PREPARING TO PAINT WATERCOLORS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

In preparing to paint watercolors, Eugene staples his paper to a 3/4″ thick piece of wood. The paper he uses is 140lb hot press which means it is very smooth compared to the cold press variety of watercolor paper. His board has been around for a number of years & is smooth as well. He then sprays the paper with water from a misting bottle and lets it dry completely. As it dries, it tightens up & allows him to paint freely with his watercolors without the distraction of the paper becoming buckled or warped.