- Creating art is an incredibly personal experience that is usually shared with many people.
- The paper, or surface, you use to create your art is the foundation and where it all begins.
- There are many different types, textures, and materials that make up the paper you can use to draw or create other forms of art.
When you are an artist, the tools that you use to create art are essential to your piece. The type of paper you use is a critical component. It may even be the first thing you consider when you are going to start a new project.
The surface you are using can make a difference in how it looks, feels, and presents to people. No matter how much experience you may have as an artist, you may not know all the differences in the paper you can use. Continue reading this article to find out all the different types of drawing paper that are available to you.
Types of Drawing Paper
Acid Free Paper
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Acid free paper does not have acid in it. It is the opposite of acid paper. The paper may have been treated to make it acid free.
The treatment includes buffering with calcium carbonate to neutralize the acid in the paper. This acid is absorbed through the age or as the paper ages. Eventually, this treatment will wear off, and the paper will begin to deteriorate.
When paper is not acid free, it will become yellow, which impacts the artwork.
Acrylic Paper
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Acrylic paper is both a delicate linen and textured paper that is an ideal size for use with acrylic. Graphite pencil and acrylic are ideal mediums for this paper.
Bristol Paper
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Bristol paper is a cotton fiber type of paper. It is usually multi-ply but can be found in one-ply and three-ply. One-ply is ideal for tracing. Bristol is versatile and durable. It has come to represent a high standard for drawing paper. It can also be found with a vellum finish.
Canvas Paper
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Canvas textured paper is ideal for oil and acrylic because it is sized so that the oil does not seep to the sides of the paper. This paper is ideal for practicing techniques for using paint. This type of paper is often used in school to help while teaching techniques. Colored pencils, oils, acrylic, graphite, and painting mediums are ideal for this paper.
Cellulose Fiber Paper
Cellulose fiber paper is made from wood pulp and the most common paper you will find. This paper is acidic but can handle different writing implements and erasing.
Charcoal Paper
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Charcoal paper is 100 percent cotton with a finish that is unique. Charcoal paper is consdiered a laid paper. It gives you precise control over your medium for shading purposes. The best mediums include monochromes, pastel, graphite, charcoal, and drawing chalks.
There are artists who have used light washes of ink, watercolor, and gouache. It would be best if you kept in mind that this paper is lightweight and cannot accept much water.
Cold Press Paper
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Cold press paper has been smoothly a little from a cold finish. Cold press paper does not have as much texture and has a weaker tooth than paper that is considered rough paper. However, many artists consider the texture of this paper to be just right for them.
Cotton Fiber Paper
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Cotton fiber is the most durable paper you can find. It is of the highest quality and can handle the most erasing.
Drawing Paper
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Drawing paper is most often used for finished work but also for sketching. It is a higher quality and heavier paper than sketch paper. Soft pastel, oil pastel, charcoal, dry monochromes, graphite, markers, and pen and ink are the best mediums for this type of paper.
Hot Press Paper
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Hot press paper undergoes a process that is similar to ironing clothes to smooth the paper. The hot press allows you to have the most details on your paper. This type of paper is ideal for drafting, etching, printmaking, or polished sketching.
Layout Bond Paper
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Layout bond paper is most often used my comic artists, designers, and calligraphers. It is a semi opaque paper. Layout bond paper can be used with many mediums, including chalk, monochrome pencils, graphite, a colored pencil, and charcoal. In addition, it is often used for finished drawings, roughs, and tracing paper.
Marker Paper
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Marker paper is heavyweight, making it ideal to be used for markers. It has a super smooth surface which allows you to blend while keeping the markers from bleeding and feathering.
This paper is made for markers but can be used with graphite. Pencil marks will not erase well from this type of paper. This is a newer type of paper that is used by those in comics.
Mixed Media Paper
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Mixed media paper is a newer type of paper in the art world. This paper was intended to do exactly as its name suggests, which is to withstand many different types of media.
Many feel this paper has qualities of watercolor, but the drawing surface is like vellum. The best mediums for this paper are just about anyone from acrylic to watercolor to gel pens and many more.
Newsprint Paper
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Newsprint paper is ideal for beginning sketchers or those who like to sketch out an idea before committing to it. Unfortunately, newsprint paper is not acid free paper, and it gets yellow with time. Graphite, carbon, charcoal, markers, oil pencils, and monochrome chalk are the best mediums for newsprint paper.
Oil Painting Paper
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Oil painting paper is paper that is linen textured. It is appropriately sized, so the oil does not seep to the side of the paper. When finished, the artwork must be mounted to a board before framing. Mediums such as oil, charcoal, and graphite are ideal for this paper.
Palette Paper
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Palette paper is a paper that is poly-coated and used specifically as a palette for mixing paints. It is meant to be disposable. This allows you to continue to paint and create without having to worry about cleaning a palette. Palette paper is most often used for oil and acrylic paint but could be used for watercolor and gouache.
Pastel Paper
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Pastel paper is unique because it is smooth on one side and slightly rougher on the other. The rough side has a pebbled type of surface. Pastel paper is best for pastels, but other mediums can also be used. For example, you can use charcoal, drawing chalks, and monochromes. A color pencil may also be used, but artists tend to use the smooth paper side for them.
Printmaking Paper
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Printmaking paper is a versatile and heavy weight paper. It is the perfect size for a large number of printing inks. It is used for many drawing styles such as woodblock, lithography, fine drawing, and aquatint. The ideal mediums for printmaking paper are water-based inks, oil-based inks, watercolor, drawing chalks, graphite, monochromes, and acrylic.
Sandpaper
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Believe it or not, sandpaper can be used for drawing. This light sandpaper is intended for heavy application of media while remaining rough. When you use sandpaper for a drawing, it has a smoky look to it because the paper is often visible in areas. The best medium for sandpaper is a pastel pencil or a coloured pencil.
Sketching Paper
Sketch Paper is most often used for practice, experimenting with new media, and a quick mark up of what will be completed on a heavier paper. Sketch paper is lighter than drawing paper. Many artists have a sketchbook with this type of paper when they keep items to use for reference later. Colored pencils, graphite, monochrome chalk, oil pencils, and charcoal drawing chalk are the best medium for this paper.
Tracing Paper
Tracing paper is transparent and lightweight. It is used to transfer images from one paper to another or for tracing. It is ideal for sketching, overlaying imagine, and preliminary drawing. Graphite, marker, and ink are ideal mediums.
Toned Paper
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Toned paper comes in shades: blue, gray, and tan. The tone of this paper gives you the ability to sketch and draw on mid-range colored paper to give it a different look. In addition, it allows you to use light and dark values to make it easier for highlights and shadows.
Unfinished Paper
Unfinished paper is paper that is rough and retains its original texture. It has a rough tooth, which is how the surface is described. It can grab and hold on to even the smoothest materials, like pastels and charcoal.
Vellum Paper
Vellum is a paper that is translucent and has a variety of uses, especially for arts and crafts. It is used as tracing paper but also can cover art or be used as decoration. Graphite, markers, chalk, pastels, markers, and colored pencils are the perfect medium.
Watercolor Paper
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Watercolor paper is the largest category of paper. It comes in a wide variety of weights and textures. Typical weights include 90 lb, 140 lb, and 300 lb. The higher the weight means, the stiffer the paper is. Often, artists will stretch 90 and 140 lb paper to prevent it from moving while painting.
Watercolor paper comes in three different textures, which are hot press, cold press, and rough. (These textures are described in this article.) Appropriate mediums include watercolor pencils, liquid acrylic, drawing chalks, and graphite, just to name a few.
