I talk quite a bit about drawing paper because it’s such an important part of colored pencil art. Today, I’d like to talk about textured drawing papers.
But first, let me define what I mean when I use the words “textured drawing papers”, because all papers have texture of some kind, don’t they?
Defining Textured Paper
Textured paper is any paper with a surface texture stamped into the paper or applied to a substrate. Canson Mi-Teintes is one example of the first definition. It has a very definite honeycomb pattern stamped into it.
UArt, Pastelmat, Colourfix, and LuxArchival are all examples of the second definition. They have a gritty coating applied to a sturdy substrate.
For comparison’s sake, smooth (non-textured papers) are Stonehenge, Bristol, most of the Strathmore line, and similar papers.
Textured Drawing Papers I’ve Used
You have only to look on art supply websites like Dick Blick or Jackson’s to discover that a lot of textured papers are available. What you can’t always tell from such websites the popularity of the different papers.
So I next want to share a few thoughts on the textured papers I’ve tried. That’s not to say they’re universally popular; just that I’ve used them.
For the sake of convenience and organization, I’m arranging them alphabetically.
Art Spectrum Colourfix
Art Spectrum Colourfix has been around a long time. According to the Art Spectrum website, Colourfix is the first surface developed specifically for pastel artists. There are currently three available surface textures: Original (medium coarseness), rough, and smooth.
Colourfix is made by applying a primer to sturdy paper. Art Spectrum also sells the primer. Like the paper, the primer is available in all three grades, and it can be applied clear or mixed with a variety of different pigments so you can create you own colors and supports.
Colourfix paper is quite sturdy at 140 lb. (300 gsm). Colourfix boards are also available.
I love the colors of the paper. Sheets come in two sizes, 9×12 inches and 20×28 inches. They are available singly or in packs of assorted colors.
But my success rate with colored pencils on Colourfix is poor. The only piece I’ve ever finished is this small sketch.
That’s not to say you might not be able to do some nice pieces on Colourfix. It may suit you perfectly. But I have a nearly full pack (I’ve used three of the sheets) that I will probably never use.
Read my review of Colourfix paper.
Canson Mi-Teintes
Canson Mi-Teintes is the least textured of the papers in this post, but it is technically a textured paper. It’s also the most like smooth papers in that it lacks the sturdy substrate that many other more textured papers require.
It is available in pads, sheets and rolls. Pads are available in a variety of sizes, and the paper comes in a wide range of colors from white and subtle grays to jewel-tones.
It also is available in a “velvet” form that weighs in at 264 lb. (430 gsm) and a “touch” form that’s 218 lb. (353 gsm). The paper is 98 lb. (160gsm).
In the past, I used Canson Mi-Teintes quite often. One of my best horse portrait tutorials was drawn on Steel Grey Canson Mi-Teintes. However, I don’t use it very much any more, because I prefer either smoother or rougher papers.
However, I really like the earth tones available in this paper, so I keep them around.
Clairefontaine Pastelmat
Pastelmat also comes in some lovely earth tones, and I’ve used some of them for landscapes and for horse portraits. It is now one of my favorite papers to use.
Pastelmat is acid-free and pH neutral, and the sheets are mounted on heavyweight 170 lb. 360 gsm stock, which is also acid-free and PH neutral.
It’s available in full sheets, pads of several sizes, and boards in several sizes. I generally purchase either full sheets and cut them down, or buy 7×9 inch pads. Most of the time, I buy the assorted earth tones pads or Charcoal Grey (formerly Anthracite) or White.
This portrait was drawn on Sienna Pastelmat for Ann Kullberg’s Painted Pony* tutorial.
*Contains affiliate link.
LuxArchival
LuxArchival is a non-absorbent, sanded paper created by Alyona Nickelsen of Brush & Pencil. She wanted a toothy paper that was completely archival, front to back. Unable to find one already on the market, she developed her own.
The surface is gritty but very fine with an even texture that’s very easy to draw on and that takes color easily.
You can use both wet and dry media on LuxArchival, which makes it perfect if you like to combine water-based media with colored pencils, or if you use solvent.
It’s available in only one color, White, but it is available in four sizes in sheets and also in rolls.
The drawing surface is bonded to a backing paper made from 100% cotton. The surface is able to handle repeated erasures, corrections, and reworking. The paper is acid-free, lignin-free, archival. It will not yellow, darken, become brittle, or deteriorate in any way for 100+ years.
I got my sheet of LuxArchival as a sample, but I created one complete artwork on it. I used other Brush and Pencil products such as Powder Blender, Touch-Up Texture, and Titanium White on this piece. It was fun to work with and the closest thing to painting I’ve found while using colored pencils.
LuxArchival is a bit on the expensive side, but if you’re doing client work or work designed for sale. But I spent years buying canvases for oil paintings, so even this paper is inexpensive by comparison.
Read my review of Lux Archival.
UART Premium Sanded Pastel Paper
UART Premium Sanded Pastel Paper is the last textured drawing paper I want to consider. It’s the only paper that actually looks and feels like sand paper. It comes in two colors: traditional buff, and dark gray.
It also comes in several grits ranging from 800 (the smoothest) to 240 (the coarsest). All grades work well with other mediums. They are also pH neutral and acid-free.
UART is available in six sizes as pads in each grit in the original buff color. Dark grey is available in five sizes in every grit except 240. The original color is available in rolls, and both colors are available as UART boards in a variety of sizes.
I purchased a sample pack containing all five grits years ago, so I was able to test them all. They all accept a lot of layers, which wasn’t surprising. It’s also easy to remove color.
At first, I didn’t like it. But once I learned how to use it, I found it a very nice paper to draw on. Drawing on 240 grit was especially pleasing. That coarse grain was ideal for the mountain landscape below.
I don’t use UART anymore, but only because when I used the last piece, I never replaced it. It’s a very nice paper if you’re looking for a paper that gives you the option of different grits. It’s also a little bit less expensive than some of the other papers.
Textured Drawing Papers
So there’s a brief look at what textured papers are, the brands that are available, and a short review of each.
You can find many other textured drawing papers on the market today. For a quick look at many of them, check this page on the Dick Blick website.
I hope this post has helped you decide whether or not you want to try textured drawing papers. If you do, I also hope you now have a good idea where to begin!
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An inexpensive (relatively!) alternative is 1000 grit sandpaper. It only comes in black, but accepts a thin coat of white watercolor.
Dorothy,
That is an alternative, and I’ve seen artists using it for colored pencil work.
The problem I have with non-art supplies is longevity. Since I want to make artwork for exhibits and/or sale, I like to use the best materials I can so that artwork lasts as long as possible.
However, for artwork made for other purposes, sandpaper is a useful and usable surface to draw on.