Bockingford Watercolour Paper Block CP (NOT), 12x16 inches

This watercolour Block comprises of 12 sheets of Bockingford watercolour paper from St Cuthberts Mill. The paper has a weight of 300g/m ² (140lb), which will allow it to perform well without requiring stretching, even after multiple washes. It is cold pressed (CP), which is also commonly known as NOT (meaning that it is not hot pressed) and so has a slightly textured surface, making it suitable for most types of work.

The sheets are 16 inches by 12 inches (41cm x 31cm) and are glued along all 4 sides to form a block; making it less likely to cockle whilst painting. The top sheet is easily removed from the block by inserting a palette knife in the small gap in the adhesive and moving it around the edge of the sheet, whilst keeping the blade flat against the lower sheet. Using a palette knife, rather than a sharp bladed knife, avoids accidentally cutting into the sheet of paper being removed.

Bockingford watercolour paper is mould-made, which provides the charm of hand-made paper, but without the inherent variability from sheet to sheet. Although described as "woodfree", the paper is made from wood-pulp, but because the process of refining the cellulose fibres removes most of the lignin (a mixture of complex chemicals found in wood and bark, which can cause paper to yellow), the fibres are no longer considered to be wood.

During the paper making process, Bockingford papers are internally sized; the size is added to the pulp fibres while they are still in the vat. Sizing slows down the water absorbency of the paper and so allows time for the watercolour to be worked on the paper surface. In addition, this paper is manufactured to be acid free and so will not deteriorate over time.

Bockingford watercolour papers are robust and forgiving and are ideal for beginners and amateurs.