Continuing today with PAPER CIRCUS, I remembered the swatches I made recently on FABRIANO ARTISTICO 300GR GRANA FINA:
Not all the same pigments used as yesterday, but similar enough to see that it sits somewhere in the middle as a quality watercolor paper that behaves nicely and predictably.
So I decided to throw it to the mix and put it against LANAQUARELLE 300GR TORCHON. I was curious to test that paper specifically since last night it’s lighter textured sibling performed so well. First I drew on LANAQUARELLE; this texture feels very similar to the lighter one as it isn’t that much rougher after all. The only thing I noticed was that erasing the pencil after inking required a bit more effort, as the texture demands some insisting to clear every last bit. Painting, as was the case yesterday, is a joy on this paper.
Drawing on FABRIANO ARTISTICO 300GR GRANA FINA is a bit easier – due to the slightly smoother surface pencil glides across and erasing the pencil is equally easier too. For inking I actually preferred LANAQUARELLE; felt more natural than somewhat “plasticky” feeling of nib on FABRIANO. Painting on it is nice – it is also a quality watercolor paper that behaves good.
But in the end I prefer LANAQUARELLE notably. Working on it is smooth and the way the paint sets is really appealing, spreading evenly without blotches all the while keeping beautiful powdery texture of granulating pigments. I deliberately rendered both sketches in same colors, to observe how the same pigments behave on each paper. While the soldiers give a similar impression, the wash behind them clearly tells the different story – the same LUNAR BLUEpigment sets much nicer on LANAQUARELLE, working that granulating magic impressively.
In the end, before I get to additionally try HAHNEMUHLE 300GR CEZANNE MATT, I’m chosing LANAQUARELLE from this whole bunch. I guess I’ll go after the cold pressed version, as the slightly smoother texture is preferred for drawing while the painting results are equally great on both.