This entry was originally posted on Sunday, January 8, 2012.
Cold press paper is the most common and most popular type of watercolor paper. Therefore, it is the easiest to find. It has more texture than the hot press paper.
Instead of being milled through hot cylinders, the paper is milled through cold cylinders so the fibers lay down slightly.
I prefer the cold press paper because I can get soft edges.
For instance, the following iris is done on cold press paper.
Notice the difference with the edges on the hot press and the cold press paper.