A deckle edge is the naturally uneven edge of a sheet of handmade paper. The paper is made in a frame, called a deckle, and thus the name for the rough edge. In a sheet of watercolor paper, the deckle edge of two opposite sides look like the one in the photograph on the right. The very edge has a translucence to it. If you look carefully, you can see this in part of the paper’s edge in the photograph.

The other two sides are also uneven but are not as thin and, thus, do not have the translucency of the ones mentioned above. The photograph on the left shows one of these other two deckle edges.

Compare the deckle edges above to the edges in the photograph on the right. These have been torn. They do look different from the deckle edges mentioned first. You may not see much of a difference here with the deckle edge shown in the photograph directly above on the left, but if you were to see the actual paper, you would be able to tell the natural edge from the torn edge.

Many times, you will not even see the edges of a painting. A mat often surrounds watercolor paintings (to hold them in place, to keep them from touching the glass, and to set the picture off from the frame). However, if a painting has been done on a full sheet of paper, the artist may frame it so the edges show. (I do this with my large, 22″ x 30″, watercolors.)

A mat allows the artist to cover areas that did not turn out, and this is perfectly fine. But the ability to cover a mistake in that way demonstrates the challenge in painting a watercolor that goes to the edges – no mistakes allowed!

Good quality watercolor paper has a watermark that identifies the manufacturer of the paper. This image is from a sheet of Arches 140# paper. Note the company name, Arches, country of origin, France, and the infinity symbol. These are within the paper and visible on both sides when held up to the light but visible only on the right side with no back lighting. Also, if you look carefully, along the bottom on the right after the upside-down F, turning the corner, and going up a little on the right side are the words “AQUARELLE ARCHES” embossed in the paper. These you can see and feel on both sides of the paper.

When watercolor paint is brushed over the watermark, some of it may show. This image with paint applied over the watermark
is how you might see it on a painting. Here, I have purposely left some white of the paper showing and pulled the brush lightly over the paper so that you can see the watermark. Compare it to the next image. This one is of the same sheet of paper but with light shining on the back and, thus, highlighting the watermark. You can still see all of it. If you were to purchase a watercolor painting unmatted and unframed, you could hold it up to the light and see the watermark. But a framed painting may show little to none of the watermark.

Watermarks usually appear only in one or two corners of a sheet of watercolor paper, as well as on other fine quality papers, such as for printmaking. If the artist is using less than a full sheet of paper, it might be a section that has no watermark, so a painting on fine quality paper may not always have a watermark.

What appears on the back? Without back lighting, the sheet reveals only the embossed words. Here, I have painted over the area with the watermark, and you see only the backwards letters of “AQUARELLE ARCHES”; none of the imbedded watermark shows. (Held up to light, the sheet would show that watermark, but more faintly than when on the right side.)

Another type of watermark you may see when viewing art online appears prominently over an image to prevent unauthorized copying of the art. Various words are used (watermark, do not copy, the artist’s name, etc.). If you were to print that image, the watermark would print with it. Although usually the word is large enough to be noticed, it appears faintly so as not to interfere with viewing the art.