Paper… It matters
Printer Paper
It’s important to find a paper you like. I usually opt for cheap, but my go-to are pretty much and ream of printer paper, copic marker paper and Bienfang marker paper. Since writing this, I’ve also discovered a few additional papers that work very well as my go-to papers for sketching.
Printer Paper
Any ream will (usually) do. I like something toothy or with a bit of texture to it, so I shop on Amazon or my local office supply store for the cheapest decent weighted printer paper I can find. This isn’t my paper for tedious, detailed renderings, but rather, quick ideation and rough concept sketching. The less you spend on paper and pens, the less tied to the drawing you’ll be and the more relaxed and confident you’ll be.
Marker Papers
Copic marker paper
This is the creme de la creme of papers. it’s great with each and every pen or marker I’ve used, and is particularly nice when using pencils. Still, it’s not my favorite pencil sketch paper. More on that later. What makes this paper especially nice is the fact that it doesn’t bleed. Ive used a lot of marker papers and I swear by the Copic marker paper.
Bienfang Marker Paper
I love this paper, actually, not because of how it performs with markers, but the tooth on the paper is just great with Prismacolor premier pencils (my pencil of choice). Bienfang marker paper does bleed with markers and excessive use, but it’s easy enough to get the hang of it. With the tooth of the paper being a bit heaving than that on the topic marker paper, pencil work shines on this paper. Look for Bienfang 360 marker paper with this link or at your local art store. Try it with some fattie pencils and you won’t be disappointed.
Canon Marker Paper
Coming soon…
Bianyo Marker Paper
Coming soon…
Tracing Paper and Vellum
Tracing paper
Tracing paper is great. it’s cheap, lets you overlay a sketch and you won’t break the bank getting some. It’s not really presentation paper and I think of it more as ideation paper. When I do use tracing paper, I go for the cheapest I can find, or this brand.
Vellum
Tracing paper is great. it’s cheap, lets you overlay a sketch and you won’t break the bank getting some. It’s not really presentation paper and I think of it more as ideation paper. When I do use tracing paper, I go for the cheapest I can find, or this brand.