Assignment One

Gaining personal experience with all these different paper options may seem overwhelming and quite possibly, impossible for the average student, or hobbyist. Typically you aren’t in a class room learning from experience, or swapping materials with other artists (although I highly suggest this if you do), nor do you have unlimited funds to just buy and try anything you can get your hands on. However, there are a few things you can try and it doesn’t necessarily need to cost you money.

Part One: Window Shopping

You may feel a little useless in your current situation, but I ask that you not underestimate yourself. Your senses may not be able to tell you what the exact temperature is outside, or measure the distance between the Earth and Moon, but you are very familiar with touch and texture. Imagine yourself shopping for a sweater. You touch the fabric and one is rough and unpleasant so you drop it immediately. The next one is stiff and scratchy, but you wonder if washing it would help the texture improve. Touching a third, you notice that it is thick but with a satiny finish that is soft and inviting. Not only can you imagine what that feels like right now without even touching the fabric, but it also evokes an instant reaction, be it positive or otherwise.

Now take these same instincts, visit a local art store or any place that sells paper, and walk the paper isle. Open the sketchbooks, or pull out individual sheets if you can, and throw away your preconceived notions or assumptions about paper and give way to a unique and personal experience. Notice the texture. Is it smooth or rough? Is it thick or thin? Is it pleasant, or unappealing? Is it waxy, or satiny? Does it feel like wood pulp or could it be made of cotton? Very often this can be your first step in learning about yourself and you own personal preferences - even when it comes to paper. It seems silly, but our instincts do occasionally help us make the right choice and touch can tell us a lot about a paper.

Now, touching the paper is only part of the assignment, because after the initial contact it is important to then take a look at the product details to help associate the feeling with their particular features. This means double checking what material the paper is made of and if it is acid free. If neither are stated, you can assume that it’s made of wood pulp, and that it’s not acid free. You’ll also want to check its weight which will help you associate a number with the thickness of a particular paper. This information should be readily available on the product itself or on the manufacturers website.

Part Two: Ask for Samples

Different manufacturers and stores sometimes provide free or purchasable samples. This will depend on the manufacturer and how generous they are, but they often put together booklets, pads, or squares that they send out so you can learn about their products. This may require a little research, depending on what papers you want to try and who is willing to send or sell you these samples, but it’s a good way to learn about them. Plus, having them at home means you are free to use and abuse them. I know from personal experience that places like Blick, or other large warehouse distributors, will send out free samples if you reach out to them.

If you do reach out to different distributors or manufacturers, please share your experience with the community. This way we can build a little library and pool our information about who does and doesn’t provide samples HERE.

Alternatively, if you are unable to get free samples - or a sample doesn’t give you enough room to experiment - I suggest looking into purchasing single sheets. You will find brands like Strathmore, Arches, Canson, Legion, Fabriano, as well as Blick’s own store brand will sell individual sheets rather than reams, pads, or blocks.