Not all paper types are created equal. Witness these differences:

✓ Papers that have a heavier ply are higher quality and more expensive. Ply refers to a single layer of paper material that’s then stacked on top of another to create a thicker sheet of paper; you measure ply by the total number of layers of paper material stacked together. The average ply for drawing paper is three-ply. Higher quality
paper can be as thick as five ply.

✓ Although losing weight is often considered a good thing, packing on the pounds carries a lot of weight when choosing drawing paper. Paper comes packaged
in stacks or reams, usually of 500 pieces of paper. Generally, the more pounds each ream of 500 sheets weighs, the higher the density and the thickness of the
paper (measured in caliper micrometers).

✓ The texture of the surface varies from smooth to rough. The rougher the texture is, the more tooth the paper has. Here are the pros and cons of the surface textures:

• Papers with smooth surfaces are great for rendering detailed drawings with excellent gradations between dark to light values. If you’re using an excellent lead mechanical pencil, for example, papers with a smooth texture give you better control over making details, such as the pupils of the eyes and details of the lips. On the other hand, the smooth surfaces of certain brands feel waxy. They are often difficult to blend with your fingers after you apply the medium because the paper’s smooth surface doesn’t retain the particles of the drawing medium.
  If you erase a section of a drawing on smooth paper and go over that section with your drawing medium and fingers to patch up the white hole, re-creating the original smooth transition is difficult because the values don’t blend easily.
• Papers with rougher surfaces are excellent for soft mediums, such as vine charcoal, compressed charcoal sticks, and soft drawing pencils. Because the textures hold on to the medium particles, using a cloth or your finger to blend or push around the values is a lot of fun. The disadvantage of using rougher textured paper is that the fine tip of your drawing pencil snags into the grooves of the paper, making details of fine rendering difficult.

Run your fingers over the paper when choosing the type of surface you want to try. Different brands have their own classifications of “textured” (also referred to as “vellum” surfaces) versus “smooth” surfaces.

The following are some types of paper surfaces commonly found in most art stores:

✓ Bristol board: Bristol board comes in smooth and rough textures. It’s a thicker, sturdier quality surface (100 pounds) that’s great for illustrations. The smooth surface is designed for fine pen and ink, pencil, and finely rendered drawings; the rougher or vellum surface has a slightly toothy texture that makes it suitable for soft dry media (pencil or charcoal) and wet media (watercolor or gouache).

✓ Charcoal paper: More porous and has a rougher surface. Major brands such as Strathmore carry acid-free charcoal paper created from 100 percent cotton fiber. Many art stores also sell these in individual sheets (which come in 64 pounds) in various colors and values. Having an initial color or value gives students a middle ground to start with to build up the color and value of the figure. This texture helps grab the charcoal particles so you can get a better range of values depending on how hard you press the charcoal against the paper.

✓ Drawing paper: The more commonly used surface, drawing paper, is a higher-quality version of the sketching paper (70 to 80 pounds). Drawing paper has a light surface texture that makes it suitable for most dry media, such as pencil and charcoal. This paper can withstand light usage of wet media (for example, inks).

✓ Newsprint paper: Newsprint is distinguishable by its gray tint and is sold on smooth and rough surfaces. Although economical, it’s thin and not very durable (definitely not suited for a water-based medium). It’s ideal for practicing and working out ideas on. Major brands, such as Strathmore, weigh in at 35 pounds.

✓ Sketching paper: General-purpose, light-textured drawing surface is suitable for classroom experimentation and usually comes in 50 pounds. Sketching paper can withstand light usage of wet media (for example, inks), but it’s best suited for dry media. Think of this type of paper as the economical alternative to drawing paper.

✓ Tracing paper: This highly transparent parchment comes in 25 pounds. Great for tracing over your work or making corrections over your drawing without marking up the original. This paper surface is lightly textured, which makes pencils and thin markers good mediums to work with.

Make sure your paper is marked “acid free” or “pH neutral.” Papers that are made from wood-based pulp contain a natural chemical compound called lignen that causes paper to turn yellow and deteriorate after a while. If you use papers that don’t have the lignen removed, you risk damaging your artwork, especially if the paper is under direct sunlight or heat.