Lightfastness = how long your colours last.
Opacity = how much they cover.

We’ve chosen pigments not just for their beautiful colour, but for how they behave – how they mix, how they flow, how they lay down on the page. The result is a deliberately balanced palette: versatile, characterful, and made from pigments we genuinely believe are the very best for creative play and confident colour mixing.

So while lightfastness and opacity tell you how a paint performs on paper, rest assured that we’ve already done the hard work of choosing colours that will perform brilliantly – however you like to paint.

Think of lightfastness as your colour’s staying power. It tells you how well a pigment holds up when faced with sunlight over the years.

Watercolours behave differently depending on how much water you add, which is why you’ll often see three ratings:

A pigment with excellent lightfastness will stay true across all three. Lower numbers mean it’s more prone to fading, especially in bright sun or very light washes.

Opacity is all about how much you can see through the paint.

Watercolour shines when you mix transparencies, but there’s no “best” option – just the right look for the moment.

Watercolour Paper: Terminology Explained

Choosing watercolour paper can feel like learning a new language – hot press, cold press, sizing, weight, texture… and that’s before you even think about colour or format.

Here’s a simple, no-nonsense guide to what matters, why it matters, and how it affects the way your paint behaves on the page.

In a nutshell

Watercolour paper shapes how your paint behaves long before you touch a brush to the page – but beyond choosing a weight that won’t buckle under water (300gsm is the safe, dependable all-rounder), everything else is really down to personal preference.

Texture, colour, fibre, sizing… there’s no single “best” option. There’s only what feels right in your hand, under your brush, and in your sketchbook.

And because finding that perfect paper can take a little trial and error, we’ve put together a Watercolour Paper Sample Pack so you can try a selection of our favourite sheets side-by-side. We’d love to know which ones you click with – your feedback will help us design future papergoods that genuinely reflect what our community wants.

Thoughtful materials make for joyful making, and we’re exploring every detail with that in mind.

Paper Weight (gsm)

What it means:
Paper weight refers to how thick and dense the sheet is. It’s measured in gsm (grams per square metre).

Common weights:
190–200gsm – light, good for sketching or mixed media with less water
300gsm – the most versatile “all-rounder”; handles generous washes
600gsm+ – thick, luxurious sheets that stay flat even under heavy water

Why it matters:
Heavier papers buckle less and can take more layers. Lighter papers are great for practice, travel and quicker sketches.

Texture: Hot Press, Cold Press & Rough

Hot Press (HP)
Smooth, almost velvety.
Great for: detailed work, ink + watercolour, botanicals, crisp edges.
Paint glides quickly, dries a little faster, and you get sharp lines.

Cold Press (CP)
The classic “watercolour texture”. Gently toothy, versatile, forgiving.
Great for: almost everything – landscapes, sketching, mixed techniques.
It gives you texture without overpowering fine detail.
Note: also sometimes referred to NOT i.e. Not Hot Press

Rough
Bold, dramatic texture.
Great for: expressive work, loose washes, granulating pigments.
The surface catches pigment beautifully for natural, atmospheric effects.

Why it matters:
Your paper’s texture changes how colours settle, how edges behave, and how much your brush “grips” the page.