How I Prepare Paper for Ink-Wash Painting

Why paper preparation matters

Ink-wash painting is unforgiving. Unlike watercolour, where you can lift and rework, ink sits where it lands. On unprepared paper, the ink feathers — spreads along the fibres in ways you didn't intend. Sometimes that's beautiful. More often, it ruins a piece you spent an hour building.

The paper I use

I work primarily on Fabriano Artistico 300gsm cotton rag in hot press (smooth) for detailed work and rough for looser pieces. Cotton rag is more expensive than wood pulp paper but it's worth it — it's pH neutral, so prints made from it won't yellow, and the surface has a consistent texture that machine-made paper can't replicate.

Sizing

Most paper comes with internal sizing (a starch or gelatin solution worked into the paper during manufacture), but I add a layer of diluted rabbit skin glue before working in ink. This reduces the paper's absorption slightly, giving me a few extra seconds of working time before the ink sets.

The sizing is diluted 1:10 (glue to water) and applied warm with a wide flat brush in a single direction. Let it dry completely — at least 4 hours — before working.

Stretching

Ink wash uses a lot of water. Unstretched paper will cockle (buckle) as it absorbs moisture, which throws off your marks completely. I stretch all paper larger than A4 by soaking it in a tray for 5 minutes, then stapling it to a wooden board while wet. As it dries, it pulls taut and stays flat throughout the painting.

The result

Prepared paper moves differently. It's slower to absorb, which means you can push ink around the surface before it commits. The difference in control is significant — especially for the soft atmospheric passages that are the whole point of ink-wash.