Testing 3 Watercolor Paper Brands: Yupo, Fluid 100, and Art Tiles

You might be excited to try a new watercolor paper, or just starting out with watercolor painting and not sure which paper is right for you. Either way, this review should give you a good idea of which paper might be the best option.

Yupo Watercolor Paper

Yupo watercolor paper, a synthetic alternative made of 100% polypropylene, became very popular this year, as it hopped onto the shelves in most art supply stores. I saw this paper arrive at my favorite art store the Art Supply Warehouse just a month ago. Feeling ambitious to try out something new, I decided to paint something with it, and after fighting the paper, I couldn’t decide whether or not I would continue to use it.

That led me to do a paper test between each of these three brands. The Yupo paper for this test was a glossy medium. I found that with Yupo, water doesn’t absorb quickly into the paper. This might be a desirable effect for some, but because I paint a lot of flowers, I wasn’t crazy about the way water pooled in the paper. If you’d like to watch the test, you can check out the full length video on my Youtube channel.

Art Tiles

Art tiles paper ended up being my least favorite paper of the three brands. Water seemed to absorb in unpredictable ways and create marks. The paper had a very big grain to it, which was undesirable for the type of art I do. Compared to the Yupo paper it was easier to control and to move the water across the page.

Fluid 100

Fluid 100 claims to provide an expensive paper quality at an affordable price. I have used Fluid 100 for some time now in painting florals and also in doing small pieces for commissions. I happen to love this paper. I mainly go to this paper if I’m painting something and not sure if I’m going to frame it or keep it yet. The quality is high enough that it’s not student grade.

Conclusion

Fluid 100 won the paper test by not warping, bending, or absorbing water in unpredictable ways. However, the block was quite small in comparison with the size of the paper I paint with now. I recommend going with larger sized sheets. The Art Tiles was not a very satisfying paper to paint with, but if you’re looking for practice sheets that are throw aways, then this might work for you. The Yupo paper is a synthetic option that was extremely unpredictable in the way it absorbed watercolor paints. I didn’t like how it bled. I would use it only for experimental quick paint session. I have a picture below of a painting I did with watercolor and ink on the Yupo paper. It turned out to be a very cute painting. However, I still would not pick this paper as my watercolor block of choice.

Hopefully this review of the three brands will be a resource to you if you are starting out with watercolor painting. If you’d like to read more about watercolor painting, check out The Last Pigment.