MEEDEN Watercolour Paper Block, 300gsm Textured Surface Cotton Watercolour Paper Pad, Cold Pressed, 20 Sheets for Painting & Drawing, Wet, Mixed Media, 18×12.5 cm

I've seen this advertised as Baohong watercolour paper although the one I purchased has Academy Watercolour Pad on the front and was sold by Meeden so I decided to give it a go as it said it 100% cotton watercolour paper. Now for all you watercolour artists, you know that paper is important. I have tried loads of different watercolour paper but 100% cotton I find is the best. The difference it makes to painting with it to the finished piece is noticeable, for me anyway. I didnt look at the size before purchasing and an A5 pad turned up, not that im complaining. I can tell you that I am impressed. Not only does it perform wonderfully but it is a block (glued down on four sides with a little gap to run a blunt knife around to remove it). I have tried Arches, Saunders Waterford and more recently, Derwent inktense watercolour paper, all 100% cotton, and whilst these ones are very good quality, they are a little on the expensive side, plus they weren't blocks (which you can buy but are lots of money!) I haven't been doing watercolour for long but listening to other artists, they do advise to buy the best paper that you can afford as it makes a world of difference. This pad has so much to give, holds water well, stands up to several layers, is relatively inexpensive compared to other cotton paper and is just a little gem of a find

I’ve been very pleased with the texture, and it takes a lot of water without buckling. I do have difficulty separating the sheets. A very sharp craft knife helps. This is not a sketchbook, but a block of sheets. Easily stored.

Best watercolour paper I’ve used at this price. I would defo recommend. It’s cheap and it’s amazingly good

If you are starting out on watercolours, this is a good, affordable paper with the right thickness and absorbency. The size is also appropriate when you are familiarising yourself with getting the washes done.I have used this block for experimenting on different techniques - works ok when lifting colours and allows you to practice different techniques.

Love this paper. I can tell the difference in my artwork when I use this rather than cheaper paper. Worth the extra.

This watercolour paper took the paint well. I enjoyed painting on it and got good results. It stayed wet long enough for wet in wet techniques and I was also able to lift paint without the paper pilling or becoming damaged. I do botanical paintings and I was able to apply several different layers of paint over each other and the previous layers didn’t lift.

Fab paper for the price .

The paper does better with wet on dry techniques than wet on wet. Even with a normal amount of water for a wash it starts buckling so it's hard to practice those techniques. Colours appear very vibrant if you are patient and do several layers. I'd still recommend this for someone who is just getting started so you can give it a go and learn the basics before moving to more expensive paper.