Colouring is an activity that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. There are many benefits to it, such as improving hand-eye coordination, helping you to focus and stay relaxed. It’s also a creative activity and can be a lot of fun while also being a good source of mindfulness.
One important reason for colouring with coloured pencil is that it is a relatively cheap art medium when compared to other materials such as oil, acrylic and watercolour. Coloured pencils are also easy to use and allow you to get high-quality results in a short time.
However, one of the biggest problems with coloured pencils is, no matter how good they are, if you do not get the quality paper to use them on, you are just wasting your time and effort in creating whatever it is you are working on. The importance of quality paper made for coloured pencils can not be overemphasized.
10 Best Papers for Colored Pencils to Buy and Why In 2022
There are plenty of brands that are making papers that are suitable for coloured pencils and other necessary tools. But all papers are not created equal.
To help guide your purchase, we have already highlighted the ten best papers for coloured pencils.
1. Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel Pad
Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel Pad
Canson Mi-Teintes pastel pads are a unique blend of paper and acrylic, providing you with a soft, velvety surface to work on.Check Current Price
Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel Pad is one of the best papers for coloured pencils. They have a wide range of colours and are affordable for a Canson brand. The paper is thick and has a soft touch to it which makes it easy to blend and layer.
They can be used for not indoor and outdoor sketches and they worked great. It’s a little on the pricey side when compared with others but if you’re looking for a paper that will capture your colourful artwork, it’s one of the best options.
Highlighted Features:
- High-quality results for pastel, drawing, and papercraft
- Made of 50 per cent cotton, gelatin-sized papers
- Dual-surfaced: one side with a heavy texture and the other with a lighter texture
- Light-fast paper that is coloured at the pulp level
- 24 sheets of 9 x 12 inch, 98 pound/160-gram paper.
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2. Legion Paper Stonehenge Pad
Legion Paper Stonehenge Pad
This is a quality colour paper, that helps to create soft blends, apply watercolour effects, or even use it as a stamp pad.Check Current Price
The Legion Paper Stonehenge Pad is a paper that has a manufactured surface designed to work best with coloured pencils. This paper is made with a matte finish and is best used for blending techniques.
The paper is ultra-smooth and is resistant to warping. It has no glare so that you can easily see your drawing. The Stonehenge paper is excellent for pencil, ink, and pastel work as well.
Highlighted Features:
- Multicolor, includes 3 sheets of 5 different colours of the following colours: Warm White, Natural, Cream, Fawn and Pearl Grey
- Suitable for pencil, graphite, watercolours and more
- Pad measures 9 by 12 inches includes 15 sheets of 100 per cent cotton
- Acid-free and pH neutral.
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3. Strathmore Paper 400 Series Artagain Pad
Strathmore Paper 400 Series Artagain Pad
Strathmore Artagain Pad is handmade in three different weights and are excellent for a wide variety of wet and dry media.Check Current Price
The Strathmore Paper 400 Series Artagain Pad is great because it has a high enough weight to hold a lot of coloured pencils but is also light enough to avoid messing up your arm when you’re using the eraser. It’s also a bright white, which offers a blank canvas for your art.
Many artists choose to use this when creating art because of the soft colour you can achieve with them.
Highlighted Features:
- Has soft muted colours which are excellent for pastel, charcoal, oil pastel or coloured pencil renderings
- Recycled paper, contains 30% post-consumer fibre
- Acid-free paper
- High Quality
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4. Strathmore 400 Series Colored Pencil Pad
Strathmore 400 Series Colored Pencil Pad
Strathmore Pad is the ideal size for most mixed media and colour projects. It features a quality cover that is both durable and water-resistant.Check Current Price
Artagain paper from Strathmore is an excellent paper for coloured pencil drawing. The paper has a coating that makes it smoothly glide over the pencil’s lead and makes it easier to draw in fine details.
The paper is also acid-free so that the paper won’t yellow over time and the paper has enough texture to make sure there is no bleed-through. These pads are available in different sizes and other paper types are available to work with a variety of media
Highlighted Features:
- Excellent for use with a coloured pencil; great for graphite, charcoal, and sketching sticks
- Smooth, even coverage can be achieved.
- A highly durable surface stands up to repeated erasures and reworking.
- Micro-perforated wire-bound sheets
- Provides a clean white, toothy surface that is ideal for a variety of coloured pencil techniques
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5. Sketchbook For Colored Pencils
Sketchbook For Colored Pencils
A favourite among artists. It is known for its exceptional quality and it delivers a great result at every use.Check Current Price
Sketchbook For Colored Pencils is one of the best papers because of its smoothness, resistance to bleeding and overall high quality.
The paper is also very smooth so it makes for some very nice art. This has been tested and has the best results. With this, you will get value for money spent.
Highlighted Features:
- Blank paper for drawing and sketching with 8.5 x 11 inches dimensions.
- Glossy softbound cover.
- High-quality material.
- 100 pages/50 sheets to draw and sketch on a high-quality paper (90 gsm).
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6. Strathmore Toned Gray Mixed Media Pad
Strathmore Toned Gray Mixed Media Pad
Great for students, professionals and hobbyists alike. The Strathmore Toned Gray Mixed Media Pad has a strong yet velvety surface that holds colour beautifully and evenly.Check Current Price
Strathmore Toned Gray Mixed Media Pad is one of the best papers for coloured pencils when it comes to blending colours smoothly and evenly. The paper is a taupe-grey colour so you can blend in colours without any added hassle.
The paper is also acid-free for durability, so it won’t fade or run when the pencil sharpener does its job on it. The best part? This pad is very affordable and can be found at most office supply stores or online retailers.
Highlighted Features:
- Heavyweight grey-toned paper perfect for light and dark media
- Suitable for wet and dry media ( both watercolour and drawing are good to go)
- 184 lb./ 300 gsm
- Has 9″x12 inches Glue Bound
- Contains 15 Sheets per pad and is 100 % recycled with 30% PCW
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7. Canson XL Series Bristol Pad
Canson XL Series Bristol Pad
Canson XL series bristol pad is a heavyweight paper with a smooth surface that produces clean, even ink lines. Unparalleled smoothness, texture, and colour reproductionCheck Current Price
Choose this paper if you’re a serious coloured pencil artist looking for the best possible sketching paper. The Canson XL series is one of the best pieces of paper for coloured pencils.
Canson XL Series Bristol Pad is specially formulated to allow for the best possible layering without warping or buckling. The matte surface is rich and bright, and the paper is acid-free and of archival quality.
Highlighted Features:
- Heavyweight and bright white
- Has high contrast with excellent erasability
- The smooth surface finish is good for scanning
- Works well with pen, ink, marker, pencil, and coloured pencil
- 9 x 12 inches, contains 25 sheets
- 100 pound/260-gram acid-free paper
- Very sturdy
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8. Canson XL Series Watercolor Textured Paper Pad
Canson XL Series Watercolor Textured Paper Pad
The Canson XL Series Watercolor Textured pad is a multipurpose pad that can be used by artists of all mediums to produce the best, most consistent results.Check Current Price
Canson XL Series Watercolor Textured Paper Pad is one of the best papers to use if you’re using coloured pencils.
It is really affordable and you can find it pretty much anywhere. It has 30 beautiful sheets, which gives you a lot of space to do your drawings and experiment with different techniques.
What we like about this paper is that it has a mottled and rough texture that really shows off your coloured pencils. It has a very distinct look and gives your drawings a lot of character and depth.
Highlighted Features:
- Excellent quality papers, a pack contains 30 sheets of 140 pound/300 grams
- Acid-free 11×15 inch paper
- High durability
- Easy to use and beginners friendly
- Has great absorbency
- Lightweight and easy to carry about
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9. Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Smooth Pad
Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Smooth Pad
This is perfect for all of your creative needs. Has many pages for you to work with and it is affordable.Check Current Price
Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Smooth Pad is one of the best options for artists that are looking for a smooth, high definition surface that they can draw on with coloured pencils.
This paper is ideal because it doesn’t have any texture on it, it is lightweight and it is acid-free and archival. It doesn’t cost as much as comparable brands, making it a good choice for beginners and professionals alike.
Highlighted Features:
- Heavyweight paper, ideal for coloured pencils, pen, ink, mechanical drawing, airbrush, and marker
- 100 lb. / 270 gsm acid-free smooth surface perfect for fine detail work
- 14″x17″ Tape Bound; 20 Sheets per Pad
- Durable and high quality.
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10. Ankkol Mixed Media Sketchbook
Ankkol Mixed Media Sketchbook
A premium quality, smooth white paper that is perfect for mixed media work. Sketch, paint, cut and paste, colour and doodle to your heart’s contentCheck Current Price
Ankkol Paper has one clear advantage: it is more durable than most other brands. Another major difference between Ankkol and other brands is that Ankkol is more receptive to pencil hues and doesn’t require as much blending between layers. It gives better-textured effects on top of its longevity.
Ankkol pigments are also non-bleachable, meaning they don’t fade over time as cheaper papers do. The core of the paper can last up to 7-8 times longer than regular watercolour papers.
Highlighted Features:
- Made of thickened 98lb./160gsm acid-free drawing paper
- Contains 2 packs with a total of 120 sheets
- Very durable and long-lasting for you to draw.
- Made of high-quality material
- Portable and lightweight.
- Easy to tear off without damaging the work on it.
- Perfect for all types of dry drawing media including pencil, soft pastel, charcoal, crayon, etc.
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Conclusion
Some of the features to consider before you choose a paper to use for coloured pencils are its durability, opacity, grain size, and weight.
A few of the high-quality papers that you might want to use are the ones mentioned above. With any of these papers, you can be assured of quality and the best results.