Last night I tried out two things I can review for you here. The 5X7 paper that's from the company (Sadaubne) that sells the 200 sheets of 7X10 for $27 ( for that amount before it was $29) is really nice to work on. I enjoyed just trying things with it. Both sides are textured the same. I taped the 5X7 down with Scotch masking tape for delicate surfaces and tested to see whether the tape would make a firm enough seal to prevent paint from seeping under it and got a very clean, sharp line. No seeping under the tape. Also, I tried to see how it worked with lifting if you were to try to lift out color and it allowed me to lift out clouds with tissue very nicely. I also tried seeing if a second layer of a different color would be a problem and I don't find it to be. It will lift both colors but not completely and that's only if you purposely use a tissue to lift the second, top colorwhen it's very wet. I found that, due to my not being very careful, taking that tape off did tear the edge of the paper in one tiny area but that's because I just abruptly pulled it off on that side without doing it carefully. It doesn't tear if one is patient and pulls slowly toward the side with a slantwise pull. I put lots of water on and the paint flowed really beautifully while the paper had sheen, but there wasn't a large amount of rippling at all from so much water. It dried in about an hour and was back to its nice, flat state. The paper company on Amazon is Sadaunbe.
So that's two---the 5X7 Sadaunbe and the Scotch masking tape for delicate surfaces.
I also played a little with the Fuumuui sketchbook and I love it. The back side of the page isn't completely without texture like specifically made hot press, but the texture is so slight that it's very close to being that smooth.
I have to tell something silly on myself. When I was unpacking and putting away my "art stuff" I found a small packge of cotton paper someone sent to me when I was first learning watercolor when I lived in Washington. It's a few pieces of Arches! I was saving it, of course. LOL I forgot I even had it. I guess I should try it now, huh? It's been 7 years packed away, but if it's still any good, then I'll have something to compare with the cheap papers I've been trying and reviewing. Whenever I do my reviews I always have a little gremlin on my shoulder whispering in my ear that maybe what I'm trying and giving good reviews on just shows my inexperience and someday someone may spend money on something I've thoroughly enjoyed but that they find to be bogus and a waste of time and money. I appreciate that everyone has been so nice to me about that, though and encouraged me to keep sharing..
I have to say that when you order from Fuumuui papers, you have to pay attention because sometimes what you've gotten from them before will not be available but they'll send something else. Here's a for instance---I ordered a 9X12 block and then liked it enough to order a second one to have in stock, so to speak. But turns out, what they sent the second time wasn't a block, it was a pad. But that wan't a mistake on thier part as it turned out. I had actually just ordered one that said "pad" but I didn't read the whole description. I also wanted to order another 5x7 block from them but found only the sketchbook because the little block must have been sold out. I like their paper so well, though, that I'll buy whatever they have if I need paper.
Another Amazon company called Tounalker has cotton paper at $31 for 500 sheets of 5X7 paper and I'm going to try that next month. I'll see if they have a smaller amount first, though, to be sure whether it's good. On that one, it doesn't say it's cotton paper in the title, you have to read the finer print description. That's where it says its cotton paper. If I have to order the 500 sheets, I can share it with my kids, grandkids and great-granddaughter, though. Christmas is coming, after all.
