Review-Hahnemühle Cold-Pressed Watercolour Postcards

Lots going on today! I have a watercolor postcard tutorial at Doodlewash!

Here, I’m reviewing the new cold-pressed watercolor postcards from Hahnemühle.  Hahnemühle_USA and Zebra Pens generously donated some cool stuff so there was a giveaway – now closed – when this review was first published.

This short video compares the two types of postcard – rough and cold-pressed. It’s the slightly shorter version of this review.

Specs

• 6.5 x 4.5 x 1.1 in  / A6 / 10,5 x 14,8 cm
• 230 gsm / 85 lb
• Natural White color
• Cold-pressed surface
• 30 postcards per tin
• Archival 
• Acid free
• Age resistant
• Unbleached
• Address panel printed on the reverse
• Rounded corners on both tin and postcards

Hahnemühle’s been selling the same Watercolour Postcards in a tin for 10 years. Each year, the tin had a different painting, but the postcard remained the same.  This year, there’s a new painting AND the postcards have changed.

This cold press surface is smoother. Like the rough postcards, color lifts easily, paint flows well and it’s sturdy enough for layering and even a little scrubbing. 

They curl if lots of water is used. As they dry, they flatten out.  You may need to gently push them into shape.  If you intend to do heavy washes, I recommend wetting first and letting it flatten, then painting on it.  It’s not an issue if you aren’t doing heavy washes.

Watercolor paper is not formulated for pens and markers.  That said, some are better for it than others.  On the rough surface, lines were broken (I like that and use it for blending), but you can get a good strong line on these cold-pressed cards.

The tins are handy.  Use them to store your unused cards, keep your finished cards, or convert them into a odds and end tin.  I’ve got several now. After nine months of tossing them around like frisbees (only a slight exaggeration) I’ve yet to see a scratch or dent.

I did a tutorial on Doodlewash using these cold-pressed watercolour postcards.  You can find it here.

Do I like these cold-pressed watercolour cards? Ummm … yeah.

Here are some links where you can read more about the cold-pressed postcards:

Last year I reviewed the rough-surfaced 
Just Add Water Silly
D.Katie Powell Art
Artful Words in the Hills of North Carolina

Related:
Scratchmade Journal (overview of several Hahnemühle papers)
Postcard  Demo Video
Jubilee Edition: Rough Watercolour Postcards 

You can find Hahnemühle Cold Pressed Watercolour Postcards at:

• Rochester Art Supply FineArtStore
• Jerrys Artarama
• Wet Paint Artist Materials & Framing
• Hyatt’s All Things Creative

The Zensations Fineliners and Technical Pens can be found at the Zebra Pen website.