✨Glitter Paper?!✨ Paul Rubens Iridescent Paper Review

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Printing Bluelines Tutorial:    • Disappearing Bluelines Tutorial  

More Paul Rubens:
Paul Rubens 100% Cottonrag Watercolor Block Review:    • Paul Rubens 100% Cotton Watercolor Bl...  
Paul Rubens Tubens
Unbox and Swatch:    • Paul Rubens Tubens Unbox and Swatch  
Fieldtest:    • Wading in Waterlilies: Paul Rubens Tu...  
Paul Rubens Half Pans
Unbox and Swatch:    • Art Supplies from 🌠Wish🌠! Paul Rubens...  
Fieldtest:    • Paul Rubens Field Test  
It Came From Ali Express (mudtesting this paper):    • 🖌️AliExpress Watercolor Supply Haul🖌️  
Meiliang Pigments (Pretty Excellent or Parrot Watercolors):
Unbox and Swatch:    • Pretty Excellent! Meiliang (Parrot) W...  


Paul Rubens Iridescent Fieldtest Shownotes:

Ran through the printer, no problem
It's a little difficult to see the NPB, so I'll repencil and ink

It's fine to pencil on, although the paper has a pretty definite texture, so it has a bit of a mind of it's own. Same goes for inking- if you want controlled lines, you'll have to exert more control. The ink seems to completely cover the sparkles, so if you want like, a matte black, use a pigment ink. I'll let the ink cure on the paper before erasing the pencils. I intend to stretch this paper to remove the non photo blue.

When it comes to original art pieces, traditional materials on paper, I love me a good sparkle. Anyone who's purchased a watercolor Dots for Eyes or Chibi piece from me at a convention is probably aware of that. And ask me to lay on the metallic? That's a wish I'm happy to grant.

I have high expectations for the Paul Rubens Iridescent paper.

I've already mud tested this paper and have found it to be a good paper for lots of wet into wet painting and granulation, but it's taken me awhile to get around to the field test. The subject matter promises brilliance- a hummingbird delivering a tiny Lilliputian to their new family, and I hope this paper will help me achieve that goal.

For today's fieldtest, I'm using like with like- Paul Ruben's tubens on Paul Rubens paper. Paul Rubens watercolors delivery saturation and brilliance with some granulation, so it should be more than a fair test.

While it can take a lot of water, it wants to start buckling up, and may pull loose from my tape. Normally I would use a blue low tack painter's tape, but since I wanted to cover such a small area, I thought washi would suffice.

Eventually it pulled itself up and I had to resecure it.

It's a wet night tonight, and Paul Rubens really likes to stay open and wet, so the dry time is a bit long.

It keeps pulling loose, a stronger tape would have been a wise idea- or clips.

The iridescence is still visible, particularly in areas with light washes


This paper supports granulation well.

the sparkle is a bit weird, because in some ways, it looks like flecks of white- like the paper had resisted paint, or like drybrush. I expected the pigment to at least color the iridescent mica flecks.


Pros:
100% cotton rag
If properly secured, shouldn't buckle or kip too much
Takes color quite well- colors remain saturated, and it's easy to build up color layer by layer


Cons:
The iridescence doesn't really do much for the paper or the illustration
Not easily procured in the US- I ordered mine from AliExpress


This isn't a difficult paper to work with- it handles water well, it handles color well- its very similar to regular Paul Rubens watercolor paper save for the white mica flecks that don't take on color. I had hoped the iridescence would add depth to the color (the way pearl paper does when you print on it) but in my opinion, there isn't enough iridescence for me to say it really adds to the paper. It's an easy paper to paint on- not prone to bleeding, not overly fussy, but I feel the same way about Paul Rubens 100% cottonrag paper as well, and would recommend either.

While you can get Paul Rubens cottonrag paper on Amazon, it seems that Ali Express is your best bet for their iridescent paper. On that note, I'd say you're better served with their metallic paints, if you want iridescence from Paul Rubens, than with this paper.



Music:
Sunset Dream- Cheel
C Major Prelude
Sonatina No 2 in F Major Rondo- Joel Cummins
Bike Sharing to Paradise- Dan Bodan
Dance for the Wind Trio- Sir Cubworth
National Express- Dan Bodan
Friday Fugue- Trevor Garrod
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik- Mozart

#PaulRubens #PaulRubensPaper #iridescentpaper