Being an artist is hard enough as it is, you need the right frame of mind, the right vision, and of course, the right tools. You can’t stop with just a good pen, you’ll also need the best paper for colored pencils. It’s not enough to have something to draw or color with, you have to have something to draw on too.
Why Paper Matters
The quality of your work can suffer, no matter how talented you are or how good a color pencil you may have. If the paper you use is flimsy or rough, it might not be the ideal base for your vision. The pigmentations or colors might be dulled or worse, you might end up puncturing holes on the paper.
If you use color pencils, paper is your canvas. You need to consider different factors when choosing the right type of paper:
Thickness
The GSM or grams per square meter is a very important matter. Colored pencils are usually best with pointy tips and this can really pierce surfaces. If your paper is too thin, you’ll be left with more than just color but also deep etches (or maybe even holes).
Imagine when you are printing or writing and you can see the ink seep through the back of the paper. The same goes when you color with pencils, even if you tend to use light strokes. Stick to at least 150 GSM for coloring or sketching with pencils.
Material
Paper is made of different types of materials, this can include wood, hemp, linen, and wheat straw. Some artists prefer cotton paper as it is durable and offers excellent permanence. What’s more, it provides a solid white background that can’t be beat.
You need to make sure the material of the paper that you use will not promote color transfers. For example, wax paper is for image transfers so if you use that with your color pencils, the pigments may not stay on.
Texture
When it comes to the texture, it’s a bit of a Goldilocks syndrome. You can’t have paper that is too smooth or too rough. It needs to be somewhere that is just right in the middle. Paper with medium texture is ideal for use with colored pencils.
Size
Aside from considering the size of your actual artwork, you might also want to think about the actual paper size. Do you have a large drawing desk? Or do you tend to color and sketch while traveling? Or maybe when you are at a coffee shop? It can be a hassle to bring an A5 sketchbook with you and think about if you can actually fill up the entire area of the paper.
Usage
Remember that there are different types of paper in the market with specific uses. Paper for watercolor might not deliver the same quality for color pencils. Some types of paper are better for blending with pastels while others are perfect for painting. To help you out, you can check out options that you can use for colored pencils below:
Best Drawing Paper for Colored Pencil: Strathmore
The best type of paper for colored pencils is one that is designed specifically for them. The Strathmore Paper Company has been providing high-quality paper for artists as early as the 1800s. It has delivered paper for all types of media, including charcoal. Now, there’s also the Strathmore Colored Pencil Pad.
Thanks to the toothy surface of the pad, you can use a wide range of color pencil techniques on it. The acid-free paper offers even and smooth coverage of hues. Equally important, the paper of the Strathmore Colored Pencil Pad is highly durable. It’s okay to make erasures, reworks, and multiple-layer applications.
Best Black Paper for Colored Pencils: Canson
Are you a fan of negative space art? If you are, then you know the painstaking experience of trying to make color pop out of a black background. It’s not enough to have the best colored pencils for black paper. You need to make sure the paper is actually adherent to color pigmentations.
Who better to provide black drawing paper but one of the oldest companies in the industry. It’s safe to say that Canson knows paper, the company’s history dates back to the 1500s. The black drawing paper from Canson has fade-resistant dyes plus high-grade pigments.
You can expect your artworks to last for a long time on the Canson XL Black Drawing Paper. Most of all, you can expect colors to come alive or pop out from the black backdrop.
Best Art Paper for Colored Pencils:
There’s a reason why Moleskine is a cult brand. It offers a multitude of exciting notebooks (and other products for that matter). It has tons of amazing collaborations for the notebook covers but at the heart of it all is its simplicity and dependability.
You’ll get ivory pages that are thick yet comfortable to write or sketch on. It’s also a good thing that Moleskine has released an Art Collection, which includes the Art Sketch Album. This pocket-sized notebook comes with sketch-grade paper. There are perforations on the side so you can frame your work if you want to.
The Art Sketch Album has the same features as other Moleskine notebooks, like the expandable inner pocket. Its pages can withstand repeated erasures and can be used with colored pencils and other media.
Best Paper Sampler for Colored Pencils: Legion
Compared to other paper companies, Legion is fairly young, starting out in 1994. But Legion is able to produce fine art paper by working with historic mills. The company is known for its Stonehenge paper, which is made from cotton and has deckled edges.
You can experience drawing and coloring on different types of Stonehenge with the Legion Sampler Set. This set contains 13 mini pads of not just Stonehenge variations but also Yupo and Lenox Cotton. It’s a great option for artists looking to experiment with color pencil techniques and expand creativity.
Best Paper for Prismacolor Colored Pencils: Fabriano
For over 7 centuries, Fabriano has been giving artists white paper to unleash their creativity. This historic company continues to give the same space to the artists of the present. Production of the paper may have changed (the Fabriano Bristol Pad is FSC certified) but you can expect the same amazing quality.
The hydro-power-made Fabriano Bristol Pad is acid-free and has a surface that can be erased with no trouble. With a vellum surface, it’s easy to create color gradations. The pad comes with 20 sheets of 18 x 24 inch sheets that have 270gsm.
Final Thoughts
Although it is possible to use the best printer paper for colored pencils, it might not deliver the same effect as art or drawing paper. You can always try to use any type of paper for sketches and experiments but if you want your work to last, opt for vellum paper with a high GSM.
Need a partner for the best drawing paper for colored pencils? Check out the best drawing pencils.