|
Paper Basics and Applications
The best-known and most widely used surface for creating art is paper. For the artist there are two main materials form the bulk of the paper used today:
1. Wood Fiber Cellulose the majority of papers, poor to moderate durability and aging properties due to lignin in the cellulose fibers.
2. Cotton (or Rag) 100% cotton content. This is a fine artists 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 easier:
Finish - there are four basic paper finishes, each with its own distinctive tooth or surface texture.
1. Drawing Paper - Cold press paper with a moderate tooth specifically designed for dry media (pencil, charcoal and pastel). Tooth holds the particles to the surface, making drawing easier and the finished piece more durable and attractive. Paper with a tooth specifically designed to accept and bond to the particles of dry media.
2. Plate Ultra-smooth finish, no tooth (The surface texture of paper can range from non-existent, or Plate, to very noticeable -Rough). Coated with clay, plate finish paper makes the ultimate surface for ink. Very smooth, clay coated paper, usually used for ink, technical drawing and whenever fine detail is required.
3. Hot Press A very smooth finish, suitable for ink or fine detail work. Very little tooth. Describes the finish of paper with light tooth.
4. Cold Press - Moderate amount of tooth, great for pastels and charcoals that require tooth to adhere to the paper. Also good for grainy effects in pencils, inks and watercolor. Describes the finish of paper with moderate tooth. And a little bit more to further define:
Rough Has more tooth than Cold Press, normally used only in watercolor papers. The Rough surface imparts a great deal of unique character as the medium are applied. Describes the finish of paper with very heavy tooth.
Vellum - Describes a paper finish with a tooth between hot press and cold press.
Weight Measurement of thickness and density of paper, meaning that 500 of a particular sheet will weigh a specific amount. For example: 500 sheets of 140 lb watercolor paper will weigh 140 pounds. Weight can also be determined by grams per square meter. So, if a paper is rated at 640 g/m2 that means that one square meter of that paper weighs 640 grams.
Paper by Application:
Let's move on. Most artists buy paper based on what medium will be applied to it. Lets take a brief look at each medium and which papers are most appropriate for each:
1. Watercolor/Gouache - Most water media papers are rough textured with surface sizing (Material added to paper either before or after formation to control absorbency, finish, color, etc) and to make the paper less absorbent of the pigments and preventing them from bleeding. The best watercolor papers are 100% cotton/rag. These are available in numerous sizes and bindings - from spiral to block pads.
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 or canvas.
3. Oil Oils should be painted on canvas. Although there are papers made that approximate a canvas texture, these are used for practice only, as they tend to be rather 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 add visual excitement and greatly increasing the range in which the artist can create masterpieces.
5. Oil Pastel Although pastel papers are fine for oil pastel, a good rough textured watercolor paper makes for interesting textural effects when used with oil pastels.
6. Charcoal Charcoal papers are similar in texture to pastel paper because of the similarity in the particle size in charcoal and pastels. Don't forget to look for colors in charcoal papers as well!
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! Been there, done that! :)
8. Pencil (drawing) - Most successful pencil drawings are completed on a hot press surface, hard, weighty paper. The amount of pressure exerted onto the paper through drawing and erasing will wear out less durable papers than on sketching papers. Preferably these papers are acid-free and hopefully archival, but this depends on the anticipated lifetime of your art.
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.
Hopefully this outline helps you make an educated decision on which type of paper you want or need for your particular medium. If you're in the market for sketchbooks, specialty paper, etc. |
