Flattening a Watercolor

by Elizabeth Kincaid

For mounting or photographing a painting, it helps a lot if the painting is flat. But all the water used in painting a watercolor can leave the painting buckled. Here's how to flatten it.
  1. You will need blotter boards, paper towels (Viva is the softest).
  2. Put a layer of towels over the boards.
  3. Carefully wet (thoroughly) the BACK of the watercolor, up to about 1/4 inch from the edge.
  4. Lay the painting face down on the blotter board (covered with paper towels).
  5. Put paper towels over the back of the wet painting.
  6. Put a layer of blotter boards on top of those paper towels.
  7. Cover with lots of books or bricks, about 6 inches deep.
  8. Release in about 12 hours and replace all the paper towels and blotter boards with dry ones, and let dry another 12 hours under weights.

Back to Elizabeth's home page