|
Paper Basics
The best-known and most widely used surface for creating art is paper. For the artist, two main
materials form the bulk of paper used:
1. Wood Fiber Cellulose - the majority of papers are of poor to moderate durability and aging properties due to lignin in the cellulose fibers. It is possible to find acid-free, archival quality papers that are lignin-free which extends the longevity of the paper.
2. Cotton (Rag) - has a 100% cotton content. This is a fine artist’s paper, very good to excellent durability and aging properties since the paper is made from cotton rather than acidic wood pulp. This paper has good longevity so completed art looks better longer.
Most artists purchase paper based on the medium they will be applying to it, not based on fiber content. Choosing the right paper can be confusing. Here are some basic paper characteristics and definitions that can help make choosing the right paper easier.
Finish - there are four basic paper finishes, each with it’s own tooth (surface texture):
1. Rough - more tooth still than cold press papers, these are normally used only in watercolor papers.
However, these can also be used for pastels and charcoals. The rough surface imparts a great deal of unusual character
to colors and shapes as they are applied.
2. Hot Press - Hot press papers have a very smooth finish and are well suited for ink or fine detail work.
This finish has very little tooth.
3. Cold Press - Cold press papers have a moderate amount of tooth and are great for pastels and charcoals that
require tooth to adhere to the paper. Also good for grainy effects in pencils, inks, and especially watercolors.
4. Plate - Plate papers have an ultra-smooth finish - virtually no tooth (the surface texture of paper
can range from non-existent - Plate to very noticeable - rough). These papers are coated with a very thin layer of
clay making this the ultimate surface for ink and technical drawings when fine detail is required.
Paper by application:
Most artists buy paper based on the medium that will be used, although experimentation can cross the 'normal' usage. Let’s take a look at a few mediums and which papers are most appropriate for each:
1.Watercolor/Gouache - most water media papers are rough textured with surface sizing (a material added to paper either before or after formation to control absorbency, finish, color, etc) which causes the paper absorb
less pigment and helps prevent them from bleeding. The best watercolor papers are 100% cotton/rag.
2. Acrylic - acrylics are normally painted on canvas, but any durable surface can serve as a support. Acrylics right from the tube (un-thinned) are very heavy and will cause strain on all but the most rigid of papers.
3. Oil - oils are primarily used on stretched canvas, but many artists use oils on other sturdy primed surfaces. Although there are papers made
that approximate a canvas texture, these are primarily used for practice only as they tend to be a bit flimsy.
4. Chalk Pastel - pastel papers have just the right amount of tooth to hold the pastel particles in place. Many pastel papers come in colors which adds an extra visual element.
5. Oil Pastel - although pastel papers are fine for softer (chalkier) pastels, for oil pastels a good rough textured watercolor paper makes for interesting textural effects when used with oil pastels.
6. Charcoal - these papers are similar in texture to pastel paper due to the similar sizes of the particles in charcoal and pastels.
7. Ink - ink should be applied to a plate finish paper or board when a fine line and detail are required. Ink drawn on more toothy papers will be less sharp and more feathery - not to mention the fact that paper fibers can really gunk up your technical pens!
8. Pencil (drawing) - most successful pencil drawings are most often executed on paper with a tooth specifically designed to accept and bond to the particles of dry media. The amount of pressure exerted onto the paper through drawing and erasing will wear out less durable papers. Drawing papers have, as a rule, a moderate tooth specifically designed for dry media (pencil, charcoal and pastel). The tooth of the paper holds the particles to the surface, making drawing easier and the finished piece more durable and attractive.
9. Pencil (sketching) - the lighter technique of sketching allows the artist to use less weighty papers than for drawing, although erasing can damage these papers. Newsprint may be used by students for sketching and doing
character studies, but know that newsprint is the least durable paper and will begin to deteriorate within months of use. Sketching papers and newsprints are inexpensive papers with a medium tooth often found in books or pads for field work.
10. Vellum - papers with a tooth between hot press and cold press which are good for drawing as well as pen and ink work.
Last, but certainly not least, you will often see the term 'weight' on papers. Here's a brief definition on how this is calculated:
Weight is the measurement of the thickness and density of paper, meaning that 500 sheets of 'x' paper will weigh
a certain amount. As an example, 500 sheets of 140 lb watercolor paper will weigh 140 pounds. Weight can also be determined
by grams per square meter. As an example: if a paper is rated at 640 g/m2 (grams per square meter) that
means that one square meter of that paper weighs 640 grams. | 
