and it being too absorbent. So often watercolour artists like to be able to move the watercolour around on the surface of the paper as they paint, but also need to feel that it settles more within the paper as it dries. I would like to think that is what we achieved in the RWS Paper.’
The Royal Watercolour Society Watercolour Paper is available in 300 and 425 gsm sheets, and in Hot Pressed, Not, and Rough surfaces. The paper can be bought by the sheet or in packs of ten sheets.
For more information about the wide range of different watercolour papers available and their qualities, see this post on the Jackson’s Blog, and our Visual Guide to Watercolour Paper.
The post Royal Watercolour Society Watercolour Paper – Back In Stock appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.