Baohong – The Master’s Choice

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During a visit to China by two Australian watercolorists, Ross Patterson and David Taylor, they were approached by the owner of the family-run Baohong paper mill, who sought advice on what it would take to produce a world-class watercolor paper. The result was a paper named “The Master’s Choice”. It was launched in 2019 in Australia and later in America and Europe.

They manufacture two different papers: the original Baohong Master, and a slightly simpler paper named Baohong Academy. Both are made from 100% cotton. Naturally, the two papers target different audiences: the simpler Academy paper aims to attract beginners and budget-conscious amateurs, while the Master paper is geared more toward professional watercolorists and serious amateurs.

Baohong Master is sized with gelatin, both internally and on the surface. Baohong Academy also appears to have a similar treatment, although I have not found specific information about the type of sizing used for the Academy. However, a surface-sized paper is quite unusual for a watercolor paper of “student quality.”

Baohong Academy watercolor paper is distributed by the Chinese company Meedens, and Baohong Academy watercolor paper will gradually be rebranded under the Meedens name — but the product itself is expected to remain unchanged. There are no indications that Baohong Master will undergo the same rebranding.

It is the Baohong Master that I have painted on and will try to evaluate in this text. Please feel free to leave a comment if you would be interested in a review of Baohong Academy; if there’s enough interest, I would consider testing that paper as well.

Baohong Master is produced only in a weight of 300 g/m² (140 lb) and is available with hot-pressed, cold-pressed, and rough textures. The paper has a naturally warm tone, somewhat like “natural white” from Saunders Waterford, and no extra white version is available. It comes as full sheets with deckled edges and a watermark, as well as in blocks with all four sides glued, available in various sizes.

Baohong Master is not easy to find in Swedish stores. If you want to buy it in Sweden, the only options are Amazon, Temu, or other international shops. I personally bought the paper from Jackson’s Art in the UK, where it is offered as pre-cut sheets if you don’t want to buy full sheets or entire blocks. I chose the rough texture because that’s the type of surface I prefer. Thus, it is Baohong Master’s Choice with rough texture that I have tested and am writing about in this text.

Baohong Master’s Choice is not a cheap watercolor paper, despite what prejudices one might have about Chinese products. Quality costs, no matter where it is produced. Prices at Jackson’s are slightly higher than those for comparable papers from Arches. In some countries, such as the USA and Australia, the paper seems to be somewhat cheaper.

The surface of Baohong Master is slightly rough, similar to sandpaper, although not as hard as Arches. Its texture is a bit finer than that of Arches and Canson Heritage but has a similar slight bumpiness. The back side of Baohong Master is very different from the front; it is much smoother, somewhat like a cold-pressed surface, and it works well for painting too.

The paper has quite a hard surface sizing that is very evenly applied across the sheet; wetting the paper does not affect the result much. The strong sizing also makes it easy to lift dried paint — Baohong Master is perhaps the easiest among high-quality watercolor papers to lift dried paint from.

It is primarily the paper’s wet-in-wet capabilities that first stand out when you start using it. It works very well for this technique — colors spread smoothly and evenly on a wet surface. The paper stays moist for a very long time, making it easier to work with controlled wet-in-wet techniques.

One paper I have previously praised for the same characteristic is Canson Heritage. Baohong paper has similar wet-in-wet properties but retains moisture even longer than Canson Heritage. It holds moisture so well that I have more than once been tricked into thinking a surface was dry, only to find that it was still wet.

The rather strong surface sizing means that pigments adhere only lightly to the surface. Dried paint lifts off very easily with a damp brush. This is likely good news for those who enjoy such techniques, but it makes glazing (layering) more challenging. The generous surface sizing also ensures that colors dry clean and vibrant with high contrast, and it makes the paper very resistant to rough treatment — you can scrape and rub without the surface breaking up or falling apart. Masking fluid and masking tape work very well on Baohong paper.

I think Baohong Master’s Choice is a watercolor paper that can challenge the very best from Europe. Its perhaps greatest strength is its fantastic capability for fine wet-in-wet work and its ability to stay moist for an exceptionally long time. I also appreciate how clear and vibrant the colors become. The ease of lifting colors bothers me slightly because it complicates glazing, but that is the price you pay for the other excellent qualities this paper offers.

Name: Baohong Master’s Choice
Manufacturer: Baohong
Manufacturing Method: Mould-made
Material: 100% Cotton
Sizing: Internal and external sizing with gelatin
Surface: Available as cold-pressed, hot-pressed, and rough
Format: Sheets 56 x 76 cm and blocks
Thickness: 300 gsm (140 lb) only
Color: Natural white
Manufacturer’s website: https://baohongpaper.com/