Choosing the base for your artwork is one of the most important decisions an artist can make. Whether you’re a painter, designer, or a beginner artist, the surface on which you make your artwork plays a crucial role in developing your artistic voice and your overall style.

Beginner artists tend to think all paper is alike. However, there is a huge difference when it comes to specialised watercolour paper and sketchbook pages. From the texture to the way the paper absorbs your colours, these tiny details might not seem that significant, but they heavily affect your final art piece.

Whether you’re just starting out your artistic journey or you’re an experienced artist looking to branch out on your techniques, you’ve come to the right place. Purchasing art paper online is convenient and easy, but it sadly doesn’t leave much space for testing. Let’s explore the similarities and differences between popular artistic papers and how purchasing watercolour paper online, or even entire sketchbooks, can significantly benefit your future art.

What Is Watercolor Paper?

When you’re starting out with a new type of paint, things can get tricky, especially when it comes to watercolours. Watercolours are simple to use and even highly recommended as a great choice for beginners, but because they are made to be used with water, their colour might appear less vibrant unless you use the right paper.

Watercolour paper is a versatile surface that has a higher degree of liquid absorbency, which allows the semi-transparent colour of water paints to appear more vibrant and lively. But don’t let the name fool you; just because it works super well with watercolours, it doesn’t mean it works any less better with other art mediums.

​Watercolour pads are widely used for acrylics and oil paints. This is because they are often thicker and more absorbent, allowing for paint to dry quicker and leave behind a more vibrant print.

Many options for watercolour paper are made from 100% cotton, which is a durable and great choice for a variety of mediums. Most often, this type of paper also comes with a textured surface, allowing for better water absorption and a more tactile painting experience.

What Is Sketchbook Paper?

Many artists like using sketchbooks for their art. Not only are they affordable, but they are also a great way to collect all your drawings in one place.

The first difference between sketchbook paper and watercolour paper you’ll notice is the obvious difference in weight. While watercolour paper is often heavier to account for the water absorption properties, sketchbook paper is much lighter and often textureless.

Sketchbook paper is perfect for people whose preferred art medium is graphene and who want a practical paper for sketching that can handle repeated erasing. Although sketch paper is sold on its own, you’ll most commonly find it grouped into a sketchbook, giving you lots of sheets to practice on.

This type of paper is a great tool for every beginner artist. It gives you lots of space to practice and perfect your art style. Sketchbooks are also great for keeping your artwork collected and safe for a long time, so you can always come back and look at your old sketches.

There are no limits to what you can put sketchbook paper to use. If you are a beginner, this type of paper can be helpful in developing your art style, and because it’s cheap and usually comes in bulk, you won’t be reluctant to use it for fear you might ruin it. On the other hand, if you are a more experienced artist and you want to take your artwork to the next level, we recommend you purchase specialised paper for your desired art style and medium of choice.

Can You Use a Sketchbook for Watercolor?

If you want your watercolour art to look its best but you prefer to work in sketchbooks, don’t worry; we’ve got you. Although the name “sketchbook” can be a bit misleading, leading you to believe you can use one just for sketches and drawings, sketchbooks are perfectly suited for paints as well; you just have to know how to pair the right sketchbook with the paints of your choice.

Watercolours tend to be quite translucent and watery, which you’ve probably learned to expect, so how do you make your strokes and patterns pop on sketchbook paper?

The trick is to choose a sketchbook with heavier, textured paper. Generally, watercolour sketchbooks have fewer pages inside because of the pages’ width. If you were to apply watercolours to standard sketchbook paper, the paint would not only look translucent and watery, but it would also seep through your paper, making it soggy and difficult to use.

Along with the type of paper, you can also choose the type of binding you want. Some sketchbooks have standard notebook binding, while others have more unique options. Ring-bound sketchbooks have been especially popular lately and are a great aesthetic choice for a sketchbook.

For watercolour sketchbooks, it’s also good to choose textured paper as it tends to absorb water better, allowing paint to dry quicker and more evenly.

Conclusion

To sum up, watercolour paper is the perfect base for your advanced watercolour sketches and paintings. Although sketchbooks are truly practical for daily practice and casual sketching, if you want to create a true art piece, you should always go with a canvas that is most compatible with your medium, and in the case of watercolours, it’s specialised watercolour paper. Because watercolours are one of the most popular types of paints in the industry, you can easily find watercolour paper online or in your local art supply store. Enjoy your new journey of creating art with the best type of paper for your paintings.