Surfaces

The Surfaces section includes all products designed to be painted, printed or drawn on or that can be cut into to or built upon to print from or make models with. All painting surfaces have been prepared with the relevant size or primer ready for accepting paint and all drawing surfaces developed to specifically suit pencil, pastel, charcoal or ink. It includes canvas, watercolour paper, cartridge paper and pastel paper in a range of sizes and choice of loose sheets or pads from famous brands such as Fabriano, St. Cuthbert’s Mill, Arches, Seawhite, Winsor & Newton and Loxley.

What is the best paper for Watercolour? Watercolour paper is a specific surface that has been treated with size – a type of glue – to limit its absorbency so that the watercolour does not sink into but remains on the surface. The different types of paper – Rough, Cold Pressed and Hot Pressed – have different amounts of size and so each type will offer a different way of working the watercolour.
What is a canvas? Canvas is woven material – usually cotton or linen – that has been stretched over stretcher bars and usually primed with gesso to provide a support for Oil Colour, Acrylic Paint and Tempera.

What paper best suits marker pens? Any smooth paper that does not have too much absorbency is best. Specific papers like bleed-proof marker pads, Bristol Board or illustration board are recommended and some hot-pressed watercolour papers can be used too.
Why are most pads in Imperial Sizes? Tradition. As papers and canvases were originally made to Imperial sizes, the machines to manufacture them naturally developed with these sizes still used. In the 19^th century, French Standard Canvas sizes were fixed following the ¾ formula where the width is around three quarters of the length. Metric sized art papers and canvas are now available but the aesthetics of the Imperial proportions still endure.

See our blog and product pages for more information regarding surfaces.