Thank you for your report!
We have received your report and it is currently under investigation by a forum moderator.
Heavy, smooth drawing paper
Welcome to the forum.
Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.
Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.
Hang on Studio Wall
This is a Studio member-only feature!
Join our Studio membership and save your favourite Painters Online content, from gallery artwork to step-by-step guides, to your own online mood boards. Create your go-to place for inspiration and learning. Plus, members can also enjoy a range of exciting features including monthly art videos and a digital magazine library.
If you are already a Studio member, simply login to your account.
Not a Studio member? Why not try our free 30-day trial - no commitment, no credit card required
Message
Posted
A little assistance required from all drawing persons out there....
I've used dozens of papers in my time for drawing, the best ones for me being several of the Daler Rowney brands. Many papers have a degree of tooth and texture - this is often helpful for particular techniques, but I've always done better on smoother, heavier papers - papers with a degree of gloss, but not the sort of stuff for printing photographs on, ie not inkjet photo paper or anything too much like it.
I can't remember the brand of paper I last used, because I bought a job-lot over a year ago and have been working steadily through it: that was the Rhinoart paper, if you've encountered it - very good, but you can get fed up with its toothy surface (lends itself well to charcoal and carbon pencil). I wish I could show you the sort of paper I want - I have a little of it, but it's unbranded: all I know about it is that it was sold as "Glorious Gardens Artist's Sketch Pad", the cover featured a watercolour by Henry Stannard RA, and it was printed in China (isn't that helpful?)
The paper is very white, and you can run your hand over it without the least resistance, no weave or obvious tooth, completely smooth - it's of high quality, but I can't find it!
Any ideas?
Posted
I've been giving this one some thought over the last hour or so and I believe that I have the ideal paper for you. It may not be what you have previously used but I think you will like it. I used this at work quite a lot, mainly ink sketches for editorial use to appear in the newspaper, and I have just had to look it up to get the spelling correct.
Schoellershammer paper, or board I think it was known as, It is fairly heavy, matt (ish) finish and very smooth, it came in A1 sheets and was a dream to draw on. Their round logo was embossed on each sheet. This was manufactured mainly for graphic design use as I recall. Just having a look now on Google I see they also make an extra smooth paper also. I'm pretty sure this will do the job. You may find a supplier to send you a sample.
Edited
by alanbickley
Posted
Yes Robert, I think it's called 4G line and wash board, Jackson's stock it and Tindalls will send you a sample. It's not cheap and you will probably have to buy a pack.
A cheaper alternative is Frisk Bristol Board, that comes in pads, that would probably be a good choice, although it may be slightly shiny.
Edited
by alanbickley
Posted
Ta, TB - yes, oddly enough I've never yet used Bristol Board. On the paper front, I think Daler Rowney makes some of the most attractive papers of the really big art supply companies, and I can always go back to them and doubtless will. Their heavyweight cartridge is very like the paper I'm looking for, and almost there - those red and yellow pads of theirs are excellent too.
Posted
Back in the olden days we used to use Bristol Board or Line Board for preparing camera-ready artwork for print. Both had a smooth surface that would take fine lines drawn with ruling pens or the shakey-shakey Rotring pens commonly used then (1970s). I preferred Line Board which was much heavier—about the weight of two sheets of mountboard (mountboard is thinner now than it used to be)—and was coated with a matt surface, allowing it to be scraped back with a scalpel and provided absolutely no tooth at all. Line board was also much whiter than the Bristol Board I remember although I haven't used either for many years. The graphics world went digital and there was little call for such things anymore. A—not thorough—search on Line Board produces only results connected with the 'automotive industry' so maybe it's not made anymore, which won't be a problem for you Robert as it's not what you want anyway, I'm just sort of reminiscing here.
Posted
A chap named Richard Plincke (RIPW) did a demo for our art club yesteday, he is the current president. It was an abstract in watercolour and he said use standard 140 weight paper but was exalting the use of a gadget for stretching the large sheets he preserred to provide a taught firm and uncockling surface. A board with grooves on each side and a proprietary system of flexible rods wedged into the grooves while the paper was still damp. He slashed much paint on it over two hours and it looked well, not so sure about his work however.
Posted
In the past I've tried these stretcher type devices such as you describe Derek but ended up chucking them out - I simply use heavier weight paper now - so much simpler. I've seen some of Richard Plincke's abstracts and must say they are not to my taste. I do find it more difficult to paint abstracts in watercolour rather than acrylic because the colours tend to be less vibrant and are usually translucent but I guess it's all down to personal style and techniques.