What Type of Paper Do I Use?

Imagine+this+is+paper

Imagine this is paper

Caleb Dexter, editor

Have you ever used a piece of printer paper to draw on and it worked out great with one pencil but not with another? Yeah, I think we all have. Well, that is what I will be talking about today. “What is the Best type of paper to use for some certain drawing utensils.” (And why you should use it, and with what it is best used with.)

Preserving Art : So, for this I looked at some websites and found one artist who said this. “Firstly, it’s important to get high quality paper that can stand up to rough techniques (like burnishing and erasing) and preserve your artwork for as long as possible. At a minimum, the paper you buy should be acid-free, which helps prevent it from becoming yellow and brittle over time. Labels like archival and permanent are a good sign, but truly archival paper is made from 100% cotton (also called rag paper).”
Paper texture:
You also need to consider the right paper texture for your colored pencils. Most people will prefer a smooth texture (also called hot press, plate or fine-grain), which allows for detailed work and easy blending. “If you employ lots of layering and enjoy the look of paper pattern or grain, go with a medium texture (also called cold press or vellum).” So there you go.
Drawing paper for Pastels: If you don’t know what a pastel is it is basically a crayon or chalk there are two types.The same artist also said this about pastels.
Surfaces for pastels can mean a whole range of materials because pastels are incredibly versatile. They can be used on almost any surface as long as there is enough tooth or roughness for the pastels to grip. Textured paper is the most popular surface for pastels, but you can also use boards, canvas, and even sandpaper.

All of the above: So if you are interested in these types of things and the different types of paper then here are some more type of random papers that you might want to try such as watercolors. Now you might think this isn’t for drawing but if you draw something and then paint it in, it can look amazing. Some very great artists use watercolor! You might also want to try Halftone paper. Halftone paper is basically a different colored paper, usually tan, but there are other colors such as gray and it is great for making highlights in your drawings. For some art done on halftone click here.

All of this was really helpful to me and I hope it was really helpful to you too. I personally would like to try halftone paper and get something as good as the guy that did the video. I would also like to get back into watercolor because I love art.