In the January reader survey, a respondent mentioned he/she wanted to know what kind of paper other artists were using. This person didn’t include any specifics, so I am pulling this out of the request pile and posing these questions to you this week:
What kind of paper do you use for drawing, painting or sketching? Why do you use them? Is it paper quality or simply because these kinds of paper (or brands) are readily available and usually on sale?
Please post your comments below.
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ArtPlantae Today 
I use Fabriano hot pressed paper. Sometimes Artistico and sometimes Classico 5. It step ends upon how white I want the background. Fabriano seems to have the right amount of size for me whether using watercolour or coloured pencils. Paper for sketching that I find very good is the Brighton Seawhite sketchpad. It allows me to sketch using dry and some wet medium, without having to go up to a heavier watercolour sketch pad.
I too like to use Fabriano Artistico HP, both the natural white and bright white. It is a really good all-round paper and I find it is great when dealing with challenges such as ‘lifting-off’ colour and correcting mishaps ! For sketching I like Winsor & Newton Heavyweight cartridge paper, it is reasonably priced, readily available and can take several washes of watercolour.
When wanting to use a CP paper I enjoy using Strathmore 400 series Watercolour paper, this I discovered when visiting the USA and it is now available here in the UK.
Fabriano Classico 5 HP for all my colored pencil work. If I need a large piece I end up using Fabriano Artistico HP bright wihite, since I can get that locally in the US.
Yes I use Fabriano hot press watercolour paper as well , 640 gm or 300 lb paper for watercolour and acrylics. The lighter weight Fabriano hot press is also good for the same mediums unless you are using a lot of water washes then it buckles too much. The lighter weight paper is also a good paper for coloured pencils, it is a bit smoother then the heavier weight paper.
For bookmaking paper (for keeping an artist’s journal or nature journal) I often use Fabriano Artistico 90 lb. HP paper, as it folds nicely into signatures and can withstand a variety of wet media such as pen & ink and watercolor without buckling.
My favorite paper is Fabriano Artistico as well (great minds think alike) Most of my work is done in colored pencil, some in watercolor. I generally work with Polychromos pencils. This paper holds up well, no matter what I do to it.