Description
Saint-Armand Handmade Rectangle Watercolour Paper Bundles
These handmade watercolour paper mini bundles feature 10, 15 or 20 beautiful sheets of deckled edged watercolour sheets. Handmade in Montreal, Quebec by St. Armand, these papers are sure to delight. The rough surface is especially good for granulating watercolors or mixed media work. Four deckled edges make this paper even more beautiful and unique. The handmade nature of this watercolor paper means that each sheet is unique. Because these papers are handmade, they do not lie perfectly flat. To flatten sheets after painting, try lying them under a heavy book, once dry. We don’t recommend using masking fluid or painter’s tape on this paper, as it may tear.
Formats (sizes are approximate):
- 4″ x 5″ (10.5 x 13 cm) – 20 sheets
- 4 5/8″ x 6 1/2″ (10.75 x 6.5 cm) – 15 sheets
- 7″ x 10″ (19 x 25 cm) – 10 sheets
Saint-Armand handmade papers are made one sheet at a time following traditional methods. The sheets have 4 deckled edges and no grain direction.
Handmade Watercolour Paper Features:
- Good for watercolour, printmaking, ink, acrylic, embossing, intaglio
- 100% cotton rag fiber
- Weight: 320 g/m² (150 lb)
- Colour: White
- Internal sizing
- Can be soaked directly in water
St Armand pulping is mechanical, which keeps the fibers long and pliable. The papers do not crack when folded and will resist very deep embossing. They don’t use any chemical or bleaching agents, only water and rags. For example, their white paper is made from white tee-shirt off-cuts, and blue from blue denim.
The pulp is sized with an additive – When more absorption is desired, less sizing is used. When less absorption is desired, such as in a watercolour sheet, more sizing is used. Dominion watercolour paper is sized again in gelatin for maximum holdout.
History:
David Carruthers opened the Saint-Armand paper-mill in 1979. He had left his job at Pulp & Paper Association of Canada and his knowledge of the paper trade told him that there was room for hand-made paper mills, with a dash of technology.
David came from a family associated with paper. His grandfather George Carruthers owned the Interlake Paper Mill in Ontario. He also wrote the book “Papermaking” which traces the history of 100 years of papermaking in Canada up to 1905. David’s father was a paper salesman with the family firm and had a gift to sell by the carload.
In 1992, David had the chance to buy a thousand-pound Hollander beater and a Fourdrinier paper machine. He moved his hand-mill for the fourth time to setup those machines. St. Armand was re-inventing the Industrial age on the shores of the Lachine Canal, the cradle of Canadian Industry.
David judged this expansion necessary due to the threat of cheap imported paper. The machine helped them fill larger orders for annual report covers, wallpaper, artist pads and packaging. To their surprise, the expected diminution of handmade production didn’t happen. On the contrary, they had to expand their handmade operation.
