Best Paper For Graphite Sketching

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.

Best paper for graphite sketching.

Weight of drawing paper. I used strathmore 300 series bristol board pads 9 x 12 smooth for this ink drawing. It provides you with a firm drawing surface and still keeps all your artwork and writings intact. The best paper for graphite drawing should be over 80 lbs.

Printer copying paper generally has a weight of 20lbs 75 gsm. 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. 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.

Smoother paper will allow your pencil work to be really precise and as a result heighten the details of your drawings. 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. It is a perfectly bound quality book with a sturdy elegant cover and it features a unique leatherette texture that many users love. Reviews of the best drawing papers with examples.

To select the best paper for charcoal drawing you have to keep in mind the characteristics of the medium as well as what you desire out of the drawing as a whole. It will give you good results without breaking the bank. For graphite drawings with a moderate degree of realism a drawing paper like strathmore series 400 is a good place to begin. The surface of the paper determines the fineness of detail and the range of value a draftsperson is able to create.

For graphite or colored pencil a medium texture is best. This not only produces an even shade but it is easier to achieve and has greater depth. I used strathmore 300 series bristol board pads 9 x 12 velum for this graphite drawing. To achieve an even shade it is necessary to surround the peaks paper texture with graphite from all angles.

For rough practice sketches pretty much any paper will do. When we talk about the weight of the paper we are referring to the papers thickness. The best paper for graphite drawings should have a weight of 80lbs or more significant. Office printer paper is cheap and smooth and doesn t bleed if you like to sketch in pen.

With 110 sheets of blank white acid free paper the pentalic sketch book is a stylish book manufactured purposefully for your imagination to fill. Rough texture is more suited to charcoal or pastels.