Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad, Heavyweight White Paper, Foldover Binding, 30 Sheets, 11x15 inch

As someone who spends a lot of time experimenting with different materials and techniques for both personal projects and professional exploration, I’ve used a lot of watercolor papers over the years, and Canson XL Watercolor Paper (7x10 inches, 140 lb) is a solid choice that consistently delivers. If you’re looking for a reliable option for quick sketches or trying out some watercolor work, this paper checks all the boxes. It’s the perfect size—compact and portable, making it ideal for moving between spaces, whether you’re in a studio, on-site, or just out in the field. The 7x10 inch format is just right: not too big, not too small, and easy to store without taking up too much space.For the price, it’s surprisingly good quality. The texture is fine and subtle—not as pronounced as higher-end cold-pressed papers, but it’s more than adequate for ink, watercolor, and mixed media. It holds up well with light washes, though if you overwork it with too much water, it will start to buckle. But overall, it’s a great option for those who need something that’s dependable and won’t break the bank. Whether you’re layering ink or experimenting with color washes, it provides a solid surface that performs without fuss. It’s definitely one of those papers that, once you try it, you find yourself coming back to. If you want a versatile, affordable paper that you can rely on for both quick studies and more finished pieces, this is a great choice.

I love Canson papers. As I long time user, I can attest to the quality of their papers. I appreciate this watercolor paper for its texture, quality, absorbency and non-buckling features. Yes, low buckling. I also use this for wax pencils and it works great. I have the Arches brand as well, but, unfortunately it buckles so badly that I tend to default to Canson every time. I can’t speak for every artist because paper is a personal preference. Just speaking about my experiences with Canson and it doesn’t disappoint.

If you're planning, as I was, to make a watercolor sketchbook with this, it's grain short, with the grain running parallel to the 11 inch side. Even so, and even with the glue being on the short edge, this falls apart quite easily, a plus for me because that means no tearing. A minus if you intend to keep the book intact.If you want the best paper out there, go with Arches. If you plan to do the curriculum with Watercolor College, Chris Lyonn, the instructor, has stated if you're in the US, just go get that. I tried this on a lark, and he's not wrong. It can't do the things Arches can, for the techniques in that class.That said, if you're painting with Sarah Cray over at Let's Make Art, this is the exact paper she uses, or at least used to until they released their home brand, and it works perfectly for everything she teaches.The difference? While both embrace the spontaneous nature of watercolor, especially in things like clouds and trees, Chris avoids blooms and the rough, unblended edges they create. Sarah embraces blooms and the visual interest they provide. This paper makes it easier to get, harder to avoid, blooms. Chris works with natural pigment tube and pan based paints from brands like Winsor and Newton and Daniel Smith, favoring the lightfast properties and colors more suited to realistic paintings. Sarah favors dye-based liquid watercolors from brands like Dr. Ph Martins for their brighter colors better suited to illustrative painting. This works better with those dye-based paints, not as well with the tube and pan. So it's either perfect or meh, depending on your intention.Additionally, this is popular with the urban sketch crowd because it is a stable, strong paper that can put up with a lot of reworking the under drawing without damage to the paper fibers. If that's what you are looking for, then this is a great choice. That's my planned use for it, once it's in a sketchbook form. That property of ease of reworking makes it ideal for beginners.

Great for watercolor! Good for price too, I had a bigger version but wanted a smaller one and this was perfect. It did come in a bended shape but didn’t effect the use.

I'm a beginner. I've never used cotton paper. This portrait was done in several layers wet on dry. It bends, but I can bend it back flat. I see no reason that a professional artist couldn't create magnificent pieces on this paper. I have no reason to upgrade anytime soon.

Bought based on reviews for my dad. It was in a box that was slightly too small and the book was curved just a little bit and we had to put something heavy on it for a couple of days to flatten.