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Wednesday 30 July 2014

Vegan and Veggie papers





St Cuthberts Mill prides itself on creating papers for every artists requirements. We’re often asked whether any of our products are suitable for individuals who have vegetarian and vegan principles. The answer is ‘Yes’!

We have a vast range of papers, which include vegetarian and vegan ones. We can confirm that the sizing supplied to us for our Bockingford, Millford and Somerset papers do not contain any animal derivatives. The sizing we use is a synthetic one, which is 100% suitable for artists who like to be aware of what their materials contain.




Winsor and Newton have created a fantastic list noting which paints/materials contain animal derivatives. 
You can see this via the link provided!



For further info regarding our papers please email us: scarroll@stcuthbertsmill.com

Friday 11 July 2014


How to soak and stretch watercolour paper




Here's a quick guide for soaking and stretching watercolour paper effectively.

Immerse the sheet of paper under running water from a tap for 3 minutes (150 or 190gsm) or 8 minutes (300gsm) taking care not to touch the area you intend to paint as the paper is fragile when wet and finger marks will show up in the wash.

Place the soaked sheet on a sturdy board.

Wet some gummed tape (do not soak) and place around all four edges of the paper.

Blot any excess water with a clean paper towel and leave to dry on a slight tilt.

Leave the paper to dry overnight.

When dry the paper will be stretched tightly on the board and when water is added with paint the paper will not move.

Important: When soaking the paper it is very important NOT to accidentally contaminate the paper with residues of detergents, which are found in areas like baths and sinks. Detergents attack the sizing causing the paper to become very absorbent and unstable.




How to avoid soaking and stretching

Use a heavier weight of paper such as 425gsm or above. The paper is thick enough to withstand the moisture applied to it without buckling/cockling too much. The heavier the paper the less it will move.

Use a watercolour block. These are glued on all four sides pulling the paper tight so that it resists buckling/cockling.



For further info, please email us: sales@stcuthbertsmill.com