Fiona Phipps tests out the Hahnemühle Bookmark Pad and finds them fun with a capital F!
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when asked to review this product, my initial thoughts were that it would have limited uses. Well, let me dispel that thought at the very start! I can categorically say, they are Fun….with a capital F!
What is the Hahnemühle Bookmark Pad?
The Hahnemühle Bookmark pad contains 15 pre-cut, 5.5 x 20cm, heavyweight, 100% cotton, 300gsm, white, expression watercolour paper.
They are surface sized to give the perfect platform for many types of media. The pad is compact and can be used in many situations in landscape or portrait format. The quality of the paper is what you would expect from a top of the range artist quality brand such as Hahnemühle.
Top features:
- Extremely well packaged in double, sturdy cardboard on arrival.
- The bookmark pad itself has an added wrap of polythene to keep the pages together and intact.
- Glue across the top of the pad ensures each leaf is easily detached in a safe manner.
- The paper is excellent weight for the bookmark product at 300gms.
- The cold-pressed structure and super absorbency is ideal for watercolour layering particularly.
Price: £7.95 per pad of 15 bookmarks
Where to buy: Art Supplies with Painters Online
Painting the bookmarks
Bookmark number one
My first bookmark!
First of all I wanted to test which media the bookmark paper would accept and work well with, which resulted in producing my first Bookmark - a swatch using various media!
Using masking tape I sectioned the bookmark to give me several partitioned areas to lay down the following; single watercolour wash, fine liners in a random pattern, undiluted gouache, oil pastels which were first applied to card and then stroked on to the bookmark, merging two colours of Liquitex acrylic inks and finally a small example of mono print.
I will add at this point that Hahnemühle suggest that using masking tape is hassle-free but it does pull a little if you fix it too firmly on the paper. I cured this particular problem by removing some of the tackiness from the tape.
Initial findings
For my first attempt I intended to just play around with watercolour washes to see how the paper behaved, especially as I am not familiar with the Hahnemühle brand of papers. I liked the surface and structure of the paper and the way the washes behaved, absorbed and dried.
Experimenting
I experimented with different techniques, the first using clingfilm on mixed, wet watercolour washes.
I also mixed watercolour washes with Indian ink, again on previously wet paper, these two mixed together creating a dendritic effect. Once dry, I used neat Indian ink to draw in the trees.
The findings
The paint dried evenly leaving crisp, white highlighted areas among other areas of darker colour and textures. These dried washes accepted further wet washes as I negatively painted into the image to create the resulting image.
Experiment further with Fiona's review of Liquitex Acrylic inks by
Fine lines
If you are a fan of more intricate images it is possible to create fine line work on the grade of paper used for the bookmarks.
The findings
The paper has a fine surface grain and fine liner pens glide smoothly across the surface without jumping and disturbing the line, leaving clear sharp results.
A product for sharing!
There are many situations and subjects that you can use for inspiration to create a Bookmark that is personal, unique and practical. They also make a special gift, with a personal touch for family and friends.
The Hahnemuhle Bookmark Pad is definitely for sharing!
There are many situations, regardless of age, ability and aptitude, where this pad of bookmarks could be used and enjoyed. They would be perfect for parents and grandparents to occupy the children on those wet half term holidays, a fun project at the beginning or end of term for art groups and so much more.
Top ideas for creating your bookmarks:
- Use watercolour, acrylic, gouache and inks to paint an image
- Draw with coloured pencils, crayons, fine liners, ink
- Use block prints, Lino prints, mono print, stencils, collage
- The choice of subjects is infinite ... landscapes, abstract, cartoons and more
- Perfect presents and projects for Christmas, Halloween, Easter and birthdays
- You can even raid your old jewellery or button box to add that personal embellishment to make your bookmark even more unique
Conclusion
As already mentioned, my initial thoughts about this product were that they would only appeal to a limited audience.
They are a small format, which I thought would be the first problem I would encounter. However, after painting the first two bookmarks, the small format turned out to be one of the most enjoyable characteristics.
To me, the most interesting feature of this product is how appealing they actually are and the audience could be wide ranging. Whether you are an experienced artist, intermediate, or at the beginning of your artistic journey or even if you enjoy crafting. I guarantee that you could and would find a situation to enjoy the simplicity and rewards of creating a Bookmark.
It has been a pleasure and joy to review this product because for a very modest outlay, you can buy yourself or others, a small and original package of Fun!
About Fiona Phipps
I have been painting for fifteen years or so, initially in watercolour but then became interested in oils and mixed media which I like to combine together. I studied oils with professional artist and tutor Davy Brown and mixed media at several workshops with Hazel Campbell.
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