The Aquapad in its most charming and portable format — a 9 x 10.5cm pad that matches the dimensions of a polaroid photograph and is designed with exactly that spirit in mind. Small enough to carry anywhere, proportioned to produce finished pieces that sit naturally alongside photographs and printed images, and made with the same excellent 300gsm double-sized watercolour paper as the larger Aquapad formats. A genuinely delightful format for anyone who paints on the move, keeps a visual diary, or wants to make small, considered watercolour studies without committing to a full-sized pad.
The paper is 100% cellulose, naturally white, and double-sized internally and externally for excellent wet strength — the double sizing is what gives the Aquapad its characteristic resistance to buckling under repeated washes, keeping the small sheets stable and flat even when worked wet-on-wet. The medium-fine grain gives enough tooth for watercolour to settle and flow naturally, and the almost smooth reverse side gives a different surface character for different effects. Both sides can be used.
The polaroid format is a creative constraint in the best sense — the small, square-adjacent proportions encourage a focused, minimal approach to composition that is enormously valuable as a painting practice. A quick colour study, a captured moment of light, a location sketch — each one the size of a photograph, each one complete in itself, and all of them together building into a visual record that can be displayed, collected, or given away.
Acid-free, vegan, and made in France by Clairefontaine. 20 sheets per pad.
Paper weight: 300gsm
Sheets: 20
Size: 9 x 10.5cm — Polaroid format
Surface: Medium-fine grain, double-sized
Composition: 100% cellulose, acid-free, pH neutral, vegan
Made in: France
Is 300gsm paper heavy enough to use without pre-stretching?
Yes — 300gsm is the standard professional watercolour paper weight and is heavy enough to resist significant buckling under repeated wet washes without pre-stretching. The small format of the polaroid pad also helps, as smaller sheets are less prone to buckling than larger ones under the same conditions.
Can both sides of the paper be used?
Yes — the medium-fine grain on one side gives the characteristic watercolour paper texture; the almost smooth reverse gives a finer, more controlled surface for different effects. Both sides are double-sized and can be used for watercolour.
What is the polaroid format particularly suited to?
Quick colour studies, location painting, visual diaries, illustrated journals, and any practice where a small, self-contained finished piece is the aim. The proportions are naturally suited to a focused, minimal approach to composition and encourage the kind of daily painting practice that develops skill quickly.
Can sheets be removed from the pad?
The pad is glued — sheets can be removed cleanly after completing a painting and kept, displayed, or sent as gifts.
