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Monday May 14th 2012, 8:56 pmA package opening seemingly as any other batch that I’ve had before. Doodling away as I always do, nothing noticeably out of the ordinary. Everything is all set, design construction complete and ready to go. Then as I begin to apply the next stage…Horrible, Shock…”what the hell is this?!” Blotches, overly absorbent causing bleeding, the strokes feather and sponge outward, this is not good at all. I stand up rapidly in frustration, double checking the label of the package, and all is as it should be. So why the hell is the crapness happening? The blacks aren’t black, they cloud even after multiple layers. The grey tones just sit there heavily and really don’t want to blend. Unfortunately the stacks I have are all I have. I’m going to have to fight my way through this for awhile, hoping that its merely a funky batch, and that Strathmore hasn’t changed the formula to my favorite working surface. That would be beyond aggravating, as I scoured and tested for a good year or more to find the type of boards that worked for me the best. Suck!
Bad Art Paper Makes Me Insane
May 14th 2012
4 Comments so far
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Hey there Ashley
I think they all have peculiar problems depending on what effects you’re trying to garner. I’ve been using the 500 series packs of pre-cut 11×17 bristol boards for sequential art, specifically designed and packaged in sheets for comics professionals. It comes in 3 finishes, plate (too slick for me), vellum (way to rough for me), and semi-smooth (my choice for a nice balance of various techniques to be applied on the same illustrations). I’ve been using it for the past year or so, with very minor complaints. But this new batch we just ordered is acting completely different than it has been before. I like the way my pen work looks on this surface so far, but the brush work is cumbersome. The paper over absorbs, and you can get blotchy edges easily, so I’m having to be very careful. That problem is somewhat manageable, but the cloudy looking black areas I really dislike. I apply my blacks very generously to begin with and usually don’t have much clouding to deal with. On this new batch I’m applying even more black than usual and still get very cloudy results. It almost seems like I would have to triple coat in hopes of getting things even enough, but who has time for that! And Its also problematic with the grey tones now as well. I’ve yet to try it out using ink wash. We’re thinking of maybe experimenting by lightly misting the board, let it dry, and see if this causes a positive state change. I’m hoping its a fluke of this batch, and the next round will be back to expectations. I really would hate to go on a paper hunt again, it was seriously tedious.
Thanks so much for the specs! Hmm… if their bristol pulp is anything at all like watercolor paper, then it may indeed conform to some of the same rules. Misting or even drenching the sheets and then taping them down to let them dry may take a lot of the potential absorbancy problem out of the equation. When the pulp retightens, it tends to lose a great deal of that blotting, curling, horribleness. I wish you the best of luck and hope it’s only a fluke in the batch! Paper hunting (as I’ve been realizing) is a major, not to mention expensive, pain in the ass!
Comment by Ash 05.15.12 @ 9:44 pmHey Ash
Yeah I think I’ll mess around with test experiments when I’ve moment to focus on it.
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Okay, now I’m curious. I was about to switch over to Strathmore because I’ve been having the same problem with Canson Bristol. Which Strathmore surface is giving you a hard time?
Comment by Ashley Helling 05.15.12 @ 2:30 pm