On a school supply list, drawing paper is not specific enough. Weight, size and colour decide what the sheet can take: a pencil works on almost anything, while a heavy coat of gouache makes thin paper buckle. Here is how to read a pad label and what to pick for each technique.
Paper weight: what the sheet can take
Weight is the mass of one square metre of paper, in g/m² (gsm). The higher it is, the thicker and stiffer the sheet, and the better it stands up to water and erasing. For reference, ordinary printer paper weighs 80 gsm.
80 to 125 gsm: pencil and sketching
At 80 or 90 gsm the sheet is thin. It works for graphite, coloured pencils and quick exercises. Felt-tip pens often show through on the back, and gouache makes it ripple. This is the weight of punched sheets for ring binders, such as the Ancor 90 gsm punched A4 drawing sheets.
Around 120 or 125 gsm the sheet handles repeated erasing and scraping better. It is good sketching paper, still too light for paint.
150 to 180 gsm: the all-round school paper
This is the most common range at school. A 180 gsm sheet takes pencil, felt pens, ink and lightly thinned gouache without much warping. If the list says nothing more, the Canson white 180 gsm 24x32 pad is a safe choice.
220 to 224 gsm: gouache and heavier work
From 220 gsm the paper is clearly stiff. It takes layered gouache, oil pastels, gluing and cutting. The Canson «C» à grain 224 gsm in 24x32 has a fine, acid-free grain that holds graphite, charcoal and pastel well.
300 gsm and up: watercolour and washes
Watercolour soaks the sheet through. Below roughly 300 gsm the paper buckles and dries in waves, even at 224 gsm. For water-based painting, take a heavy paper such as the Canson white 370 gsm 24x32, sold in packs of 6 sheets. Taping the sheet to a board while it dries reduces warping further.
| Weight | Pencil | Felt pen | Gouache | Watercolour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 to 90 gsm | Yes | Often bleeds through | No | No |
| 120 to 125 gsm | Yes | Fair | Light, sheet ripples | No |
| 150 to 180 gsm | Yes | Yes | Yes, lightly thinned | No |
| 220 to 224 gsm | Yes | Yes | Yes | Light washes only |
| 300 gsm and up | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Canson: a brand that became a common noun
In France and in Morocco, people say a Canson sheet for any thick drawing paper. Canson is a French manufacturer, and its range covers quite different papers: white school paper in 180 or 220 gsm, «C» à grain for drawing, coloured Mi-Teintes for pastel. When a list only says Canson, check the weight and size it asks for.
Other brands do the same job. The Canson paper section groups the brand’s references, and the drawing paper category adds Fabriano, DSK Graph and Ecolo, in white and in colour, at similar weights.
Sizes: A4, 24x32 and 50x65 raisin
24x32 cm: the standard school size, slightly larger than A4. It is also the size of the large notebooks asked for in middle school, so everything fits in the same school bag (see our guide to school notebook sizes). Most pads in the 24x32 drawing paper category are white, from 150 to 370 gsm.
A4 (21x29.7 cm): it fits a ring binder, a plastic sleeve or a scanner. Handy for short exercises and sheets you want to file.
50x65 cm, known as raisin: the large sheet for art classes, posters and presentations. It is sold by the sheet and carried rolled or in a portfolio, never folded. The 50x65 raisin drawing paper section also has a Fabriano 50x70 sheet in 220 gsm.
White or coloured
White works for everything: pencil, felt pens, gouache, watercolour. The background does not shift the colours, so they stay true.
Coloured paper is mainly for opaque techniques: pastel, chalk, white pencil, gouache, collage. Canson Mi-Teintes is dyed through and has two sides, a pronounced honeycomb grain and a finer grain. Felt pens and watercolour, being transparent, lose their colour on it. The coloured 24x32 drawing paper section has assorted-colour pads from 150 to 220 gsm.
Pad, block or drawing book
A pochette (pad) holds loose sheets in a card folder, usually 10 or 12. You take out one sheet at a time and hand in each drawing separately. This is the format schools ask for.
A block has sheets glued on one or more edges. Its stiff back works as a support for drawing on your knees or outdoors, and a block glued on all four sides limits buckling with watercolour.
A drawing book keeps all the pages together and in order. It serves as a sketchbook or an art notebook in primary school, as in the drawing books section.
Punched sheets for ring binders
Some teachers want drawings filed in the binder with the lessons. There are pre-punched A4 sheets in 80 or 90 gsm, sold in packs of 48 or 100. They are in the punched drawing sheets category.
That weight stays light: fine for pencil and coloured pencils, less so for felt pens, not for paint. For a gouache piece that has to go in the binder, a thicker A4 sheet slipped into a punched plastic sleeve holds up better.
Our advice
- School list with no detail: a white 24x32 pad in 180 gsm. It covers pencil, felt pens and gouache.
- Gouache, oil pastel, collage: 220 or 224 gsm, white or coloured.
- Watercolour: 300 gsm or more, here the Canson 370 gsm.
- Pencil sketching: a grained paper such as «C» à grain in 125 or 224 gsm.
- Soft pastel and chalk: coloured Mi-Teintes, the rough side for texture, the fine side for a smooth finish.
- Ring binder: punched A4 sheets in 90 gsm for pencil work.
- Poster or presentation: a 50x65 raisin sheet, carried rolled.
Before buying, reread the line on the list: size, weight, white or colour, number of sheets. Those four details are enough to find the right pad.
