| There are many different kinds of paper out there that | | | | brush. The cold press finish is semi rough and is ideal |
| all serve their individual purposes. Knowing which is | | | | for novices. Charcoal, pastel, and paint sticks go well |
| best suited for what task will help you make the most | | | | with this type of paper. The last type of finish is rough |
| out of the kind you buy. | | | | finish, which is the least expensive type of watercolor |
| One of the earliest types of paper invented is water | | | | paper, and is best used with acrylic, paint stick, and |
| color paper. It has been around even before | | | | pastels. |
| papermaking was discovered in China. Western | | | | There are five different basic groups of drawing |
| watercolors were developed by James Whatman in | | | | paper. There is bristol, which is the strongest type of |
| the late 1750's. He experimented with lots of different | | | | paper, used as an all-purpose drawing paper. Charcoal |
| weights and forms of watercolor paper, but he found | | | | and pastel are interchangeable, and have two different |
| that due to acidity problems of alum, he needed to | | | | finishes (laid and irregular). The different finishes affect |
| create a 100 percent cotton watercolor paper with | | | | the drawing. Sketching is less durable than bristol and is |
| Aquapel, which was a new synthetic sizing. Today, | | | | primarily used for pencil, crayon, and oil pastel. Bond, is |
| there is a lot of different sizes, weights, and packages | | | | close to bristol type of finish with the vellum layout. |
| of watercolor paper, but there are only three different | | | | Graphic is most commonly sold as rag bonds, and is |
| finishes. There is hot press, cold press, and rough finish. | | | | also known as marker paper. Overall, drawing paper |
| Hot press has a smooth vellum surface, which makes | | | | must be graphite permeable, and must be able to |
| it great for drawing materials, pen, ink, brush, and air | | | | endure erasures. |