Best Paper For Graphite Sketching

Reviews of the best drawing papers with examples.

Best paper for graphite sketching.

Printer copying paper generally has a weight of 20lbs 75 gsm. Textured paper surface should be thought of as being a 3 dimensional surface with peaks and valleys not unlike a mountain chain. I used strathmore 300 series bristol board pads 9 x 12 velum for this graphite drawing. Canson biggie sketch or strathmore 200 series are good economical choices.

Bulk newsprint pads are functional if not robust and useful for large preparatory sketches. To achieve an even shade it is necessary to surround the peaks paper texture with graphite from all angles. Rough texture is more suited to charcoal or pastels. I used strathmore 300 series bristol board pads 9 x 12 smooth for this ink drawing.

Smoother paper will allow your pencil work to be really precise and as a result heighten the details of your drawings. For rough practice sketches pretty much any paper will do. Best drawing paper for pencils graphite unless you re specifically going for a rough look in your artwork you re going to want to use paper that has less tooth when shading in pencil. Most drawing paper has a coarse texture and that will work against you.

With 110 sheets of blank white acid free paper the pentalic sketch book is a stylish book manufactured purposefully for your imagination to fill. The surface of the paper determines the fineness of detail and the range of value a draftsperson is able to create. The best paper for graphite drawing should be over 80 lbs. It provides you with a firm drawing surface and still keeps all your artwork and writings intact.

The best paper for graphite drawings should have a weight of 80lbs or more significant. Weight of drawing paper. This not only produces an even shade but it is easier to achieve and has greater depth. It will give you good results without breaking the bank.

Because charcoal is not a precision implement like let s say a sharpened graphite pencil or ink pen the best suited surface for it is one with a lot of texture akin to pastel. When we talk about the weight of the paper we are referring to the papers thickness. For graphite or colored pencil a medium texture is best. Over the last 30 years i have used several different kinds of paper for my graphite drawings and have found each one to be unique.

Office printer paper is cheap and smooth and doesn t bleed if you like to sketch in pen. Here are my reviews of several of them.