REVIEW: Hahnemühle Watercolour Selection Sampler Pad

The Hahnemühle Watercolour Selection Pad is a sampler that includes 14 sheets of their watercolor papers. The sheets come in three surface textures, five weights, and three fibers. Some of these are surface sized, and some are not. What a great way to explore Hahnemühle’s watercolor papers, and the variety of watercolor papers in general.

Hahnemühle Watercolour Selection – The Pad

The pads come in two sizes. 17×24 cm/6.7 x 9.4 in and 24×32 cm/9.4 x 12.5 in.

There are three pages at the front of the pad with brief descriptions of each sheet written in English, German, French and Spanish. Each sheet is labeled with a number on the back to match the descriptions at the front of the pad.

Video

This Review – Hahnemühle Watercolour Selection Samples

Wow, fourteen sheets of different papers. That’s a lot to cover, so I’m keeping it simple.

I’m showing a sample of each paper’s texture, and a quick painting I did on it. I used the same paint, the same brush and the same technique on each painting. The outline was drawn with masking fluid and I added one strip of masking tape. I used the wet-into-wet technique. Once that dried, I painted a second layer and was done.

I did NOT stretch the paper or tape it down.

Some of these papers have been reviewed here at Doodlewash in the past, and I’ve added links to those reviews below.

The Selection

Surface-texture. Weights. Fibers. What do these words mean? A sampler is a great way to gain an understanding of them.

I’m listing the specifications for each sheet as:

• The Paper Name, Surface Texture,
• Weight in gsm/lb, the fiber, and if it is mould-made and/or surface sized.

Mould made means the paper was created on a machine which gives the paper a handmade feel and increases it’s stability for wet-into-wet techniques. Surface sizing means an agent, such as gelatin, glue or starch, has been added so the paper will absorb moisture evenly, and keep color on the surface so it will be brighter.

All of Hahnemühle’s watercolour papers are acid-free, age-resistant and vegan.

Not all information was listed for every paper. Where the fiber is not listed, the paper is probably a high-quality cellulose.

Note that all of the papers are a natural white. They look more gray than they truly are in the examples.

• The Collection Watercolour, cold pressed,
• 300 gsm/140 lb, 100% cotton rag, (mould-made)

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, very slight curl at one corner.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color— very little color shift, colors dried bright
• Texture — definitely shows in the finished painting

• The Collection Watercolour, rough,
• 640 gsm/300 lb, 100% cotton rag, (mould-made)

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, no curling.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — heavier paper is more absorbent so color was less bright with the lighter Collection paper, but still only a little color shift
• Texture — shows slightly in the finished painting

• Agave Watercolour, cold pressed,
• 290 gsm/135 lb, 70% Agave/30% Cotton rag

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, curled slightly, but flattened as it dried.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — very little color shift, colors dried bright
• Texture — definitely shows in the finished painting

• Turner, cold pressed,
• 300 gsm, 100% cotton rag, (mould-made)

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, curled slightly, but flattened as it dried.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — very little color shift, colors dried bright
• Texture — definitely shows in the finished painting

• Hahnemühle, cold pressed,
• 300 gsm/140 lb, not listed, (mould-made)

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, curled at corners, and had slight waves, but flattened as it dried.
• Masking tape — removed with slight damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — some color shift, colors dried bright
• Texture — doesn’t show in the finished painting

• Harmony, cold pressed,
• 300 gsm/140 lb, not listed, surface sized

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, moderate curling at corners, but flattened as it dried.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — very little color shift, colors dried very bright
• Texture — doesn’t show in the finished painting. There were more blossoms than with the other sheets

• Harmony, rough,
• 300 gsm/140 lb, not listed, surface sized

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, moderate curling at corners, but flattened as it dried.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — very little color shift, colors dried very bright
• Texture — shows in the finished painting

• Harmony, hot pressed,
• 300 gsm/140 lb, not listed, surface sized

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, moderate curling at corners, but flattened as it dried.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — very little color shift, colors dried very bright
• Texture — very smooth, but granulation does show a little

• Expression, cold pressed,
• 300 gsm/140 lb, 100% cotton rag, surface sized

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, slight curling at corners, but flattened as it dried.
• Masking tape — removed with slight damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — very little color shift, colors dried very bright
• Texture — shows a little in the finished painting

• Britannia, cold pressed,
• 300 gsm/140 lb, not listed

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, moderate curling front and top, and a slight curl remained when dry.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — moderate color shift, colors dried light but bright
• Texture — shows a little in the finished painting

• Britannia, rough,
• 300 gsm/140 lb, not listed

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, moderate curling front and top, and a slight curl remained when dry.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — moderate color shift, colors dried light but bright
• Texture — definitely shows in the finished painting

• Britannia, hot pressed,
• 300 gsm/140 lb, not listed

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, moderate curling front and top, and a slight curl remained when dry.
• Masking tape — removed with no damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — some color shift, colors dried light but very bright
• Texture — very smooth, but granulation shows

• Torchon, rough,
• 275 gsm/130 lb, not listed

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, moderate curling front and top (curled the most of all these papers), and a slight curl remained when dry.
• Masking tape — removed with slight damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — moderate color shift, colors moderately dull
• Texture — shows very little in the finished painting

• Cornwall, cold pressed,
• 450 gsm/210 lb, not listed

Results:

• Wet-into-wet — No buckling or dimpling, moderate curling front and top, and a slight curl remained when dry.
• Masking tape — removed with slight damage
• Masking fluid — removed with no damage
• Color — moderate color shift, colors moderately dull
• Texture — shows very little in the finished painting

Overall – Hahnemühle Watercolour Selection Sampler Pad

Hahnemühle’s Watercolour Selection Pad contains a sampling of fourteen Hahnemühle watercolor papers. The papers come in a variety of surface textures, weights and fibers, making this a great way to learn what those terms mean and how they affect your painting.

There is three-page section at the front of the pad, numbering and describing each sheet. The sheets are numbered on the back so you can match them to their description.

This sampler is also a fantastic way to explore the quality of Hahnemühle’s watercolor papers.

Links of Interest

• REVIEW: Hahnemühle The Collection Watercolour Blocks and Sketch Pads
• REVIEW: Hahnemühle Natural Line
• Hahnemühle Expression 100% Cotton Watercolor Paper Review

Tools

The Hahnemühle Selection Sampler pad is available (but not yet listed) at these sites:

• Wet Paint Artist Materials & Framing
• St. Louis Art Supply
• Blue Rooster Art Supply Co.  
• Blaines Art  

Aquafine Daler-Rowney Watercolour Introduction Set-12 x 8 mL Tubes, Assorted 
Princeton Velvetouch, Series 3950, Paint Brush for Acrylic, Oil and Watercolor 

Disclaimer: I received an Watercolour Selection Sampler Pad from Hahnemühle for the purpose of this review. I received no other consideration, though this post contains affiliate links which help support Doodlewash. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Sandra Strait

I’m a self-taught artist who dances about with all sorts of artistic mediums. My main loves are Watercolor, Zentangle and Ballpoint pen. The subjects of my work are many and varied and change at whim. I’m a little bit crazy, but doesn’t that come with being an artist? I post Reviews and Tutorials here on Doodlewash.

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