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J H S
April 29th, 2015, 09:44 PM
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Just as I was thinking about pressing the buy button on a roll of Arches 90hp, I remembered the impulse buy I made some time ago on a cheap roll of 100% cotton rag paper, sold under the name Bee, for a ridiculously low price of $23. The Bee roll (lol) I have on hand is called heavy watercolor paper, it's not, a 90 lb cold press is not heavy.
There are other Bee surfaces to consider as well, but I don't have samples to torture.


The paper also comes in sheet and pad form for those who don't want the hassle of roll paper. By the roll is where the absolute value is though, and cutting it isn't hard....I use a Japanese folding wood saw of 32 teeth per inch, and cut the roll like a log into the page Width that I want. Then, a razor knife or hand-held Logan mat-cutter trims to the length I want. Many times I over cut and then rip with a straight edge to achieve a deckle edge...(hard crease with a bone folder and slobber the crease first for best results.) The rolled paper does have a memory, and it will take time between boards to relax flat...sometimes I mist lightly so as to not disturb the sizing and then dry between felts or non-waxed cardboard panels so the moisture dries out.

Flat paper in pads are likely more user friendly for most.



http://s6.postimg.org/wwdtz15y9/JHS_paper_arches_and_bee_1.jpg



As casual paper for light wash, and pen and ink, I got no complaints. My cold press sample is not smooth like hot press, but the texture is interesting and is slightly different front, from back.

Bee paper does not take the place of Arches 90 hp, but it don't cost a zillion dollars either. The usual suspects carry it, and I call it worthy of a trial to anyone looking for a 100% cotton rag paper that doesn't break the bank.


The whole 'weight of paper' thing seems a shell game to me, designed to drive people insane....the arches 90 hp is more like a cover paper to put in summer bicycle spokes; compared to the prone to flop Bee 90 cp, but they both have their charm.

http://s6.postimg.org/6pcn32noh/JHS_paper_arches90hp_cu.jpg
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http://s6.postimg.org/49ff2yuzl/JHS_paper_bee90cp_cu.jpg




Sizing issues must also be considered. Ink stands thinly on the stony Arches, while the Bee paper has soft cotton thirst, that drinks a heavy line of ink without feathering.

I've been hunting a cheapish all-round paper, that will serve bold words from my fountain pen, and survive my growing doodle bug habit, while weathering the spit I throw into those special moments that demand a wash.
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I would like to learn of other casual papers, that I won't feel guilty 'messing up'; there's some brush pens comin, and I got a lot of messin up to do. Not knowing enough to evaluate the 100% cotton of Strathmore 500 series, or Stonehenge, I can only say that for the money, and this is in no way just about money, Bee paper gets my buzz.

Jim

elaineb
April 29th, 2015, 10:42 PM
Stonehenge is very heavy weight, heavier than 90lb watercolor, and is okay with ink but not fabulous with broad nibs like your italic. Overall, I don't think printmaking papers work well for fountain pens, because of the way the surface is treated to receive the thick, tar-like intaglio inks used in etching, litho, etc. They are soft, and a bit like felt. Brush pens work nicely on them, however, as do dry drawing media.

I don't think there is a Strathmore 500 drawing sheet -- at least, I've only seen series 500 charcoal papers (too porous for ink), watercolor papers, and various types of boards. But just general drawing paper? No, I've never seen it anywhere. The 400 series drawing paper is quite nice for writing. But it all depends on what you're looking for, in terms of weight. Stillman & Birn, the sketchbook company, also puts out full sheets of their book papers. You might like their alpha series, which is wonderful for dry media, pens, and occasional washes, and isn't particularly heavy. I'd say comparable to the Strathmore 400, which is 80 lb.

The weight measurements used with papers are utterly confusing and frustrating on the American side of things, because there are several systems in use that sound the same but aren't. There's a good chart on the Paper Mill Store web site (http://www.thepapermillstore.com/resources/paper-weights) that simplifies all the different systems into a single scale. The rest of the world uses a much more sensible system of grams/square meter that is the same across all paper types and industries.

If you move away from the world of art papers and toward papers used by printers and publishers, there's a whole new world of possibilities that generally come much cheaper, cut to any size you like, and shipped by the ream and carton. You will get more paper for your money this way than if you bought art papers by the roll. Poke around on the Paper Mill Store web site for some idea of what's available.

J H S
April 30th, 2015, 01:51 AM
What a great idea, thanks much!

One of the issues with buying by the roll is the limited offering. I'll have no problem buying by the ream or carton once the specific type of paper is known. The closest I've come to this idea is a nagging desire to try some Arches Text, but when purchased in small volume, as a specialized art specific product, it's rare and spendy.

I'm going to look into this source for paper seriously. Thanks for the tip elaineb.

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