Your paper Kitty [- good info on how to cut and uncurl Wallis paper]

[Susan Borgas]

Kitty,

For the benefit of us Australians I am posting here in case others have the same question that I do.

I am reading so much about this Wallis paper and would like to try some. I presume because it is so new it would not be available in Australia. If this is the case can you see your product being sold in our shops/stores in the near future?

Sue

[Kitty Wallis]

Originally Posted by Susanpotfr

Kitty,
For the benefit of us Australians I am posting here in case others have the same question that I do.
I am reading so much about this Wallis paper and would like to try some. I presume because it is so new it would not be available in Australia. If this is the case can you see your product being sold in our shops/stores in the near future?
Sue

It isn't available yet in Australia, however I am sending samples to folks all over the globe, PM me with your address and I'll send you our small, 3 1/2" x 9" sample with information about sizes, prices and techniques.

We are in conversation with one Australian distributor. He is afraid of the price. I think, if a lot of Australian artists started asking for it at their art supply stores, it would happen sooner. hint hint

[Susan Borgas]

Thanks Kitty, I will PM you now.

Sue

[SweetBabyJ]

It isn't just the price, Kitty, it is also the minimum amount the retailers have to purchase. I realize this is a marketing consideration for you- that you have to balance your own costs, but smaller shops cannot afford to keep a large amount of a slow moving item in stock- no matter how much they would like to. They have their own costs to consider. Even Dan'l Smith's up in Bremerton didn't have Wallis in a roll because it is too high a price for them to pay for stock which doesn't move as fast as, say, Arches watercolour paper. My own local "good" art supply store would LOVE to stock Wallis, but with only 900 square feet total space for retail floor, office, small framing shop and then smaller stockroom, they haven't the space to stock your minimum order.

Maybe you could be more flexible there somehow?

[Kitty Wallis]

In the case of exporting it to another country we would almost certainly work thru a distributor in that country. In that case the stores would not be dealing with our minimum.

Almost nobody stocks the rolls for the reason you state. But Daniel Smith does have many of the sizes of our paper. The way many small stores get around the manufacturer's minimum is to order a few sheets at a time thru a distributor. We don't have one yet. We just got it into Pearl's stores and catalog. They will make their first order soon.

The many stores across the country who do carry it are surprised at the rate of sale. Some of the stores who don't carry it balk because they don't believe pastel artists will buy much of it.

Originally Posted by SweetBabyJ

It isn't just the price, Kitty, it is also the minimum amount the retailers have to purchase. I realize this is a marketing consideration for you- that you have to balance your own costs, but smaller shops cannot afford to keep a large amount of a slow moving item in stock- no matter how much they would like to. They have their own costs to consider. Even Dan'l Smith's up in Bremerton didn't have Wallis in a roll because it is too high a price for them to pay for stock which doesn't move as fast as, say, Arches watercolour paper. My own local "good" art supply store would LOVE to stock Wallis, but with only 900 square feet total space for retail floor, office, small framing shop and then smaller stockroom, they haven't the space to stock your minimum order.

Maybe you could be more flexible there somehow?

[cjkelly]

We are in conversation with one Australian distributor. He is afraid of the price. I think, if a lot of Australian artists started asking for it at their art supply stores, it would happen sooner. hint hint

Kitty: That's good news (isn't it??)
I'm certainly going to contact my on-line supplier in Melbourne.

cj

edit: I received your sample today and it is just as I imagined, a lovely fine and consistent grit. Can't wait to play with it

[Kitty Wallis]

It's not good news until the deal is done. Thanks for following up, we can use the support.

Let us know how your play with the sample goes.

Originally Posted by cjkelly

Kitty: That's good news (isn't it??)
I'm certainly going to contact my on-line supplier in Melbourne.

cj

edit: I received your sample today and it is just as I imagined, a lovely fine and consistent grit. Can't wait to play with it

[Maryeve]

Kitty, Your paper has become my new favorite when doing a full portrait with a background. My problem is this..(LOL, aren't you so glad you get to hear all of us moan and groan?) I usually order online from various suppliers, and the paper is easy enough to find, but Im strapped for money, so when I order my supplies, I can only order a little at a time. So there are times that I would like to be able to get just a sheet or two...well that is cost prohibitive to order..not to mention there is usually a 10 sht minimum. Do you know if the bigger chains like Michaels or Hobby Lobby will be carrying your paper? I noticed the other month that Hobby Lobby was now carrying Art Spectrum sheets so Im hoping this is a trend that we will be seeing papers other than Canson sitting on the shelves???

[Khadres]

Originally Posted by Maryeve

Kitty, Your paper has become my new favorite when doing a full portrait with a background. My problem is this..(LOL, aren't you so glad you get to hear all of us moan and groan?) I usually order online from various suppliers, and the paper is easy enough to find, but Im strapped for money, so when I order my supplies, I can only order a little at a time. So there are times that I would like to be able to get just a sheet or two...well that is cost prohibitive to order..not to mention there is usually a 10 sht minimum. Do you know if the bigger chains like Michaels or Hobby Lobby will be carrying your paper? I noticed the other month that Hobby Lobby was now carrying Art Spectrum sheets so Im hoping this is a trend that we will be seeing papers other than Canson sitting on the shelves???

[Khadres]

Originally Posted by Maryeve

Kitty, Your paper has become my new favorite when doing a full portrait with a background. My problem is this..(LOL, aren't you so glad you get to hear all of us moan and groan?) I usually order online from various suppliers, and the paper is easy enough to find, but Im strapped for money, so when I order my supplies, I can only order a little at a time. So there are times that I would like to be able to get just a sheet or two...well that is cost prohibitive to order..not to mention there is usually a 10 sht minimum. Do you know if the bigger chains like Michaels or Hobby Lobby will be carrying your paper? I noticed the other month that Hobby Lobby was now carrying Art Spectrum sheets so Im hoping this is a trend that we will be seeing papers other than Canson sitting on the shelves???

ACK! There may be an empty message up there! This thing is fighting me tooth and nail today! Sorry!

I wish this was a trend at the local stores, too, Maryeve! Now...if Hobby Lobby would just carry some decent PASTELS, as well! Outside of a piddly little beginner's set of Rembrandts, they're pretty poor for choices. Have you ordered from Blick's or Jerry's? Usually, if the paper is over like say $5 a sheet, you only have to order one or more sheets. That's how I tried 'em all out...a couple sheets here, a couple there. Blick's is fairly fast too. Jerry's, well, sometimes good, sometimes forever to get anything.

Kitty? Any tips on how to CUT this monster roll? I don't have a huge paper cutter or anything and not even a table surface that big. Any advice on cutting to maximize usage? I'm doing my best to remember to leave MARGINS since I'd always used a stretched canvas mode before. How much margin do you recommend? Say I want an 18X24 image size? Would 22X28 do it? I've never had the luxury of this much paper to play with before and I don't want to waste it!

[Laura Shelley]

I just bought the last sheet of Professional grade at my local art store, so I'm doing my best to make the stock move. But I'm definitely going to start ordering 10-packs, and eventually I'll probably get a roll. I like my supplies to be available at retail when I have to grab something fast, but I couldn't possibly afford to always buy at retail prices--ouch!

[Khadres]

Originally Posted by Madame Manga

I just bought the last sheet of Professional grade at my local art store, so I'm doing my best to make the stock move. But I'm definitely going to start ordering 10-packs, and eventually I'll probably get a roll. I like my supplies to be available at retail when I have to grab something fast, but I couldn't possibly afford to always buy at retail prices--ouch!

I agree there! However, I got my stock of Colourfix at Hobby Lobby at half price, so that was cool! $3 a sheet sure beats even the best online sources! Trouble is...now I like Wallis best, but have all this colourfix to use. Ah, well, I do like the colors colourfix has... Now if they'd just get Wallis...and put THAT on sale!

[Kitty Wallis]

Originally Posted by Khadres

ACK!
Kitty? Any tips on how to CUT this monster roll? I don't have a huge paper cutter or anything and not even a table surface that big. Any advice on cutting to maximize usage? I'm doing my best to remember to leave MARGINS since I'd always used a stretched canvas mode before. How much margin do you recommend? Say I want an 18X24 image size? Would 22X28 do it? I've never had the luxury of this much paper to play with before and I don't want to waste it!

I never leave margins, but paint right to the edge. In fact I use the edge to guide my drawing and composition, spotting proportion (where is the furthest point that I want to include in this picture. where does it go on the edge? 1/3 of the way up on the right?) I enjoy the unequivocal finality of the edge.

Cutting: I have a big 4x7' table in the studio that I use. Before I had that I made a wall cutter, hanging the roll on a rod on brackets on the wall, high enough to allow for the length I wanted to cut. I used an aluminum right angle piece longer than the roll to hold the paper down against the cutting board material I mounted on the wall below the roll. I fastened it with a hinge at one end and a hook at the other. It made a straight edge I still had to hold it firm against the paper, but it wasn't trying to fall down as I cut.

I fastened a tape measure on the wall to measure the paper I wanted, pulled it down from the roll and cut it off. The paper fell to the floor, I got lint and stuff on the paper sometimes, but it worked.

I was making my own sanded paper at home at the time, before I started selling it, using 80" wide rolls, so I needed to cut it this way. I had become so frustrated with the size of Ersta by the time I started making my own that I overcorrected on the size. I soon learned how impossible it was to frame and hang a pastel 80"x80"!

Do not use a paper cutter on my paper, it will dull the blade right away. The grit is aluminum oxide which is just one point softer thant diamonds on the moh scale. I use those utility knives that have long plastic handles witha long blade inside scored every 1/4" to snap off when dull.

[Khadres]

80X80!?!?!?!?! Good HEAVENS! Okay, so 46" doesn't seem that big after all. I'd love to see your studio space! Must be humONGus! We finally found out that our old coffee table (doggie scarred since they think it's a launchpad from the couch to the floor and vice versa) is long enough to cut the stuff on so the plan is the run the dogs off for long enough to put the roll on the couch, unroll it onto the coffee table with a cutting thing (green with a grid on it for cutting fabrics, etc.) under it and have at it with a razor thingy.

I figure I'll cut off enough to make several different sizes and keep the rest in the roll. For flattening, I've got a very large and deep counter top in the kitchen of formica....should be able to tape the spritzed down rectangles on there like you show in the diagram and then hit 'em with the hair dryer on low to speed up the process a little. I'm assuming that once the sheets are flat, they stay that way?

Before you know it, you'll have me makin' pastels, too, have no doubt!

Can't wait to try the underpainting, as well!

[Kitty Wallis]

My studio space is a 25'x25' garage which I share with the recyling the washer and dryer and the waterheater. There's also a lot of equipment and supplies in there for making pastels. I need at least 10' for the projector beam onto the rear projection screen that I use for working from my slides. Not big enough. I don't do 80"x80" pieces, that was a little exaggeration. The largest pastel I've done is 4'x8'.

Removing the curl.
I relax the curl from the paper when I start the painting. I cut it from the roll, ignoring the curl, tape it up on my easel and do the underpainting on it. Then I do the gentle stretch and let the paper dry. Then continue with the pastels.

I feel uneasy about your plan to cut and wet a few at a time. I assume you plan to pile them on top of each other. and lay the whole thing flat. It might work, if you stretch each piece while it's wet.

You might even be tempted to put weight on it. Don't, it will dry all warpy. My paper has a mind of it's own and cannot be Made to flatten. It must be stretched and allowed to dry. I hope it will dry OK using your method.

The Museum paper stays flat forever, once it's treated this way. It's made of cotton which is naturally supple and it's primed on the back as well as the front so it doesn't react to humidity. The Professional paper is not primed on the back so it will curl a bit with humidity changes. Not like it does when it comes off the roll. It's made of wood pulp which is a bit more stiff, and is more prone to roll curl memory.

I hope all this makes sense. Let me know if you have more questions.

Originally Posted by Khadres

80X80!?!?!?!?! Good HEAVENS! Okay, so 46" doesn't seem that big after all. I'd love to see your studio space! Must be humONGus! We finally found out that our old coffee table (doggie scarred since they think it's a launchpad from the couch to the floor and vice versa) is long enough to cut the stuff on so the plan is the run the dogs off for long enough to put the roll on the couch, unroll it onto the coffee table with a cutting thing (green with a grid on it for cutting fabrics, etc.) under it and have at it with a razor thingy.

I figure I'll cut off enough to make several different sizes and keep the rest in the roll. For flattening, I've got a very large and deep counter top in the kitchen of formica....should be able to tape the spritzed down rectangles on there like you show in the diagram and then hit 'em with the hair dryer on low to speed up the process a little. I'm assuming that once the sheets are flat, they stay that way?

Before you know it, you'll have me makin' pastels, too, have no doubt!

Can't wait to try the underpainting, as well!