Comments about Canson XL Watercolor Pads:

I'm an art teacher, and this is the best affordable watercolor paper I've used with my students, both children and adults. Very sturdy, nice texture, accepts the paint well, doesn't buckle unless heavily wetted. Unlike some cheaper products this paper maintains the bright colors of the paint after it's dry.

Comments about Canson XL Watercolor Pads:

this paper is completely useless! with just a light wash of water, the paper becomes fuzzy, and uneven, literally breaking down. any subsequent brushwork over any wet paper areas will easily tear the paper... its like pulp, and decomposes with water..?!? its watercolor paper! unbelievable... btw i'm not a paper snob, ive used student quality stuff before, but this junk is just an intentionally bad paper to make you buy the expensive stuff... junk!

Comments about Canson XL Watercolor Pads:

This paper buckles up too much, with just a few washes of watercolor it already starts to ball up. Well, at least I now know for next time :\

Comments about Canson XL Watercolor Pads:

This is cold-pressed paper, but I prefer working with paper that has a rougher finish. I buy these pads for my jr. artists for when they want to get wild and woolly with watercolors, so they have a good experience painting, and I can save their work if it turns out well. It holds up well, with little waving, and doesn't bleed onto the next page.

Comments about Canson XL Watercolor Pads:

I bought this as a "throw away" pad of paper for learning new techniques. Cheap paper that I wouldn't be hesitant to goof up on. Surprisingly, I like it better than my 400 series Strathmore and find I use it more now out of choice than economy. The surface is not as bumpy, although they are both cold press, and so washes go on smoother.

It does start to ball if you try to do lifting. I just let it dry completely and then brush away the balls. Minimal buckling when painting. I tend to do glazes lately with four or five washes of color and the paper holds up well. It is thinner and less stiff than the more spendy artist quality 140lb papers I've tried. But it's more than sufficient for learning techniques or even complete paintings that you aren't concerned about being archival.

I like it enough that I returned my two unused Strathmore pads and replaced them with Canson Montval (the artist version of this paper). The only paper I would prefer over this is the Fabriano Studio, which comes in a 50 pack for about twice the price, but is worth it.

Comments about Canson XL Watercolor Pads:

My two kids are using the pad for their art class. The paper is thick and very nice for any kind of drawing.

Comments about Canson XL Watercolor Pads:

The price is great on these watercolor pads, but the paper just doesn't hold up to much abuse. With just a few layers of paint and a little dry-brush scrubbing, the paper started to ball up fairly quickly.

They are a solid value for for pen/ink washes, light watercolors and brush-marker drawing, which is how I will use them from here on out, but I don't recommend them for any kind of heavy water-color work.

Comments about Canson XL Watercolor Pads:

This was a gift to a family member living in an assisted living facility. He loves to paint and draw, and this worked out extremely well for him. As an added bonus, even though the predicted delivery was 12/29, it arrived on 12/23. That was especially nice.

Thank you.

Paul Beirne

Comments about Canson XL Watercolor Pads:

I use it for watercolor painting and it is a fine product