I finally won the fight with Hahnemühle’s handmade watercolor paper (Cézanne), as I think. I have already started several times or tried to paint something on this paper, but it looked like a child spill. I used until this point rough cold-pressed watercolor paper (Britannia) made of wood fibers. This is also from Hahnemühle and it allowed me an excellent work back and forth. I was able to apply color and, to a certain extent, remove it again. The Cézanne is made of 100% cotton shades and allows removing paint very spartan. It absorbs the water damn fast. I feel like you can do a lot on it and yet it dries quickly away. My usual back and forth work is almost impossible. I was just about to throw this expensive paper in the trash or use it as craft paper.
Then I saw a video on YouTube where the artist works with similar paper. But so different from me. He wears several layers. Go over surfaces over and over again until the desired color is reached. The paper allows it, it does not matter anyway. I thought that I would also try it and I ventured to these four landscapes of the size 15 x 10 cm.
I started with this sunset. I probably went over the violet 5 times over it until I reached the right depth. What is still in need of improvement, is that the next time I use a flat larger brush. Then it will be less streaky. Down in the foreground, I was able to lift the violet even more. This works best for the paper when it is still wet with a less damp brush that you can strip and dry over and over again.
My second picture was this foggy lake. The reference photo is from Pixabay and slightly modified. Here, as usual, I did not completely paint the forest in the background until I had to remove it with a cloth. From the beginning I had to paint the frivolous edge for the mist and, when it was still damp, use a brush with only water to soften it. I then dabbed this with a cloth. But that was more a matter of habit. In this picture you can see that at the lower edge of the mist, there is still a yellow shimmer above the reflection of the forest. I stupidly (used to acrylic) painted the lake with the sky and then could not get removed the color for the fog. But still I think it looks so good in the end.
This is my third picture. This was a bit more time-consuming to paint. After every single level I had to dry the picture to get a sharp mountain line at the next front level. It was important here that the color runs down softly. The reference photo is also from Pixabay, but is currently modified in the foreground. On the original there is a street that I have omitted in artistic freedom.
Picture number four is one of my favorite motives. Sea, beach and waves. Again, I used a reference photo from Pixabay. This time I painted it almost true to the original. As a result of the paper no longer releasing the color, I was able to work out the turquoise in the foreground bit by bit. The white foam of the waves and in the sand I just left out. That always requires a high concentration. I often tend to paint white surfaces.
I hope I could make you a little taste on the Cézanne paper, if you do not already use it. I will probably not get this smooth paper again. If that’s rough, then I’ll try again, otherwise I’ll stay with my beloved Britannia. (Edit, I no longer use Britannia for watercolor paintings. I stay with Arches rough 100% cotton)