Best Paper For Pencil Sketching

What to look for in drawing paper.

Best paper for pencil sketching.

Canson drawing paper is acid free but not archival. Similar to the colored pencils we review there is no such thing as a best colored pencil paper. For rough practice sketches pretty much any paper will do. Bulk newsprint pads are functional if not robust and useful for large preparatory sketches.

Canson biggie sketch or strathmore 200 series are good economical choices. It should also have a fine texture that allows you to create the illusion of smooth surfaces such as glass metal or skin. Canson makes this paper in a smooth surface which i don t like and review below. 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.

So if you didn t want to bother with packing up a lot of supplies for a sketching expedition a pad of this paper a medium soft pencil an eraser and a sharpener would be all that you d need. For detailed realist graphite pencil drawing you need a sturdy paper that can cope with repeated erasing and working. But that doesn t mean that there isn t a best paper for colored pencils given a specific application or to be used with a specific type of colored pencil. Office printer paper is cheap and smooth and doesn t bleed if you like to sketch in pen.

For sketching with colored pencils a paper with 130 gsm will work fine. But if you want to apply multiple layers of colors then a paper with 160 gsm or more is recommended. Smoother paper will allow your pencil work to be really precise and as a result heighten the details of your drawings.