How to Restore Sizing on Watercolour Paper

Sizing on watercolour paper can deteriorate and go bad. This videos uses Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground and Holbein Sizing Liquid to restore the sizing.

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[LaLa_ArtGal]

I didn't ever think of this before! It's a good reason to use up the good paper as soon as I get it instead of hoarding the good supplies! 😁

[maryalgar]

Very interesting. Watercolor paper should come with a "best before date" :) Terrific and helpful video.

[theoriginalbabycub]

The DS watercolour ground isn't just a size. It imparts a tooth similar to cold press watercolour paper. Its overkill if you are using it on watercolour paper as that already has the relevant tooth. It will however change HP watercolour paper to a more cold press like paper, which I think explains the differences between the HP paper you used that had the ground and the Holbein size.
DS ground also comes into its own using it on non watercolour paper or other absorbent or non absorbent surfaces. Imagine using watercolour in glass and metal. If you use the DS transparent ground on glass or metal and fully transparent watercolours ... very unique effects.

[mindofwatercolor]

Very good, helpful info. Thanks Teoh!

[hansendesigns]

Your sizing was applied very lightly, and the ground was very watered down esp since i had the impression ground was like "gesso" for watercolor. This is miraculous because paper isn't cheap and now you don't have to worry if you don't use it so fast! Thx Teoh

[jillwiswall]

Daniel Smith makes a transparent watercolor ground too! (And also metallic gold and buff titanium)

[ElectricAlice]

THANK YOU. I have a batch of faulty watercolor paper that has been in storage for quite a while and I couldn't bring myself to throw it out because it was so expensive....

[lynnhuntington]

I had 10 sheets with no sizing at purchase. I asked 7 artists how to still use it ... no good answers. Although the supplier replaced the paper for me I didn’t want to waste it. So, thank you!!

[howardg]

Great thanks that explain why some good quality paper a friend gave me, after not using it for a couple of year, acts like blotting paper! I never thought paper would have a shelf life that short.

[jilliancrawford]

You are my hero! You always make videos for the niche things nobody else thinks to talk about that I need or want to know!
This video in particular has helped me understand why I struggle with streaks sometimes and saved my paper to know that I don't have to throw away my paper right away like I was initially taught! I had been getting streaks and struggled getting even washes lately and figured it was the dry climate and/or me being a pathetic creature or something. I prefer hotpress paper, the texture so watercolor ground isn't always desired and knowing that liquid sizing is an option is such wonderful news!

[suzannw]

This is really helpful to me. I didn't know that watercolor sizing could deteriorate over time. Thanks!

[cammiluna]

I bought the DS Watercolor ground to paint on canvas panels a few months ago, but never had time to use it. This video was mindblowing to me because this year I purchased a Mossery watercolor book and the sizing is SO BAD that paints on it look exactly like your sizing-decayed pages (which is sad considering those books are very expensive). I'm gonna slap some ground on the remaining pages and hopefully I'll finish the book!

[tiff_video]

Great video! As a sketchbook hoarder, it gives me peace of mind that I can always fix the paper if it deteriorates before I even have a chance to use it.

[cazumbandoartmaddy]

I've bought an opaque white DS ground (like yours) after looking at some reviews on YouTube. Saw one using a gold ground to paint a box, saw one of Jean Haines using as a correction tool for a painting, saw one using it on canvas (that was one of my main reasons to buy a ground, the practicality of getting to paint something on canvas and then sell afterwards). Decided to use some of it as well as an "eraser" to have a blank new page on watercolor sketchbooks if I hated my watercolor sketch or "spoiled" a page making only brush strokes, for example. But this video of yours is simply genius! I didn't know watercolor paper sizing could deteriorate (actually, everything deteriorates, we just forget it lol), and I have a pad of clairefontaine cold press cotton paper I haven't messed with since 2015. Some painted pages, after I used recently the leftover white space for swatching, had its sizing deteriorated. Since it's a 4 sided bound block, maybe the other pages aren't affected, but I'll see the first page available after I tore off the ones I used for painting years ago. Thank you very much for this video, Teoh. This might be one of the most intelligent uses of watercolor ground I've ever seen. (Speaking of, I'll probably order all of the other colors, especially black, so you get to have almost unlimited supply of black "watercolor" paper :P)

[sharonseal]

I have lived in a semi arid climate since I have been using watercolor paper and have not noticed any deterioration over time (so far). Some of my older journals (15-20 years) still have blank pages and I will go back and use some of this paper and see what happens. THanks for this video.

[NikkiKern-pdrd]

YOU ARE MY HERO!!! I have struggled so much with over-absorbent paper! AND I have the same bleed-thru with journals & sketchbooks! Thank you so much!

[suzyg]

Thanks, Teoh - I have been looking for a solution to add sizing to paper. This was a very timely video!

[MusicalMedley]

I was trying to explain this to some new watercolor learners and they could not grasp what I was talking about. This video explains it so well, and shows what and why the best. Thank you!

[lyndatanevski]

Thank you 😊 . I was so disappointed in how some of my paper was behaving . In know why now thanks to you Cheers Lynda

[laurap]

This is such an incredibly helpful video. Thank you!