Why I paint on Fabriano and not locally sourced paper

This is the kind of question I get from other painters in Nigeria more than anyone else. The short answer is: because I haven't found a local equivalent that holds watercolor the way I want it to hold.

Fabriano cold press 300gsm is what I use for all watercolor work. The sizing is consistent. The texture is predictable. The way it handles wet-in-wet work, allowing a wash to spread just so far and stop, is hard to replicate on locally available alternatives I've tested.

This is not a criticism of what's available here. It's a supply chain problem, not a quality problem with Nigerian paper manufacturing. The papers I've found in Lagos markets are fine for sketching. They are not consistent enough for finished work I'm going to sell.

I import in bulk. It's expensive and the lead time is long. At some point someone will crack distribution of archival-quality paper in West Africa and I'll be their first customer. Until then.