Strathmore Conversation 2016

Dan,
 
I think it would be OK. We don’t have any secrets and I’m really proud of this paper being a flag ship grade since 1892. The changes that we have made have always been made to ensure that the paper performs. It is tough to make everyone happy because of all of the different techniques and materials that artists use on the paper. When there were ink feather issues, pencil artists told me it was the best batches they ever had worked on! So like I said best to provide facts and let the user make the call.
 
It definitely wouldn’t hurt to let them know that we have an alternative sheet of the same level of quality for Mixed Media.
 
Don
 
 
 
From: Dan Brereton
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 3:07 PM
To: Donald Bozek
Subject: Re: Strathmore Artist Papers 500 Series Bristol
 
Hello again Donald, 
Would you have any objection to my sharing your letter on my Facebook page ? This has been a topic of discussion of late and I'd like my peers to know you sent a response and suggestions for the wet media paper .  I'll understand if you'd rather I kept it personal. 
 
Best , 
 Dan
 

On Feb 17, 2016, at 11:23 AM, Donald Bozek wrote:
Hello Dan,
 
I am the Director of Marketing for Strathmore and have been following the e-mail through John. I have been with Strathmore for 30 years and I have worked on this grade for all of those 30 years. Meaning I have spent a lot of time in the lab and paper mills on this grade. John makes some good points and I wanted to give you some insight.
 
The materials that make up the paper have really not changed since it was first produced in 1892. It is made up of a combination of rags and cotton linter. With that said in the 1990’s it was almost impossible to get clean cotton and those sheets contained a lot of dirt by today’s standards. However over time we really have improved the cleanliness of the sheet. Today that old sheet would have never made it to the marketplace.
 
What has changed over the years in the chemistry. Some of that change was done because of changes in papermaking in general and some because other materials that go onto the paper have changed. One of the biggest changes in papermaking occurred around 1990.
Prior paper mills ran with acid chemistry. The issue with acid chemistry was that the paper broke down at a relatively rapid pace. In 1990  the chemistry was changed to alkaline or what you see labeled as Acid Free. I think the down side was the surface became softer that is because you need to use calcium carbonate with alkaline chemistry. We have worked hard to strengthen the surface and that has been done through sizing changes over the years.
 
Yes sizing. John was right the paper is intended for dry media and not wet media. The chemistry for each is totally different because you are trying to attain different working properties. With dry media you have a lot of surface sizing because you are concerned with surface strength for things like erasure. Wet Media requires a different approach because you need to control two things when you put down watercolor: a carry agent and a coloring agent. Too fast and you can’t do any lifting, too slow and you get mottled washes. In the mid to late 90’s there was an issue with size reversion. However I have to admit that until that issue the sizing balance was such that the sheet could take pretty good wash. However in the mid to late 90’s that issue of size reversion came up and the chemistry had to be changed. The size reversion meant the sheet when produced would look and work great. Two years later if you started working on that sheet spots would appear and the sheet would not perform as intended. For another example, as John pointed out one of the popular ink manufacturers changed their formula a several years ago resulting in ink feathering and we had to adapt to that change.
 
I have worked with Marvel and DC when issues have cropped up over the years and have had to tweak the formula several times because of changes in the marketplace. I appreciate that you think the paper was the same in the 1990’s and 2000’s because that means the tweaks worked.
 
A few years ago I realized that I come to the point that I had satisfied the inkers with our current paper but the wash illustrators who still use the paper despite our saying in writing “ not intended for traditional watercolor techniques” needed their own paper. That is when I went to the drawing board to create mixed media paper. Mixed Media has the internal sizing and external sizing balanced to perform well with wet media and dry media. To make it clear: if you asked for a recommendation for wet media I would say watercolor paper. For dry media and ink: Drawing or Bristol. For the combination Mixed Media because of the balance of the properties. Looks and has the surface properties of a drawing paper but works like a watercolor paper.
 
I appreciate that you are a long-time supporter of Strathmore and I have to tell you I hate to make changes to the paper. We never make changes to cheapen the product, we only do it when we see changes to the working properties occur. We do extensive testing on our products and we rate the outcomes off the paper machine and again later.
 
I could go on but my intention is not to change your opinion but just to add some background facts to John’s response. Try the papers John is sending you and let us know what you think.
 
Best Regards,
 
Don        
 
   
Donald S. Bozek
 
Director of Marketing
Strathmore Artist Papers™
a division of Pacon Corporation
74 Glendale Road
Southampton, MA. 01073
 
P: 920-830-5145
C: 978-270-0135
F: 920-997-4887
www.strathmoreartist.com

 
From: Dan Brereton
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 1:07 PM
To: John Wittmann
Subject: Re: Strathmore Artist Papers 500 Series Bristol
 
Hello John,
 
Thanks again for your reply and offer of samples . 
 
I wanted to add some thoughts and a note about the statement you made concerning the 500 Series not being recommended for watercolor or water-based media .  I and many of my peers who paint in watercolor and water-based media , where a fair to good amount of wetting is occurring on the board never had problems with the paper -ever- back in the 1990's and early 2000's.  It was always well-known as a an excellent paper and  alternative to using illustration board.  
 
I recently conveyed this lack of recommendation to Alex Ross, maybe the most popular and well-known painter in comics, and is response was a big laugh . The reason?  It would never have occurred to him or any illustrator we know for that matter, to regard the classic 500 Series as anything but perfect for any wet media. Durable and versatile . In retrospect , had I known it would become a thing of the past , I would have laid-in a very large supply . 
 
For my needs - 2ply 500 Series in the 11x17 size is an everyday go-to product, whether vellum cold press or plate .  The changes prior to 2005 are palpable . I will say the paper, which I believe is also 500 Series Strathmore Bristol , is being used by publishers such as DC Comics as its in-house board for comic book penciling , inking and even paint (in my case ) and while the quality is OK,  it isn't what it used to be in the 90s.
 
Switching to illustration or wet media boards may be useful when I need a larger sturdier surface , but my hope is the paper which once carried the name and series can somehow be revived . The sizing on those older boards was perfect . You could draw and erase over and over - and paint in any water medium ,  washes were beautiful, and you could perform a "lift" technique quite easily. 
 
Does the 500 Series wet-media board come as a paper ? And does it have the sizing we illustrators are hoping for ? I hope to discover. 
 
Alex Ross also recommended a Strathmore paper which comes on a roll he said was suitable to paint on- but could not tell me any more about it. Are you familiar with this paper ? 
 
I would be happy to "field" test any future batches as well. I dont think distancing illustrators who use watercolor or water -based paint from the 500 Bristol, is an advisable policy . 
 Dan
 

On Feb 16, 2016, at 2:15 PM, John Wittmann wrote:
Dear Dan,
 
Thank you for writing us, and we apologize for any quality issues you have been experiencing with our 500 Series Bristol.  Five years ago, pen & ink artists started notifying us with concerns of ink feathering on our 500 Series Bristol.  The issue of ink feathering on our 500 Series Bristol caught us by surprise, since the paper was passing our internal quality tests. We understand how important it is for an artist to have a paper that they can trust and depend upon.
 
The problem was taken very seriously, and we diligently worked to solve the problem.  In our research, we found we were up against two separate issues.   First, in 2011 we had a bad batch of 500 Series Bristol with an inconsistent application of sizing, and despite our best efforts of disposing of the bad paper before shipping to retailers, some did ship.   Second, we dealt with a complicated ink and paper issue.
 
Some ink manufactures changed their ink formulations, and the changes in ink formulations negatively impacted how the ink preformed with our 500 Series Bristol.  We worked with the major ink suppliers to resolve the second feathering issue, and as a result we made slight adjustments to our paper to address the changes in ink chemistry.  The adjustments we made in our 500 Series Bristol in 2012 were made to address pen & ink feathering problems, so the changes to correct the feathering problem may have impacted how your washes result on our Bristol.
 
Our 500 Series Bristol is not recommended for traditional watercolor techniques, so we do not test watercolor techniques on our 500 Series Bristol.  We do understand many artists traditionally have used our 500 Series Bristol paper for watercolor techniques, but again this was never the intended use for the paper; however, this is where our 500 Series Illustration Board for Wet Media and 500 Series Mixed Media Board come into play.  Our 500 Series Illustration Board for Wet Media and 500 Series Mixed Media Board are both sized for wet media use. 
 
We would like to send you a sample of our 500 Series Illustration Board for Wet Media and 500 Series Mixed Media Board for you to try with our art techniques.  We will include a sample of our current 500 Series Bristol 4ply board as well, just in case you have some Bristol that may be from a production run prior to the sizing adjustments.  Could you please send us a sample of your Bristol that you are experiencing an issue with?  We would like to share the sample with our quality control team to test.
 
What is your address please?  If you are located outside the United States, could you please include your phone number?
 
Please send your Bristol Sample to:
 
John Wittmann
Strathmore Artist Papers
2525 N. Casaloma Drive
Appleton, WI 54913
 
In best regards,
 
John Wittmann
Strathmore Artist Papers ™
A division of the Pacon Corporation
™ used under license by Mohawk Fine Papers
 
 
Facebook message:
 
Dan Brereton
Feb 15th, 8:21pm
Hello,
 
I have been using Strathmore brand paper since 1985, when I entered into art college .  In 1989 I became a full- time professional illustrator and not one major job I've undertaken , whether it be watercolor , acrylic or gouache , hasn't been painted on 500 Series Bristol Board . I've sworn by it from 2ply to 4 ply all those years .
 
But in the last decade the quality has slipped - it has become somewhat unreliable . As  I write this , I'm laying washes of watercolor over a sheet of 4ply board , and it's furring in places.
 
I have lost or nearly lost several pieces to this inferior surface , and it's very frustrating . The quality problem has become plain  to a great many pros.  I've even heard one or two say they've heard back and have gotten feedback and action taken in some circumstances .
 
Myself and many others want the paper we've come to know for decades as the go-to Bristol board , to be made using the standards it was crafted by for so many years before. I hope it isn't too much to ask . One arts even joked " it's like they want us to go digital."
 
I don't ever intend to "go digital ", I just want 500 Series Bristol Board back the way it was.
 
Sincerely ,
 
Daniel Brereton
Illustrator