I just can’t resist myself when I visit my favorite art supply store. The store is small but filled with many delicious choices for any kind of art and craft needs, and it has the best price compared to all art supply stores in my country (at least that I know of ;P ). The stores even sell Derwent product far cheaper than in the Derwent online store.
It’s rare to find a 300gsm watercolor paper that is affordable for an amateur watercolor enthusiast like me. So when I saw Canson XL Mix Media pads I grabbed it immediately. I asked the clerk if they have the XL watercolor pad, but they said they only have Reeves, and so I grabbed that too. That was a blind buy as I haven’t read any review of Canson XL Mix Media pad before. Now that I am home and have access to google, I found that the reviews are not that good for their Mix Media paper. People who reviewed it said that the paper could not hold a lot of water. Oh no, will this be a waste….. I like using wet on wet techniques, but most reviews were for the 160gsm pads. Hopefully the 300gsm is better to hold water and still be a good use to me.
Another blind buy was Pentel Arts Watercolour Set. My Reeves set is beyond use and need retirement. As far as I know Pentel is a quite good brand for student. The reviews I found on the net are quite good. It is compared to the same level as Sakura Koi Watercolor. I probably will try the Canson Mix Media paper and the Pentel watercolor soon, as soon as I finished my current project.
Midnight Muse 
I tried Canson XL Mixed Media paper. Just didn’t work for me. I bought a large roll of the stuff and ended up giving to my daughter so that she can use it in the future. She’s attending a University and going for a teaching degree. I use Strathmore 400 mixed media paper, 140lb. It’s pretty good paper. However, watercolors don’t appear as bright as they would on 100% rag watercolor paper. I’ve been an illustrator for years and have tried all kinds of paper and believe it or not two of the most enjoyable surfaces I’ve ever used are 110lb card stock which is available pretty much anywhere and Bristol board, specifically the Canson XL Bristol Board (the vellum surface). If you’re on a budget these work well. Like all paper they take a bit of getting used to but once you figure out how to make them work for you then they can work well. I still use them and enjoy working on them.
I did get frustrated when I tried it. I really want to like it, but it can’t stand wet washes at all. I got all kind of fibrous things on my palette and it made dark spots everywhere. Even the Reeves watercolor pad is better, although it’s just less than $2.
Thank you for telling me about Canson XL Bristol Board. I’ve never work on Bristol paper before, might as well try it too 🙂
I’ve never seen Strathmore paper sold in stores in my area. I think there are only 3 known brands available: Canson, Reeves, and Derwent.
I bought the Canson XL Aquarelle few days ago, but haven’t tried it yet.