These photos are a wonderful example of how to stretch watercolor paper over a wooden frame or stretcher bars. To do this you will need a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, a wooden frame to stretch it over (make sure that the frame is smaller than the paper!), a spay bottle with water and a staple gun and 1,2,3 you have watercolor paper stretched over a frame ready for painting.
1. Take a piece of watercolor paper and dampen one side by spraying it with water. It should be damp not wet.
2. Place the frame on top of the damp paper and start stapling by putting a staple in the center of each stretcher bar. Pull the paper snug as you turn the paper around to staple it. Staple on either side of the center staple all around and then fold the corners as neatly as you can and staple away!
3. Voila! You now have a great surface to paint on. As the watercolor paper dries it will flatten and be tight as a drum when it dries and although it will loosen up each time you paint, it will continue to dry flat.
Here is a painting done by Laura on stretched watercolor paper.
