Gouache Painting by Roz Stendahl on Stonehenge Kraft
Artists using graphite, charcoal, pastels and colored pencil- require a paper with some "tooth", or a pronounced surface texture. This can range from a subtle laid surface to rough watercolor papers and everything in between. As we suggest with most types of paper, there's no substitute for experimenting yourself. We put together two drawing paper samplers containing a variety of papers of many colors and textures.
Also consider papers with the ability to hold up to numerous layers and durable enough to withstand erasing without the fibers pilling. Some surface sizing on the paper allows artists to rework a surface, which makes the paper more forgiving. Pastels require a softer paper so that the pigments become embedded in the paper instead of sitting on top of the surface.
