Watercolor Paper Preparation: How to Get It Right for Smoother Paintings

When you paint with watercolor, the watercolor paper preparation, the process of getting paper ready to handle wet paint without warping or buckling. Also known as paper sizing, it’s not just a step—it’s the foundation of a clean, controlled painting. Skip it, and you’re fighting your medium from the start. Wet paper expands. When it dries, it shrinks unevenly, leaving ripples, curls, and crinkles that ruin your brushwork. That’s why smart artists don’t just grab any sheet and start painting—they prepare it.

There are three main ways to handle this: stretching paper, soaking the sheet and taping it to a board so it dries tight, watercolor blocks, pre-stacked pads where the paper is glued on all sides, and mounting paper, adhering it directly to a rigid surface like gatorboard. Stretching works, but it’s messy, takes hours to dry, and needs tape and a flat surface. Blocks? Just tear off the top sheet when you’re done—no prep, no mess. Mounting is for artists who want a permanent, studio-ready surface that never moves, even under heavy washes.

What you choose depends on how you paint. If you like big, wet washes and don’t mind waiting, stretching gives you full control over the paper weight and size. If you’re sketching outdoors or want to start fast, blocks are your best friend. And if you’re building a portfolio or doing detailed work that needs absolute flatness, mounting turns your paper into a stable canvas. You don’t need to do all three—but knowing the difference means you can pick the right one for the job.

Some artists think paper prep is optional, but that’s like trying to paint on a trampoline. The surface matters. The best watercolor work doesn’t just come from brush skills—it comes from a surface that stays still. Whether you’re a beginner trying to avoid buckled skies or a pro looking to cut prep time, the right preparation saves frustration, wasted paint, and ruined days.

Below, you’ll find real methods tested by artists—no theory, no fluff. Just what works, what doesn’t, and how to choose without overcomplicating it.