Hahnemühle Hemp Sketch paper

Donna Terry tries out Hahnemühle Hemp Sketch Paper for a drawing of a raccoon.

About Hahnemühle Hemp Sketch Paper

Hahnemühle Hemp Sketch Paper is natural white and has a fine grain. It is suitable for dry mediums such as graphite, coloured pencil and charcoal, and has good erasability. The paper comprises 60% Hemp fibre and 40% Cotton rag.

Product Specifications:
  • Paper weight: 80g/m240lbs
  • 80 sheets per pad glued at the top
  • A4 21cm x 29.7cm
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Environmentally sustainable paper

Hahnemühle have had a long commitment to finding environmentally friendly and sustainable ways to produce paper.

Since 2008 when they launched their Bamboo papers they have extended their range and now have their natural line that includes all of their resource saving papers such as Agave Watercolour, Hemp Sketch, Bamboo Mixed Media and Bamboo Sketch.

Top Features:
  • Acid free
  • Vegan
  • Environmentally friendly
  • Archival quality
  • Excellent erasability
  • Lightweight
  • Slightly textured for layering and blending
  • Semi-transparent so colour can be applied on both sides

Where to buy

Prices from £9.40

Available to order from Art Supplies with Painters Online

ORDER HERE

Putting Hahnemühle Hemp Sketch Paper to the test

Photo of raccoons. Credit Connie DeGaetano photographer

Reference photo - credit Connie DeGaetano photographer

I was very much looking forward to trying this paper and I’m pleased to say that it did not disappoint.

I decided to try various coloured pencils and each had good laydown with the ability to build up 2-3 layers for blending.

The pencils I used were Holbein, Faber Castell Polychromos, Caran D’Ache Pablo, Faber Castell Albrecht Durer (used dry) and Caran D’Ache Luminance.

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I use a very light touch and gradually build up the colour. It’s advisable to work with the texture of the paper as it does not burnish down completely. Despite this the hemp paper will tolerate quite a bit of layering and embossing with no loss of integrity.

Embossing

Drawing a raccoon stage one

I used embossing techniques to enable me to achieve hair and whisker details and this worked very well on the Hemp Sketch paper as you can see.

Blending and erasing

Drawing a raccoon stage two

I found that colours blended well using a paper stump or silicon tool.

Mistakes could be erased easily with a putty rubber, it removed coloured pencil completely with no smudging or muddying of the paper.

Conclusions

Raccoon drawing by Donna Terry

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this paper, it’s lightweight yet very durable which gives a lot of scope for creativity using dry media. From sketching with graphite to detailed coloured pencil drawings this paper can do it all – and to top it off it’s from sustainable sources!

I’m now interested in trying the other papers in the Hahnemühle natural line range. As an artist specialising in the natural world I’m passionate about doing my bit to help preserve our precious resources and by using sustainable materials where I can at least now I can do my bit.

I can definitely recommend Hahnemühle Hemp Sketch Paper - why don’t you give it a try for yourself?

Read Donna's review of Caran d'Ache Pastel pencils and Faber-Castell Polychromos by...

CLICKING HERE

About Donna Terry

Donna is a self-taught wildlife and pet portrait artist. Her work is highly detailed, using coloured pencils and pastels. Donna has been an artist for over 30 years during which time she has developed her skills using the highest quality materials. Her work has been selected for exhibition in our annual TALP Open Art Competition.

SEE MORE FROM DONNA IN THE GALLERY

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