The right paper

Paper to use for drawing is imperative to have on hand, and different papers

produce different results. Having good drawing paper is essential because its

performance is crucial to the line art you end up producing.

The industry standard for drawing paper is Strathmore Bristol drawing

paper. This paper is heavy and provides a strong surface to work on without

the need for mounting. Bristol comes in a variety of finishes that are best

suited for different types of media. Smooth finish is good for pen and ink and

allows for the use of washes and even airburshing. The vellum is good for all

pencil work as well as charcoal or pastels.

These come in pads of usually 20–25 sheets and range in sizes from 9 x 12

up to over 22 x 28 inches. Generally, the smooth finish is best for drawing

cartoons. The only drawback can be cost in relation to the number of actual

sheets of paper you get.

If you’re just starting out, you may want to consider drawing on copy paper.

You can get 500 sheets of copy paper for half the cost of 20 sheets of Bristol

drawing paper, so if you make a mistake or change your mind, it won’t cost

you much to throw the sheet away and start over (but do be good to Mother

Nature and recycle). I used to use Bristol drawing paper but switched to using

cheap copy paper. I made this decision several years ago when I realized that

it really didn’t matter what kind of paper I drew on because I was going to

scan it into the computer, and the computer file would ultimately be the final

piece of art.