Hi Lauren, your illustrations are so lovely! I am going to school with a major in scientific illustration and was hoping to ask you some questions. I've been enjoying using watercolor and was wondering what texture of watercolor paper would be best for detailed drawings? What textured paper did you use, especially for the goldfinches? And do you scan your works before putting them up online?
So sorry! Didn’t see this til now. ... (read more)
Thanks! I like the cold press best for real detailed stuff (rough texture). Anything hot press (smooth texture) is going to make the paint slide around a lot more. It’s a preference thing but I just think it’s easier to control the paint on cold press and therefore easier to get more detail.
Hot press is great for things like leaves and flowers because the paint glides well and spreads nicely.
For the goldfinches however, I believe I used Hot Press. It works if you know how to control the paint. Cold Press just makes life a little easier. But I suppose some artists wouldn’t like the aesthetic of the rough texture.
I try to scan them all but I don’t own a scanner, so sometimes a picture will suffice.