Paper

We love paper at adArt and we have all types for different mediums and uses.

Watercolour and wet media

Watercolour paper is sized to absorb watercolour evenly during the process. Watercolour paper is commonly made from cotton fiber, mould or hand made. It varies between 190 - 640gsm, with 300gsm being the most popular weight. As a general rule the heavier papers do not need to be stretched before use. Watercolour paper is also suitable for ink and gouache.

adArt stocks artist quality watercolour papers Arches, Fabriano, Lanaquarelle, Saunders Waterford and Magnani in loose sheets. We also stock watercolour pads and blocks in Arches, Saunders Waterford and Canson.

Khadi cotton rag paper is handmade in India with a deckled edge. Khadi paper is suitable for watercolour, ink and drawing. Khadi papers range in size from A5 up to A3 and also come in circle shape.

Printmaking

Printmaking papers are made from cotton rag and are made specifically to undergo dampening and pressure (through the printing process) whilst not falling apart. At adArt we stock a large range of papers suitable for etching, monoprinting, relief and silkscreen.

The artist quality papers we stock are; Hahnemuhle, Stonehenge, Magnani and Fabriano, as well as some Stonehenge, BFK Rives. These papers come in a variety of sizes mostly ranging from 56 x 76 cm up to large sheets of 80 x 120 cm.

We also stock a beautiful range of handmade Kozo papers perfect for woodblock printing. Kozo (also known as Rice Paper) is a traditional paper made from long inner fibres of plants, typically the Mulberry. Whilst machines can produce a similar looking paper to the handmade papers, they have inferior quality to the traditional Kozo papers.

Drawing

Drawing papers, known as cartridge paper, are generally suitable for dry media, such as charcoal, graphite and pencils. Pastel paper has a tooth on the surface to enable the chalk to have something to grip onto. Generally cartridge papers range from 110gsm up to 300gsm.

Cartridge papers we stock are; Fabriano, Stonehenge, University Cartridge and generic cartridge in sheets. We also have Como and Lana pads in a variety of sizes.

For larger projects we have the Fabriano Academia cartridge in 200gsm 1.5 x 10m rolls.

Painting

Painting with oils or acrylics onto paper needs a primed surface so that the paper doesn’t absorb the paint dulling the paints. Oil sketch paper is pre-primed and ready to go for your studies and paint. We also stock primed pads in A4 and A3.

Decorative

Our range of decorative papers are carefully chosen to give you a range of beautiful papers for your projects in bookbinding, box making, decorations, wrapping or collage. We even have people use our Japanese papers as window shades.

General Use

Newsprint and Bulky News are great for quick warm up sketches when life drawing. They can also be used for wrapping or in printmaking to flatten out prints. We stock these papers in large and small sheets and in rolls.

Acid free tissue is used for the archival protection of your drawings and paintings. Glassine paper is a glossy paper that is air, water and grease resistant. It is the best option for protecting wet oil paintings and will not smudge pastel and charcoal drawings.

Sketchbooks and Pads

At adArt we stock a large range of sketchbooks and diaries for your ideas and sketches. Available in spiral and hard bound various weights and paper qualities suitable for wet and dry media.

The sketchbooks and diaries vary between A5 up to A3 in size. We stock Hahnemuhle, Elements of Art, Milini and Kunst as well as Little Green Tree Eco-friendly sketchbooks.