Today’s little ginormous project turned out to be much more than I thought it would be; I wanted to celebrate Inktober with a discussion of favorite pens and papers. Nice idea, right? I thought calling it part 2 would be nice, as years ago I shared part 1, and this would flesh out what I wasn’t experienced enough to talk about at the time.
But that is split into two. Today: over half an hour on just paper!
PS I’d like to invite your tiny violins to meet my whining about just how much work I poured into this project so I could test out papers. While the swatching was complex, I’m not one who trusts swatches to tell me what I need to know, so I made new drawings on almost all the papers. Yikes!
While going through that process I note my favorites to recommend, and after the video you’ll see the list them with some specifics. I hope that helps you to make some decisions if you need to try out a new paper!
The new class, Ink Drawing Jumpstart, is for those who want to learn realistic drawing. It’s a level 1 class, we’ll draw plants - and you can trace photos! Preregister here.
Here’s the 35 minute video! (If you prefer to watch on YouTube directly, click here):
Supplies listed below may be affiliate links - supporting my work with a percentage paid to me at no cost to you.
NOTE: PRICES LISTED ARE MY CRAZY-MATH VERSION OF FIGURING OUT THE COST OF ONE 8X10 OR 9X12 SHEET OF PAPER. IT’S THE ONLY WAY I KNEW TO CREATE SOMETHING NEARLY APPLES TO APPLES.
Mineral papers
I recommend these for those who desire a really delicious drawing experience - the surfaces of all three are a little different but they feel both velvety and buttery. Smooooooooth drawing.
Yasutomo Multimedia Mineral (100lb/150gsm) $0.50 —a very thin paper, like a quite lightweight cardstock. Pens with sharp points (metal around the nib) can carve into surface, creating little divots. Pigment inks surprisingly feather a bit, but gel inks and fountain pen ink are fine, just slow drying. Use water judiciously if at all - or do an underpainting with the ink on top after it is dry.
Legion Yupo Heavy (144lb/390gsm) $2.80 — Use if you have plenty of time to wait for drying….this one takes overnight to dry well! Many of the same traits as the Yasutomo but it’s at least thicker, so that’s nice, but the little divots in the surface can happen, so use thicker pen points.
Etched Stone Paper (240gsm) - Varied dry time, watch for smudging! as with the heavy Yupo, no bleeding so you can draw on both sides.
Bargain papers
Copic Sketchbooks (157gsm) $0.82 : BLICK/AMZ These work great with most pens! (Just don’t add watercolor.) Nice and crisp, extremely little feathering. Smooth drawing experience - plus if you use Copic multiliners or other pens that are compatible, you can color the drawing after completing it. Markers do bleed through the paper, so you can only draw on one side.
Canson marker paper (18lb /70gsm) $0.50 BLICK/AMZ Similar performance to the Copic books but with thinner paper. Many many brands use the same paper.
Canson XL watercolor (140lb/300gsm) $0.34 BLICK/AMZ/JACKSONS A student-grade watercolor paper with less texture than cold press since it’s not 100% cotton. That means it straddles focusing on watercolor vs pen and ink. Nice and inexpensive, and heavy enough to work with! PS Don’t draw on the back, just on the front that has a wee bit of texture.
TomoeRiver Paper (52gsm or 68 gsm) $0.17 — (pronounced toe-moe-uh) Paper pack of 52gsm, Tomoe River Sketchbook 68gsm Very thin paper, but surprisingly nice! Small amount of feathering with some pens, especially very wet fountain pens. Bic pens work well on this paper! It’s available in cream or white, and is perfect for Bible journaling, it’s about the same as the paper in most Bibles. I’ve watercolored on it too; it does wrinkle, but iron it and it’ll work.
Sennelier Urban Sketchbook (Accordion) (340gsm) BLICK/AMZ I have no idea how to price this one to be apples to apples, sorry! But it’s $13ish on Blick and $18 on Amazon right now. The paper is very nice - it works with just pen and ink or added watercolor. Make one scene across the panels or individual drawings on each one. It can be a little awkward to get used to drawing on it laid out flat; but you can keep it closed while sketching, too.
Sketchbooks - with or without washes
Stillman & Birn Nova toned sketchbook, spiral (100lb/150gsm) $0.45 BLICK/AMZ Sharp pen points can carve into surface (pens with metal around tips) so be a little careful. Grey or tan paper can easily handle white along with black for variety - allowing the paper to be a midtone. Use any white medium - white gel pen, gouache, white charcoal.
Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook (180lb/270gsm) $0.65 BLICK/AMZ— A very nice heavyweight paper that acts a bit like hot press. Only the tiniest bit of feathering, minimal wrinkling of the paper after wet if any wrinkles at all. This paper seems to also be sold in loose packs that I want to try.
Pentalic Aqua Journal (140lb/300gsm) $1.62 —I’ve used these for years, not just pen and ink but gouache as well. Paper is a great compromise between pen and ink (wee feathering) and it makes decent washes. Paper is heavyweight and doesn’t curl. Some pages can come un-sewn, but that hasn’t been an ongoing problem for me.
Speedball Field watercolor journal (130lb/300gsm) $0.62 — A bargain and a winner both! Spiral pages can lay flat; the book contains heavyweight hot press cream colored paper. The paper inside is Fluid’s Hot Press sheets and I put some in my cart to try on my next Blick order.
Wash and Ink
Fabriano White White (300lb) $0.86 —BLICK/AMZ/JACKSONS — I’m calling this a wash and ink option so that it’s not alone in a random category! It’s very bright white, heavy. Minimal feathering, with a very nice drawing experience on this paper that doesn’t have much drag. It will warp a bit with water so don’t go too bananas with it. They need more size options!
Jacksons Rough Watercolor (140lb300gsm) $0.93 — included especially for my overseas friends! Their branded watercolor papers aren’t as textured as Arches, so are quite decent for wash and ink. And are a nice bright white.
Arches Bright White Cold Press (140lb/300gsm) $1.05 — Get it at BLICK/JACKSONS in sheets rather than pads, and make your own accordion sketchbook. Just cut it into strips and fold them into a zigzag - any size you like!
For refined artworks
Crescent hot press illustration board (16 ply) $4+ for 16x20— Invest in this for a large piece! This heavy board, which won’t curl or warp, can handle not only ink without feathering, but lots of watercolor. Well worth the price in exchange for stability and ease of use.
Hahnemuhle’s Lettering Paper (80/170gsm) $0.52 (BLICK/AMZ) — Was my favorite for many years, and I still like it a lot with Copic multiliners. But a while back they changed the paper, and it feathers more than it once did. I wish it was a bit heavier.
Pentalic Paper for Pens (110lb/178) $0.40 — This paper is thicker than what I’d used for years (above), though not as bright a white - but it has the same smooth feel when drawing. No feathering except when using wet puddly ink and then it goes bonkers, so don’t do that. Keep washes light.
Inktober, here we go!
All month I’ll be creating my Inktober drawings on my favorite new paper, Pentalic Paper for Pens, all the same size….today’s prompt is “mustache.” I changed up the packaging for today’s start!
