Paper Soaking & Blotting

I like using Akua waterbase ink and one of my favorite papers is Hahnemuhle-Copperplate, which doesn't need to be soaked too long.

Here's my set up for paper preparation. I angle a sheet of plexiglass over a basic water soaking tray. Next to the tray I place a super absorbent, lint free towel. I remove the paper from the tray, place it against the plexiglass and use a window squeegee to remove excess water. I then lay the paper on the absorbent towel, cover it with another towel and roll the surface. This gives me perfectly dampened paper and eliminates the need for paper blotters. This works very well and the towels can be easily cleaned, washed and reused.

I have a collection of antique irons which come in very handy in the studio. Here I'm using them to hold the towel in place AND hold the rolling pin. They also come in handy as weights, to hold down paper when positioning multiple plates.