Hi friends! I got this as part of my Hyatt’s haul, along with the Shizen watercolour sketchbook. I have heard Bee Paper Company makes good watercolour paper at an affordable price, so I have high hopes for this. Is this another dud from my haul? Read on for my Bee Watercolour Paper review. 🙂
The Specs
The specs looked a little blurry on the label for some reason. I will type them out here in case you cannot read them:
- 100% cotton paper
- 6″x9″ (15.2cm x 22.9cm)
- 140lb (300gsm)
- 25 sheets for US$13.49
- Acid free, archival quality
- internally and externally sized (Phew!)
- Cold press
- Maximum wet strength
- Paper of European origin, packaged in the USA
After using Shizen’s unsized paper, am I glad this is sized externally and internally! In addition, the price is very affordable for a whopping 25 sheets. Furthermore, the specs look great, so let’s test the paper out!
The Texture of Bee Watercolour Paper
The texture of Bee Watercolour paper is a typical cold pressed fine to medium grain, very similar to Grabie and Arteza’s cotton paper. I must say, these three papers do perform very similarly, so if you cannot get Bee Paper where you are, Grabie and Arteza’s 100% cotton paper are comparable to Bee Watercolour Paper. Price wise, however, Bee watercolour paper is cheaper.
Bee Watercolour Paper Performance Review
Since this paper is externally and internally sized, I started out with a quick cat portrait I did for a friend. I wanted to see whether the paper dries too fast (which is not indicative of sizing and more typical of wood pulp paper).
I painted Jack, my friend’s late cat who was her favourite pet. He was 16 in the reference photo. Right away, Bee watercolour paper reminds me a lot of Grabie’s. It performs almost the same, so much so I cannot tell the difference. While the paint didn’t dry too quickly, it did dry quicker than when I used Arches, which I considered to be the gold standard of watercolour paper. However, I am painting in a fairly dry environment (Canadian winter with indoor heat), which is something to keep in mind.
Maximum Wet Strength Tested
When I review a product, I review it against its claims. For these two paintings, I am using heavy washes and in multiple layers. Bee watercolour paper certainly stood up to the heavy washes! I did not experience any shedding or fibres coming off.
By the way, I could lift paint off this paper as well. If it was not sized, I would not be able to lift the colours.
When water and paint dry too fast on watercolour paper, it’s difficult to do a galaxy style painting. However, I did not have trouble with Bee Paper when I painted this wolf. In fact, the drying time was adequate for me to drop in colours, blend and not leave blooms and hard edges.
By the way, I did two layers of heavy washes to deepen the colours, and the paper accepted the ample amount of water without problems.
Masking Tape & Fluid
UPDATE: I did a painting from Harriet De Winto’s book, and unfortunately I noticed that the masking fluid and masking tape had ripped the Bee watercolour paper. It’s a shame, but it happened not just to this painting but another painting as well. So if you use masking fluid or washi tape on this paper, beware!
Overall Bee Watercolour Paper Review
Bee Paper Company produced this affordable yet good watercolour paper that ticks all the boxes. It has a good drying time that allows you to blend out your paints without creating hard edges. Moreover, it stands up to heavy washes and multiple layers. At the low price of US$13.49 for 25 sheets, this is also archival quality too! If you can find Bee watercolour paper where you are at this affordable price, I highly recommend it. This is especially good if you are too precious with your more expensive paper like Arches!
