Disclaimer: These 90g rolls were kindly gifted by Cartotecnica Rossi, thank you!
Feeling extremely honoured and grateful to Cartotecnica Rossi for gifting me a box of their newly launched 90g papers! There's 42 shades - including some gorgeous new colours, with more subtle variations between shades. Moreover, this particular weight of crepe claims to have an amazing 500% stretch! In terms of price. the 90g rolls are priced at 1.40Euros (approx SGD1.95), versus the 180g rolls at 1.95Euros (approx SGD 2.70).
To view the full range, head over to the newly revamped website linked here: https://www.cartotecnicarossi.it/
500% stretch is A LOT. And believe me, I was skeptical at first, especially since I've only worked exclusively with 180g crepe. Hence, it was time for a test! Here's a quick review... (for more colour options, and a video demonstration, scroll right to the bottom!)
COMPARING a 90g ROSE to a 180g ROSE
I decided to work with this pretty shade of light peach (Code #356) which I think is pretty close to the #17A5 from the 180g range. My first impressions were:
The 90g crepe is very thin! Almost like tissue paper
Feels so soft, almost silky, especially compared to the rough 180g
The roll is smaller and measures 50cm by 1.5m, versus 50cm by 2.5m for the 180g roll
Here's a side by side comparison of my completed Wild Roses. The lighter peach on the left is made from 90g crepe, while the dusty peach on the right is made from my usual 180g crepe.
Some noticeable visual differences:
Texture-wise, the grain (or lines of the crepe) are more visible for the 180g
The petals for the 90g seems softer and rounder, with less harsh or sharp edges, even though I used the exact same cupping and curling techniques on both.
There seems to be a more translucent quality to the 90g paper (i.e. letting light shine through), compared to the 180g, which makes them a closer resemblance to real flower petals.
You can also kind of see that the petals for the 90g seems more 'lightweight' compared to the 180g
I have to say, through the flower-making process, I was surprised at how stretchable the paper was. 500% stretch was indeed true! Since the paper was softer, it was easier to sculpt and curl the petals, and I could even stack the petals and curl multiple petals at the same time (which I usually can't do successfully for the 180g). The paper was also strong, despite being thinner, and I wasn't able to tear it easily. It seems to be able to hold the curled and cupped shapes well too, not flimsy at all.
Here are more close-ups for comparison:
To conclude, I do find the smooth finish of the 90g very appealing, and it does make very soft, more delicate-looking, translucent, and thus more realistic blooms. I would propose the 90g might be a friendlier option for beginners as well, since it will be more forgiving, and won't be hard on the fingers during sculpting processes. I found that I didn't need to apply as much effort or pressure when cupping or curling the petals.
COLOURS
Below are some of the colours that stood out to me! You can see there are some lovely new shades that I have not seen in the 180g range.
THE VIDEO
Finally, here's the video that I made for Instagram reels, you can view it on my Instagram page as well!
I hope this provided some helpful insight into the new collection of 90g crepe paper rolls! Happy crafting!