While perusing the shelves of Salt Bay Art Supply, my local art store here in Damariscotta, I stumbled across a new watercolor paper that I was quite intrigued by. The Bee Paper Company, based out of Indiana, has released a new watercolor block. It is 100% cotton, cold press, sealed down on all four sides, and overall looked pretty decent. I often get asked to recommend affordable papers so I brought it home to give it a try.

In the past I have used the Bee Paper skill level pads in my studio and in workshops as an inexpensive paper to test colors, paint quick studies, and so forth. It has been one of my “go to” skill level papers for a couple of years now and I’m quite happy to report that their new block did not disappoint. It certainly is not Arches, and I do have a couple of complaints, but for the price it performed quite well and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a block of paper that won’t break the bank.

The paper seems to be fairly bright white with a texture that looks even but on the smoother side for a cold press. From the moment my pencil hit the paper to sketch out my painting, the surface felt quite soft compared to other papers that I typically paint on. I was nervous that it would not hold up to the job, but I was pleasantly surprised that the surface not only stayed intact, but the paint laid down in even washes and dried evenly with the typical color shift that one would expect. The paper continued to perform well as I was able to lift paint very easily with a damp brush, keep areas wet and workable for extended periods of time, and rework areas multiple times without any change to the surface's integrity. I was also able to get bright colors and deep values which points to the paper sizing doing its job well and keeping all of the pigment on the surface.

Overall I am quite happy with the paper, but there are a few areas that I felt a little disappointed. The first being that some of the glue sealing the block together failed along the top of the paper. Although the paper had a very minimal amount of buckling, it apparently buckled enough to pull the glue apart in this one area. To its defence, I was testing its limits and had an exceptional amount of water on it, but it is still quite a bummer. As you can see in the photo, it pulled apart in a couple of areas making multiple small openings but the block is certainly not ruined. I have a feeling that it could be avoided with a little care and attention to not letting puddles of water sit along the edge for too long.

I was able to encourage granulation on this paper but I felt like it appeared a bit less than on other papers. I was a little disappointed but I do plan to do a little more experimenting on this as it could have been my pigment choices.

My last complaint is really just speculation and a warning to lift paint gently. Although I did try to push this paper to test its limits, I was careful to not overwork or be rough with the surface as it felt kind of soft. I was very pleased that it held up after being so saturated with water multiple times and I was easily able to go in and lift paint, but I definitely felt like I could break the surface with too much scrubbing. I’m currently giving the block another go with a painting that I am to use a lot of lifting paint techniques. I will report back with the results.

Color lifted on railing and inside doorway

In my opinion, paper is a tricky subject and my general recommendation is to always buy the best paper you can afford. You do get what you pay for with watercolor paper and how it performs, but there does need to be a balance. It is exceedingly important to not feel afraid to use your paper, or any of your supplies, because they feel too precious, too expensive, or you don’t think of yourself as “ready” or “good enough.” It is so important to just get painting! So finding a more affordable price point, such as this block of paper, can be really helpful in bridging that gap. Overall, I think this paper is a good choice for those times that you want to have the convenience of using a block of paper but aren’t ready to pull out the expensive stuff.

These blocks are sold exclusively to art stores and you will not find them available online. So the next time you’re at your local art store take a look and try one out for yourself. The available sizes that I found were: 12”x12”(I purchased this one for $59.95), 4”x6”, 9”x12”, 6”x6”, 7”x10”, 6”x9”, 8”x8”, and was informed that more larger sizes are available but were not in stock.

Already tried this paper? Let me know how you like it in the comments.

Bee Paper Company Watercolor Block Review