[katie-bobber Posts: 1 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

I was wondering if there is a preferred paper choice for illustrators mainly working with watercolor. I like how cold press produces bright colors and crisp lines, but because of the rougher texture of the paper it does not scan well for book illustrations. I know hot press has a smooth finish, but I don't like how it seems to bleed and the colors are not as vibrant. Is there a different type of paper I should be trying? How do illustrators achieve the bright colors and crisp lines in their work?

Also looking for ways to achieve the bold black lines as well, I've used Pigma Micron ink pens but is there a better method?

Thank you for your help!!

[marla-lesage Posts: 411 Status: Offline Write. Illustrate. Revise.]

I've never noticed a difference in the brightness of the colour between cold press & hot press. I've heard there is a way to scan your work in two directions & then merge to get rid of the shadows from the texture but haven't figured out how to do that. Lots of tutorials if you google it. ie: http://kidlitartists.blogspot.com/2014/12/removing-texture-from-watercolor-scans.html .
I used Canson XL mixed media paper for my graphic novel  sample pages - it's cheap & has a bit of texture but I really enjoyed working with it. I didn't have too much issue with the texture scanning. I'm pretty sure I just adjusted the levels in photoshop until it mostly disappeared.

[karen-b-jones Posts: 4 Status: Offline I love to draw! WWW]

You might be able to fiddle with the saturation, levels, color balance, etc. in Photoshop once you scan it.  That way you might be able to compensate for any shortcomings in the media you choose. 

[olmue Posts: 4,407 Status: Offline WWW]

Photoshop.

I'm using hot press because things are nice and smooth (I do ink and watercolor). But then I totally bump the colors in Photoshop. My basic materials are just not that special, but if I end up with a nice digital picture in the end, I'm satisfied.