My Honest Review of Neva Palette's New 100% Cotton Paper - Is It Worth It?

I recently got my hands on some new watercolor paper from Neva Palette, and I have to say, it's been a game-changer for me. As an artist, I'm always on the lookout for high-quality paper that's affordable and delivers great results. Let's face it, good paper is hard to find, especially at a reasonable price. The prices of paper are skyrocketing these days, and it's getting tough to find something decent without breaking the bank. Paper is a consumable, after all, and I need something that's going to last me a while. I used to do a lot of scanning back in the day, and the paper quality wasn't as big of a deal, but now that I'm working with vectors, I need paper that's good enough to hang on the wall and impress for a while. This watercolor album from Neva Palette is a great option for me, and I'm excited to share my thoughts on it.

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About the Paper

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Name: Lake Ladoga Watercolor AlbumManufacturer: Neva PaletteCountry: RussiaPrice: 300 rublesPackaging: The cover's got a sprig of juniper - it's a nice touch. Lake Ladoga Watercolor Album by Neva Palette 100% CottonThe cover's got a double layer - Russian and English text. Lake Ladoga Watercolor Album by Neva Palette 100% Cotton It's got a thick cardboard insert that could double as a palette if you're painting on a larger scale. Lake Ladoga Watercolor Album by Neva Palette 100% Cotton The album's got all the info you need - paper density, composition, and texture. The pages are held together with a spring clip. The album's wrapped in plastic. Lake Ladoga Watercolor Album by Neva Palette 100% CottonComposition:100% cotton

Paper Density:300 g/m²

So, the paper 'Ladoga' from the manufacturer is 100% natural white cotton - it's a great quality paper perfect for watercolor, watercolor pencils, markers, and even gauze and acrylic. The 300gsm paper is great for working with wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques, creating fine details, and multi-layered painting. The paper is not only mass-coated, but also surface-coated, allowing for corrections, washes, and being resistant to erasures. The colors mix beautifully, creating gorgeous washes and gradients. The paints retain their vibrancy and clarity even after drying. When using masking liquids or masking tape, their residue can be completely removed without any leftover marks. It's also free from acids and chlorine.

My Impressions

This watercolor album was a gift from my loved ones, and I'm so grateful to have it. They know what I'd love, and they've been gifting me paper more than once - you can never have too much of a good thing, and I'm always excited to try out new ones. By experience, I know that no matter what paper I get, I'll probably end up using it all up.

I have a small album, panorama format, almost. It was interesting to try out this format, and it turns out to be just the right size for making postcards - I love drawing postcards for gifts, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and test out the paper at the same time.

So, what can I say?

Ladoga Watercolor Album Nizhny Novgorod Palette 100% CottonThe paper is white, not ice-white, but a clean, pure white color. This is great for watercolor - the colors will look cleaner and more vibrant, and you'll get a beautiful shine through the layers of paint. The texture is moderate, with a medium grain.I looked it up - it seems this paper comes in different grain options: smooth, medium grain, and coarse grain.

I'll be talking about the medium grain option.

Ladoga Acrylic Pad Neva Palette 100% Cotton The texture is smooth and consistent, with a repeating pattern from the press. The medium grain seems universal, but there's a downside - it'll pick up a lot of dirt when scanning, so you'll need to touch it up in Photoshop. On the other hand, the texture will be beautiful in real life, and the granulation will come out well. But for landscapes, it might get a bit dull. That's already more dependent on your painting technique. Ladoga Acrylic Pad Neva Palette 100% Cotton I'd take this paper for cityscapes, still lifes with objects and rough lines. I wouldn't take it for portraits or delicate subjects where the texture would get in the way. Actually, it might be worth trying for seascapes too.When you run your hand over the paper, you can immediately feel its stiffness. Brushes will only smudge slightly. In terms of stiffness, it's similar to Malевич's paper, like a clone. When I'm painting, I notice some differences, but it's similar. You need to wet it well, soak it in water, so you can paint comfortably - ideally from both sides, or just submerge it under a faucet. Painting dry didn't work for me at all - it becomes dense and stiff, and the watercolor effect gets lost. Here's what it looks like when I paint dry:

Ladoga Watercolor Paper Neva Palette 100% Cotton This paper needs a lot of water. But on the other hand, it'll dry slower, giving you more time for creative maneuvers. Ladoga Watercolor Paper Neva Palette 100% CottonBut when it's fully soaked, it becomes more manageable, especially in washes.

Ladoga Watercolor Paper Neva Palette 100% Cotton In my experience with partial washes, it works okay, but I prefer working on a full wash for maximum comfort. It reminds me of Baohong - I have a feeling the paper's been treated somehow. It's like it's always dry, and when you soak it, it comes alive, but without water, it's finicky and doesn't show its cotton properties. Ladoga Watercolor Paper Neva Palette 100% CottonThis paper has a trait similar to Malевич's paper - the color doesn't bleed much. Usually, cotton paper is prone to this, but here, the color seems to stay on the surface. I think they've treated it somehow, because natural cotton is softer and absorbs water better, and it tends to 'eat' the color. I don't see these properties at all. On the other hand, since it's cotton, you can easily wipe off any accidental spills, bleach it, or wash it, which opens up a lot of creative possibilities, especially for sunbeams and winter landscapes.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit skeptical about how this paper will hold up over time. I mean, who knows how it'll perform after years of use? The only way to find out for sure is to put it to the test - create a piece of art, hang it on the wall, and wait a few years to see how it holds up.

I didn't exactly click with this paper right off the bat. My first few attempts were pretty rough, but after a while, I started to get the hang of it. To be honest, I think it's one of those things that you need to sit down with and get a feel for. I wouldn't recommend starting with a big sheet - it's a bit too intimidating, and you're more likely to mess it up. Small sketches and technique practice, though? Yeah, this paper is great for that. After taking a break from drawing, I find that it's a bit harder to get back into the zone, and this paper doesn't quite make it easy. That being said, I've seen some amazing work done on this paper, so it's definitely worth trying out.

I'd recommend giving it a shot - overall, this paper is pretty good, and the price is right. It's not the most comfortable to work with, and it's definitely not the most natural, high-quality cotton I've ever used. That being said, it's still a step up from some of the other papers out there. If you're used to working with high-quality, unprocessed cotton, you might find this paper a bit lacking. From me, it's 4 stars for value for money.

Thanks for reading, and happy shopping!