W&N Cotman Water Color PAPER 9 X 12 in (140 lbs. 10 sheets)

Winsor and Newton, a premier supplier of artist's materials, offers a very high quality student grade watercolor paper for your use.  This is a relatively inexpensive offering, yet this paper has similar features to the more expensive papers -- 140 lb weight, acid free, sized paper (which allows pigment to flow onto the paper evenly).  Cold pressed paper offers a soft moderately textured surface that enables watercolor to cling to it in an optimal way; ithis is also a good surface that allows an artist to lift color from the paper when necesary.

Watercolor paper of this weight should be stretched before use to stop the paper from buckling.  This is done by immersing the paper in a tub of water for about 15 minutes, waiting until drops no longer come off the paper, and then taping/stapling it to a backboard while smoothing it to dry flat and stretched.