Best Paper For Graphite And Charcoal

I used strathmore 300 series bristol board pads 9 x 12 velum for this graphite drawing.

Best paper for graphite and charcoal.

For graphite or colored pencil a medium texture is best. Over the last 30 years i have used several different kinds of paper for my graphite drawings and have found each one to be unique. Like graphite charcoal is a form of carbon. Most drawing paper has a coarse texture and that will work against you.

Similarly to graphite the hardest charcoal will give you the lightest values while the darkest charcoal will give you the darkest. Printer copying paper generally has a weight of 20lbs 75 gsm. It will give you good results without breaking the bank. A guide to drawing paper surfaces graphite charcoal ink by phil davies on 17th september 2018.

Charcoal comes in soft medium or hard consistencies. Here are my reviews of several of them. This refers to the rough textured surface that drags the particles from the stick or pencil and holds them to the paper. The best paper for graphite drawings should have a weight of 80lbs or more significant.

I used strathmore 300 series bristol board pads 9 x 12 smooth for this ink drawing. Rough texture is more suited to charcoal or pastels. Paper surfaces are probably more confusing to newcomers than anything else in the supplies list. Charcoal however is made from burning wood until the resulting substance is the correct consistency for drawing.

Because charcoal is not a precision implement like let s say a sharpened graphite pencil or ink pen the best suited surface for it is one with a lot of texture akin to pastel. Weight of drawing paper. The best paper for graphite drawing should be over 80 lbs. The surface of the paper determines the fineness of detail and the range of value a draftsperson is able to create.

To select the best paper for charcoal drawing you have to keep in mind the characteristics of the medium as well as what you desire out of the drawing as a whole. When we talk about the weight of the paper we are referring to the papers thickness. Choosing paper for charcoal and pastel drawing is a personal matter depending on your working method and the hardness of your preferred medium. For graphite drawings with a moderate degree of realism a drawing paper like strathmore series 400 is a good place to begin.

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