I've been thrilled using BFK Rives (white, 280 gsm) for watercolors for some time now - sturdy, non-warping without stretching, pigment lifts like a breeze and does not ruin the paper texture, etc. This week I've had a horrible time on a big project and at first I thought I must have purchased sheets that had a sizing problem: the pigments are being deeply absorbed and absolutely refuse to move/flow on the paper and even worse - absolutely nothing lifts out as it always has, but instead creates a fuzzy, stained surface. I returned to an old piece of Rives I'd used as usual, but this reacted the same. Could the ambient humidity from our rooftop evaporative cooler (we don't have air conditioning) have destroyed the sizing and paper characteristics?? I've lost a full week fighting this never-before encountered problem. Thank you for any input.

Hi Debbie - BFK Rives paper is not sized for watercolor, though you may have had success using it in the past. On BFK, it is normal that the pigments are deeply absorbed and refuse to move on the paper. I would recommend using a watercolor specific paper like the ones found here: https://legionpaper.com/applications/watercolor.html