My struggle with paper buckling back in the day

I used to spend hours wetting and taping paper to boards to stop it from curling. If you didn't get it right, the whole piece was ruined. Now, I just grab a pad of pre-stretched paper and start painting. It saves time, but I feel like I lost some connection to the process. Those old methods taught patience and care. Sometimes I still stretch my own paper just for the feel of it. It reminds me why I got into watercolor in the first place.

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3 Comments

wren_thompson7mo ago

Ah yes, "patience and care" is a nice way to say "hours of swearing at wet paper." I get missing the old days, but my back doesn't miss hunching over a board. Still, that whole messy ritual makes the first brushstroke feel earned. Now with pre-stretched paper, I just start painting and wonder if I'm cheating the system.

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cole_lee7mo ago

Spent years stretching my own paper and yeah, it was a pain. Now I use pre-stretched stuff and part of me feels like I skipped the hard part. But is it really cheating if the art still turns out good? That old process did make you respect each stroke more, though. Maybe the guilt is just us missing the struggle, you know?

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wade2637mo ago

Honestly, do you ever feel guilty when modern tools do the hard work for you? Tbh, I tried digital painting and hitting undo on mistakes feels like cheating the whole process. Ngl, I kinda miss the stress of fixing a real brushstroke even if it meant starting over.

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