I think it's important to understand the paper you'll be working with. Don't rely on a brand name alone. If you use the wrong paper for your media, you'll end up disappointed with the results. Erasers are another thing to consider. Different erasers are designed to work with specific media and paper.
You’re not restricted to colored pencils for coloring and there is more than one type of those as well. eBay has the best deals on generic art supplies if you don’t mind ordering from China and waiting a month. I buy the rest from Blick Art Materials. I use Prismacolor because they’re affordable and I can buy the pencils individually. For this guide, I'm recommending economic media and highlighting a range of paper options so you can develop your skills.
I prefer Strathmore paper for the quality and range of options. The 100 series features two youth pads, black chalk and paint. The 200 series is the lowest introductory or scholastic grade. It’s perfect for learning to use media or practicing a skill. The Sketch, Newsprint, Watercolor and Bristol papers are recognizable by a brightly colored white cover. The Drawing and Mixed Media papers are recycled with a light brown cover. The 300 series is the intermediate grade. It is designed for quick studies and the practice of techniques with any media. It’s available as Newspaper, Sketch, Mixed Media, Bristol and Watercolor. It’s recognizable by its bright yellow cover. Canson XL is a brand available at Walmart that is equivalent in quality to Strathmore 300. Canson also offers an Oil/Acrylic paper and colored sketch paper. The 400 series is the semi professional grade that is the most widely available. It is designed to stand up to multiple layers and/or repeated erasing. It’s available as Sketch, Drawing, Heavyweight Drawing, Colored Pencil, Mixed Media, Grayscale, Pastel, Marker, Bristol, Calligraphy, Watercolor, Oil and Acrylic. A sub series is made of recycled paper or wind energy. Those papers are recognizable by their green covers. They include Bristol, Sketch, Toned Gray Sketch, Toned Tan Sketch, Assorted Neutral Sketch, Artagain Cool Black, Gray Mixed Media, Tan Mixed Media, Blue Mixed Media. The Watercolor paper has a dark pink cover. There is also a special Artagain Dessert Rose Sketch paper to honor breast cancer. Stonehenge is another high quality paper sought out by colored pencil artists. The 500 series is the professional grade that isn’t meant to be erased. It’s available as Charcoal, Parchment, Bristol, Marker, Plate and Watercolor. It’s recognizable by a white cover (with the exception of parchment) which in my opinion, causes confusion with the 200 series.
Understanding Paper
Caliper measures the thickness of a single sheet of paper in one thousandths of an inch. It's measured with a micrometer. The higher the number, the thicker the paper. This measurement is used by paper mills and not as a selling point.
Basis Weight is expressed in pounds and is the weight of 500 sheets of paper in its standard size that is measured with a scale.
GSM stands for Grams per Square Meter and is used to describe the density of the paper in terms of mass per unit of area. The grammage of a sheet of paper is equivalent to the weight in grams of a one square meter sized piece of that paper.
13-25 lb (40 gsm): tracing paper
30-35 lb (45-50 gsm): newsprint
50-60 lb (75-90 gsm): sketching or practice paper thick enough for graphite, charcoal, or pastels, but usually too thin for ink or most markers, which may bleed through. Coloring pages fall in this range.
70-80 lb (100-130 gsm): drawing paper suitable for most dry media.
90-110 lb (180-260 gsm): heavy-weight drawing paper, bristol, mixed media papers. Weight in this range is similar to light card stock.
120-140 lb (300 gsm and higher) are most often used for colored pencil and painting. When found in sketchbooks, they are usually rough papers intended as watercolor journals or to remove for painting on individual sheets.
30-35 lb (45-50 gsm): newsprint
50-60 lb (75-90 gsm): sketching or practice paper thick enough for graphite, charcoal, or pastels, but usually too thin for ink or most markers, which may bleed through. Coloring pages fall in this range.
70-80 lb (100-130 gsm): drawing paper suitable for most dry media.
90-110 lb (180-260 gsm): heavy-weight drawing paper, bristol, mixed media papers. Weight in this range is similar to light card stock.
120-140 lb (300 gsm and higher) are most often used for colored pencil and painting. When found in sketchbooks, they are usually rough papers intended as watercolor journals or to remove for painting on individual sheets.
Hot pressed paper is smooth. It is used for drawing, sketching and mixed media. Watercolor artists choose it for detail work. It doesn’t hold up well to solvents. It is limited to six layers and light smudging. Cold pressed paper has a slight texture. It is typically used for colored pencil and watercolor. It stands up well to multiple layers and forceful blending. Unpressed or raw paper is rough. It is used for pastel, watercolor and colored pencil. It can hold a lot of water and stands up to solvents really well.
A lot of papers are wood based, especially the cheaper graded papers, however, 100% Cotton uses no wood at all, Cotton papers are much higher quality and tend to be a little bit more expensive, but you will be able to work a lot longer on cotton paper as opposed to wood based papers. Some papers are a blend of wood pulp and cotton. These blends provide an economic choice for students and hobbyists.
Ply refers to the thickness of the paper and is used a lot when describing Bristol, Illustration Board, mounting boards or Plate surfaces. They are identified as 1-Ply, 2-Ply etc. Each Ply is pasted together to increase the thickness and stiffness of the paper.
Plate was first created in 1893 and is considered the industry standard. In order to achieve the Plate's incredibly smooth surface, sheets of paper are interleaved with highly polished metal plates to make a stack, hence the term Plate. The stack is then pressed between steel rolls under immense pressure, imparting the smoothness of the metal plate to a paper's surface. The Plate surface is the perfect surface for colored pencil, marker, fineliners, ink and airbrush.
Deckle edge is a decorative feathered effect achieved during the papermaking process. It gives the paper a rustic appearance that doesn’t effect the paper quality. There is nothing nicer than working on a beautiful leather bound sketch journal or watercolor journal with Deckle Edge paper.
It is always best to also make sure your paper is acid free, this will help to keep the paper white and not yellow with age. Acid free paper is buffered with an alkaline reserve such as calcium carbonate, baking soda, ammonia or hydrogen peroxide which neutralizes acid compounds absorbed from the atmosphere.
Archival paper means that the paper has been treated to provide maximum resistance to natural aging. If you are doing a commission and you are using lightfast pigments, it is a waste of time using such pigments if you are using them on non archival paper. Archival paper has no groundwood or unbleached pulp, a pH of 7.5 and additional alkaline reserve of 2%. It may also be made using a solution of sunscreen to protect it from UV light and borax to make it flame retardant.
Erasers
I only use a Pink Pearl hard rubber eraser for removing excess ink on coloring pages.
The Kneaded rubber eraser is designed for highlighting charcoal, graphite, and pastel.
The Gum soft rubber eraser removes graphite from thin paper. It crumbles to absorb graphite without damage. It also cleans up ghosting and smears.
The Fabre-Castell green dust free vinyl eraser removes graphite on smooth paper without ghosting.
The Pentel Ain black polymer (plastic) eraser removes charcoal without ghosting.
The Factis Soap eraser removes pastel.
The Factis white hi-polymer plastic eraser removes drawing ink from velum.
The Factis Technik eraser removes colored pencil from paper. If moistened, it removes India ink from polyester film.
The Tombow sand eraser is designed for erasing colored pencil on rough paper. The Fabre Castell Perfection Eraser Pencil is good for erasing colored pencil in tiny areas.
The Factis extra soft white vinyl eraser cleans watercolor paper without roughing or abrading it.
The Derwent electric soft vinyl eraser is good for saving your joints. Replacement erasers are 30 per box and they're cheap. The Tombow Refillable 2.5mm rectangular elastomer eraser is good for erasing graphite in tiny areas.
Media
This Thornton case of 150 is available for $82.25 on eBay. The set includes 15 graphite, 3 charcoal, 60 colored pencils, 22 metallics and 48 watercolor pencils. This is the best value if you want a complete art set. However, the pencil quality doesn't compare to Prismacolor.
Graphite and Charcoal
A set of 24 graphite sketch pencils sells on AliExpress for $8.45. The set includes: H, 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H, 7H, 8H, 9H, HB, F, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B, 10B, 11B, 12B and 14B. Graphite pencils and their charcoal equivalents: 10B (HB charcoal), 11B (2B charcoal), 12B (4B charcoal), and 14B (6B charcoal). Higher quality 22 degree Hi-Uni Japanese pencils are available on eBay for $37.74.
A set of 4 water soluble graphite pencils are available from Blick Art for $8.69.
Peroci water soluble tinted graphite pencils for $8.99 on eBay are useful for creating soft shadows around objects.
General's Charcoal Set of 20 at Walmart for $18.69. Charcoal is typically used for portraits.
A 12 count set of colored charcoal pencils is available on eBay for $4.41.
Soft Pastel and Chalk
Mungyo Gallery set of 64 half size semi hard pastels sells for $10.23 on eBay. Half size sets are always cheaper than full size, but they don't have the same color range. You can always blend white, black, gray and brown with the other colors to expand the range.
Mungyo Gallery set of 12 gray tone soft pastels sells on eBay for $14.86.
Drawing chalk is typically scholastic grade. The Prang set of 12 is bright and smooth. The Crayola set of 24 is less saturated and gritty. Together, they offer a decent range of colors that can be blended. They're great for backgrounds!
General's 36 pack of soft pastel pencils for $27.95 on eBay.
This set of 12 soft portrait pastel pencils sells on eBay for $7.59.
Conte pencils are a little different. They contain an abrasive making them similar to Crayola chalk, but more vibrant. A 48 count set is $75.34 from Blick Art.
A 12 count box of white charcoal or pastel pencils is available here for $8.97. These are also used as chalk pencils on fabric.
The Cretacolor set of 72 pastel pencils sells for $78.93 on eBay.
Oil Pastel
This is the Mungyo Gallery set of 72 oil pastels for $46.98 on eBay.
The Mungyo Gallery also has fluorescent oil pastels on eBay for $11.96. No other art house makes fluorescent colors.
This is the Cray-Pas Expressionist set of 50 for $27.91 on eBay. This brand contains more pigment than Sakura Junior, Pentel or Crayola.
Cray-Pas also sells a transparent extender for $10.70 on eBay.
This Mungyo Gallery set of 24 metallics is on eBay for $17.99.
Colored Pencil
Faber Castell Poloychromos and Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor pencils are oil based soft core pencils. A 120 count set of Polychromos sells for $164.15 on eBay. A 72 count set of Polycolor sells for $76.74 on Blick Art.
The eBay equivalent to Lyra Polycolor is the Marco Raffine set of 72 for $32.06.
Prismacolor is a wax based soft core pencil. It has been a favorite of colored pencil artists for many years. This 150 count set sells on eBay for $136.98.
Prismacolor discontinued their metallic pencils, but I found a set of 12 on eBay for $3.99.
Another alternative is the Brutfuner set of 160 for $38.99 on eBay. These are very inferior to Prismacolor and only suitable for coloring pages. Made with Basswood and difficult to sharpen. Thornton pencils are about the same quality.
Crayola colored pencils are made of a small amount of pigment, a lot of filler and a harder wax than Prismacolor. They do not blend or smudge and that can be an advantage when you want a crisp line that doesn’t smear. They are available in 100 colors. The downfall to Crayola pencils is that they're difficult to sharpen.
June Gold sells 2mm colored mechanical pencils with built in sharpeners in 36 colors with refills for $19.99. Two pencils of each color come in this set for a total of 72 pencils. The lead quality is equivalent to Crayola. They also offer 0.7mm colored lead. I truly wish colored lead was available in artist’s pigments for creating textures.
I own this set so I can give a review. The colors don't match Prismacolor. The lead is responsive to blending solvents, but not the Prismacolor blending pencil. The white in the box acts as a blender without changing the color. The colors blend with each other using solvents, but not by layering. They do not blend with Prismacolor. A white Prismacolor pencil is the lone exception; it does blend and change the color. It may seem like some of the pencils don't work. That's because the lead is stuck in the plunger. Extract the lead as far as you can and pull it loose. If this doesn't work, the spring is weak. Overall, I like the set and recommend it for texturing.
Crayola crayons are a lot of fun to work with and can be blended with heat. These are available everywhere locally and cheap enough that I wouldn't bother with buying them on eBay.
Watercolor Pencils
Watercolor and Inktense Pencils are a lot of fun, but they can be a challenge to use on both paper and fabric. The difference between watercolor and Inktense is that watercolor is made of gum Arabic that can be remoistened after it dries. Inktense pencils are made of shellac and are waterproof once dry. I have not yet found a generic equivalent of Inktense. A 72 count set of Inktense is available from Blick Art for $129.29.
A 72 count set of watercolor pencils is available on eBay for $20.95
This Soucolor set of 150 watercolor pencils is $30.01 on eBay.
This Mungyo Gallery water soluble oil pastel set of 24 sells on eBay for $22.96. These can be used in place of the expensive Caran D”Ache Neocolor water soluble crayons.
This Mungyo Gallery metallic water soluble oil pastel set of 24 sells on eBay for $28.96.
Faber Castell Gelatos are a new type of water soluble crayon made of gel. They are purchased in sets like the Mix & Match set on the left for $59.50 from QVC or the Dolce II set on the right for $41.53 from Blick Art. There are a total of 52 colors available open stock for $2.45 each from Faber Castell.
Markers
Winsor & Newton pigment markers are available in a range of 120 colors for $5.19 ea or an assortment of 36 for $89.99. Tonal sets are $23.99 each. The entire collection would cost $622.80. These markers are made with pigment and have to be used on a smooth, non-porous surface. They can be re-wetted after drying.
Arteza sells a 120 count set of EverBlend markers for $118.89.
Copic markers are alcohol based. They have a fine tip and a chisel tip. There is a 204 color set on eBay for $118.75. These markers blend with denatured alcohol and are permanent once dry.
Super Markers 100 count set for $18.96 on eBay is the equivalent of Crayola’s Super Tips markers.
This is the Arteza 72 count of fineliner pens for $22.99. They're perfect for outlining and detail work.
Calligraphy Markers: The Speedball Elegant Writer set is the most common. It includes 4 Pens of different sizes. The Zig Memory System contains double-ended pens with pure water based pigment ink. The ink is photo-safe, acid-free, lightfast, fade proof, non-bleeding, odorless, xylene free, and smear-proof (when dry). This set of 48 sells for $158.49. Blick Art sells a set of 12 for $28.29.
This 100 color set of dual tip watercolor markers has a brush tip and a fineliner. Get it on eBay for $25.75. These markers are dye based and only work on smooth paper.
Pen & Ink
There's nothing like the feel of traditional pen and ink. This beautiful Trianon Letters box set includes nibs, wood and glass stylus, three seals: fleur de lis, anchor and fish, wax, melting spoon, burner and five inks in black, sienna, indigo, verde and bordeaux. It's available on Amazon for $147.00.
Radiograph pens are a little outdated because not everyone wants to bother with an ink bottle. Drafters today mostly use micro pens. The 16 count set of black includes 003, 005, 01, 02, 03, 05, 08, 10, Chisel: 1mm, 2mm and 3mm, Calligraphy: XS, S and M, Brush: SS and Large. Get it on Amazon for $16.95.
Paint
Reeves Watercolor, Acrylic and Oil paint is available at Walmart. There are papers for paint too.
Not Recommemded
Tracing Paper: 25lb, 40-41gsm; Low quality; tears easily, ghosts and smudges badly. Bienfang, Canson, Faber Castell and Pacon brands are 40gsm. Blick Studio, Reeves and Strathmore 300 are 41gsm. There is a better quality tracing paper in the list.
Paper, media and eraser combinations:
1000H Clearprint Drafting Vellum: 16lb, 63gsm; copic markers, micron pen, graphite, inkjet print, illustration, design, tracing. Use a plastic eraser. 8.5x11" sheets. Excellent quality.
1000H Clearprint Drafting Vellum, 37lb, 139gsm; graphite, inkjet print, tracing. Use a plastic eraser. It is available as loose 8.5x11" sheets or a roll. Best quality.
Pro Art Tracing Vellum, 37lb, 139gsm; graphite, inkjet print, tracing. Use a plastic eraser. 8.5x11" padded sheets. Best quality.
Marker Paper: 13.5lb, 50gsm; 100% cotton; accepts heavy coverage of felt tip markers without bleeding or feathering; copic markers; design, fine art. Not intended to be erased.
Pigment Marker Paper: 20lb, 75gsm; pigment markers; fine art. Not intended to be erased.
Calligraphy Paper: 20lb, 75gsm; calligraphy markers; practice. Use a sand eraser.
Parchment Paper: 24lb, 90gsm; 25% cotton; pen & ink; fine art. Use a sand eraser.
Printing Vellum: 30lb, 111gsm; inkjet printing text and graphic art. Not intended for drawing or erasing.
Newsprint, rough or smooth: 32lb, 52gsm; graphite and charcoal; practice or doodling. Use a soft vinyl eraser.
Palette Paper: 41lb; wet media. Not intended for drawing.
Coloring Page: 50lb, 75gsm; colored pencil, markers, gel pens; practice. Use a hard pink pearl eraser to remove excess ink before coloring. Colorit prints on 24lb, 90gsm paper.
Marker Paper: 50.5lb, 190gsm; alcohol based marker; fine art. Marker cannot be erased.
Vidalon Drawing Vellum: 55lb, 90gsm; micron pen; illustration, fine art. Not intended to be erased.
Construction Paper: 60lb, 48gsm; 100% sulphite; crayons, chalk, oil pastel; practice or doodling. Use a soft vinyl eraser.
Sketch Paper: 60lb, 89gsm; graphite, oil pastel; practice. Use a green dust free eraser.
Artagain Tinted Paper: 60lb, 160gsm; fiber enhanced paper made of recycled materials; graphite; fine art. Use a green dust free eraser. Cool Black, Desert Rose and Assorted.
Charcoal Paper: 65lb, 95gsm; 100% cotton, acid free; charcoal, pastel, chalk; fine art. Use a black plastic eraser.
Heavy Construction Paper: 80lb, 120-130gsm; chalk, oil pastel; practice. Use a black plastic eraser.
Strathmore 100 Series Black Chalk Paper: 80lb, 120gsm; 100% sulphite; heavyweight construction paper; white and colored chalk, chalk markers, pastel, colored charcoal, gel pens. Use a damp cloth to erase.
Pastel Paper: 80lb, 118gsm; pastel, chalk; fine art. White and Assorted.
Drawing Paper: 80lb, 130gsm; graphite; fine art. Use a green dust free eraser.
Toned Sketch Paper: 80lb, 118gsm; graphite; fine art. Use a green dust free eraser. Gray and Tan.
Grayscale Sketch Paper: 80lb, 216gsm: graphite; fine art. Use a green dust free eraser. Assorted Gray.
Canson XL Bristol Illustration: 82lb, 180gam; micron pen, gel pens; illustration, fine art. Not intended to be erased.
Poster Board: 90lb, 180gsm; dry media and markers; practice and large projects. Use a soft vinyl eraser.
Mixed Media Paper: 90lb, 190gsm; graphite, colored pencil, oil pastel, gel pens; practice. Use a vinyl eraser.
Strathmore 100 Series Paint Pad: 90lb, 190gsm; watercolor pencils, tempera, poster paint, brush markers, colored pencil, practice. Use a sand eraser.
Watercolor Paper: 90lb, 190gsm; watercolor pencils and markers; practice. Paint cannot be erased, but can be diluted with water.
Stonehenge Paper: 90lb, 250gsm; 100% cotton; graphite, colored pencil, pastel chalk; practice, fine art. Use a sand eraser. Available in white, black and a variety of natural colors. This brand is preferred by many professional colored pencil artists.
Colored Art Paper: 92lb; 150gsm; quality papers in a random selection of colors and textures for use with dry media. Graphite, colored pencil, pastel chalk; practice. Use a sand eraser.
Canson Colorline Art Paper: 92lb, 150gsm (184lb, 300gsm also available); graphite, colored pencil, pastel chalk; practice, fine art. Use a sand eraser.
Canson XL Recycled Bristol: 96lb, 260gsm; graphite, colored pencil, pastel chalk; practice. Use a sand eraser.
Canson Mi-Teintes Colored Sketch Paper: 98lb, 160gsm; 66% cotton; vellum texture on one side and flat on the reverse; dry and wet media; fine art. Use a sand eraser.
Mineral Paper: 100lb, 150gsm; 80% chalk bonded with plastic; pastel and charcoal; fine art. Use a black plastic eraser.
Strathmore 400 and Canson XL Smooth Finish Bristol Paper: 100lb, 260gsm; copic markers; comics, story boarding; practice. Not intended to be erased.
Colored Pencil Paper: 100lb, 163gsm; colored pencil; practice. Stands up to solvents and moderate erasing. Use a sand eraser.
Heavyweight Drawing Paper: 100lb, 163gsm; 25% cotton; graphite, colored pencil; fine art. Stands up to solvents and repeated erasing. Use a sand eraser.
Strathmore 300 Rough Vellum Bristol: 100lb, 270gsm; graphite, colored pencil; fine art. Stands up to solvents and repeated erasing. Use a sand eraser.
Pentalic Pen Paper: 110lb, 178gsm; pen & ink; fine art. Not intended to be erased.
Card Stock: 110lb, 216gsm; colored pencil, inkjet print; practice. Use a soft vinyl eraser.
Canvas Paper: 115lb, 187gsm; soft body acrylic; practice. Paint cannot be erased.
Pentalic Nature Sketch Paper: 130lb, 211gsm; 25% cotton; graphite, colored pencil, water soluble graphite, watercolor pencil; fine art. Toothy rough vellum surface. Use a sand eraser. Made of recycled paper and cotton.
Stipple Paper: 132lb, 216gsm; graphite, colored pencil, conte pencil, chalk pencil; shading and blending; tattoo drawing; fine art. Has a special grainy, pebble-like texture that aides highlight and shadow. Use a green dust free eraser.
Mixed Media Paper: 140lb, 300gsm; graphite, colored pencil, gel pens, marker; fine art. Black is perfect for white, bright and metallic media. Use a sand eraser for dry media.
Watercolor Paper: 140lb, 300gsm; wood pulp; watercolor pencils or Inktense; practice. Watercolor is wetted and lifted with a scrubber brush, but that method may not work on this paper.
Professional Cotton Watercolor Sheets: 140lb, 300gsm; 100% cotton; cake or tube watercolor; fine art. Watercolor is wetted and lifted with a scrubber brush.
Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Watercolor Sheets: 140lb, 300gsm; 100% cotton; cake or tube watercolor; fine art. Watercolor is wetted and lifted with a scrubber brush.
Textured Inkjet Printing Paper: 140lb, 315gsm; inkjet printing of fine watercolor art. Not intended for drawing or erasing.
Toned Mixed Media Paper: 184lb, 300gsm; graphite, colored pencil; fine art. Use a white plastic eraser. Gray, Tan and Blue.
Smooth Bristol Paper, 2-ply: 215lb, 260gsm; 100% cotton; specially designed for airbrush and fine art. May be used for graphite and colored pencil. Use a sand eraser.
Oil Painting Paper: 215lb, 350gsm; oil paint; fine art. Oil paint can be diluted with mineral spirits, Citri-Solv or Spike Lavender oil. Paint cannot be erased.
Acrylic Paper: 246lb, 400gsm; heavy body acrylic; fine art. Paint cannot be erased.
Smooth Bristol Paper, 3-ply: 325lb, 390gsm; 100% cotton; specially designed for airbrush; fine art. May be used for graphite and colored pencil. Use a sand eraser.
Plate Bristol, 4-ply: 430lb, 520gsm; 100% cotton. Designed for airbrush, tech pen, pen & ink, calligraphy and markers. May be used for graphite and colored pencil. Use a sand eraser.
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