Pencil portrait drawing paper

I saw that Michael's has Strathmore 300 Bristol Pads on sale for 40% off this week. It made me think about sharing a bit of what I know about paper.

Strathmore 300 is nice for basic drawing, but it's not as good for long-term preservation as Strathmore 400 or 500 grades are. If you want cotton paper and acid free paper, go with 400 or 500 grade.

Then, you will notice the Bristol papers have other descriptions on them, like "Vellum," "Smooth," and "Plate." I used to think Vellum meant smooth. It's not smooth...it has a bit of texture. "Smooth" is smoother than Vellum, but Plate is the smoothest.

What about Canson brand Bristol paper? In my opinion, even their "Smooth" grade Bristol paper is too rough. I have found too many inconsistencies in the texture. It really matters when you are blending pencil.

But overall, Strathmore papers are good, so if you just want a pad of paper that's nice to draw on, and permanency isn't a concern, then why not try some at 40% off?

If you have any questions let me know.

For more on drawing paper recommendations, see: http://www.squidoo.com/drawingpaper