Schut Noblesse Watercolor Paper Review (Patreon)

Schut Noblesse Watercolor Paper Review

Schut Aquarel Noblesse Cotton rag 10 sheets 140 lb cold press Not sure where I bought this from (thinking David, but David's stuff usually has a price sticker), or what I paid. Purchased in 2018 or 2019. Schut was established in 1618, and is located in Holland. Schut Noblesse Block: Not available through Blick Individual Sheet: $6.51 https://www.dickblick.com/products/schut-noblesse-watercolor-paper/ Blick listing mentions a 'proprietary gelatin sizing process that delivers extraordinarly brilliant colors' Also says this is best suited for experienced artists, as it's surface treatment makes corrections difficult Apparently, this is a difficult paper to find. I avoided reading other reviews before reviewing this paper, so as not to prejudice myself. Nada Art does have this available, same size, $19.49: https://nadeart.ca/boutique-web/en/schut-noblesse/schut-noblesse-watercolor-paper-pad-140lb-9-5-x-11-75-10-per-pad-nob0912-140-p1061/ First impressions: Bound on all 4 sides, similar binding to what FLuid or Stonehenge Uses. No protective front sheet. A warm white paper with a moderate amount of texture to the surface. Doesn't seem to have a lot of surface sizing. Probably similar to Fluid 100. My camera has a heck of a time focusing on this paper. Mud Test: Going to use the Daniel Smith Mixing Palette for this. I'm going to: Saturate the paper heavily. Do multiple layers Check for buckling, kipping, lifting, mud Check for color vibrancy once dried Check for wet into wet workability Test 1: Just absolutely DOUSE it with water. Some slight buckling in areas that are particularly drenched. Water mainly stays on surface. I did zero water control on this, so this paper is just SOPPING wet. After a little water control (mopping up with a thirsty brush), it's easier to control color. On this paper, colors really do not want to move or blend from where they're at. Some papers will take your color everywhere, this paper, everything stays pretty local to where it is. I'm going to set this paper aside and let this layer dry before applying the next layer. After a couple hours, I checked on it, and the paper had dried. I decided to resume this test on the next day. Allowed to dry overnight: Paper is flat, the paper pattern is visible- fairly even, almost like linen. Paper texture is slightly more pronounced Paper is wet down completely Minimal color movement, really only that dark pthalo blue that was applied liberally No attempt at water control made this time either, paper was really doused. Colors applied to this mess- paper does ripple and buckle quite a bit. This could be due to this being a larger pad. Color really doesn't move a whole lot on this paper, mostly stays in the general area where it was applied. I'm going to move this to another room and allow it to dry. I'm tempted to hyperlapse that process, but feel that would be a bit of a waste of time. I'll check on it in an hour. 45 min: Dry to the touch (still a bit cool) Paper still a bit cockled. Going to let it dry longer, but this would be workable. Day 3, Layer 3 Paper has dried completely flat Colors seem a bit muted, considering how much pigment I loaded onto the paper A little pigment movement, but not too bad. Paper definitely wants to buckle the same way every time, No attempt at water control, water pools in center Water control: You wanna be careful not to disturb the pigment too much if you're doing water control Once paper has had a chance to absorb the water, colors do move a fair amount, but not as much as you'd expect from a paper that's as saturated as this one. The buckling causes colors to pool and water to stagnate and would have to be controlled. I'm going to move this to another room and let it dry. The next day: Masking Fluid- Application and Removal test Once masking fluid was dry, I saturated the paper with color. No initial wash of water first, but loose washes of color on the paper. I'm going to allow this to dry fully, then remove the masking fluid. It takes a pickup, and some persistence to remove masking fluid. Some areas tear a little bit, more like abrasion than ripping. Masking fluid is just too 'sticky' on this paper. Removal from Pad: Easy to remove from block using a palette knife Final Thoughts: This is a challenging paper to find, and that's one of the reasons I love going to David's Art in Metairie- they always have something unique or original. There's a bit of mystique about this paper online (probably due to it's limited availability), but frankly, from the mud test, I didn't see anything to write home about. I certainly wouldn't go to a lot of effort chasing it down if you already have a paper you love. Of course, there's still the fieldtest- I may fall in love, or hate this paper. Schut Noblesse Music: Kevin MacLeod: Clean Soul Bathed in Light Dream Culture Meditation Impromptu 03 On the Passing of Time Silver Blue Light Windswept