How To Flatten Watercolor Paintings

I’ve been asked how to do this quite a few times and my method is, by no means, the “correct” and only way to do this. But I thought I would share because it’s worked wonderfully for me!

Here are the basic steps:

1. Find a clean flat/even surface

2. Put your painting face-down

3. Spritz the back with a spray bottle so it's evenly wet. Optional: Use a brush or sponge to spread out the water

4. Lay down something flat (like a board) that is larger than the size of the painting

5. Put something heavy on top (like books or a box)

6. Leave for 24 hours

There have been a few rare instances after flattening where (depending on the humidity of the air) the paper will warp a little bit after leaving it out post-flattening. If that’s the case I just repeat the process and leave the paper weighed down longer.

I shared this process inside the Paint With Me Membership Community and decided to share it to YouTube as well in case it might be helpful for others.  It even includes some ‘trial and error’ type footage where things didn’t go as planned - which I think makes it more real and possibly even more informative.

Thank you so much for reading and watching!
Susan

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