# Best paper for coloured pencils? **URL:** \ **Category:** Uncategorized\ **Created:** [June 17, 2024, 9:01am UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/best-paper-for-coloured-pencils/3872 "2024-06-17T09:01:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9a28c/32.png) [@mand](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/mand)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 9:01am UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/best-paper-for-coloured-pencils/3872/1 "2024-06-17T09:01:27Z")
Hi again. I just wondered which paper is good for coloured pencil. I use Pastelmat but wondered what else to try too. I think Pastelmat is best to work from dark to light (i saw in a youtube demo once, not Matts) whereas normally its easier to work from light to dark pencils which i guess you could do on different paper. Thank you for any suggestions. I think Strathmore 500 has been mentioned along the way but I’m a bit confused! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![robichon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/robichon/32/4993_2.png) [@robichon](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/robichon)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 12:27pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/best-paper-for-coloured-pencils/3872/2 "2024-06-17T12:27:06Z")
Hi @mand I have used a variety of papers including hot press watercolor paper, but I always regret the decision and go back to PastelMat because nothing can take as many layers as that one. I never heard anyone say go from dark to light. I just let the specific drawings guide me. And it is more likely that I use lighter first and then work my values darker. That’s probably not the answer you were looking for. Terri Robichon ---
**Author:** ![mand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9a28c/32.png) [@mand](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/mand)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 1:23pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/best-paper-for-coloured-pencils/3872/3 "2024-06-17T13:23:33Z")
Thats really helpful thank you Terri. I am a new artist so havent experimented with many different papers so that will save me some time thank you. I do like Pastelmat very much so maybe i will stick with it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Denise](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.thevirtualinstructor.com/denise/32/40_2.png) [@Denise](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/Denise)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 1:51pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/best-paper-for-coloured-pencils/3872/4 "2024-06-18T13:51:00Z")
I use smooth Bristol paper. ---
**Author:** ![TLP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/45deac/32.png) [@TLP](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/TLP)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/best-paper-for-coloured-pencils/3872/5 "2024-06-21T22:08:53Z")
@mand Hello Mandy, I like to use Strathmore 400 series multi-purpose paper. It also comes in white, grey, steel blue, and tan. I have used colored pencils on all of these colored surfaces. I also really like to use colorline paper by Canson. It comes in two weights and takes many layers, it comes in a whole rainbow of colors including white. Recently I did a colored pencil drawing on Strathmore 400 series drawing paper with Polychrome colored pencils, and I thought I would never fill in the truth. I had doubted the project would even turn out and didn’t want to use a more expensive paper and to my surprise it turned out wonderfully. It was just critiqued on the member’s minute a couple weeks ago, a portrait, in case you want to take a look at how the paper worked out. On the background it has 6 to 7 layers of colored pencils and still has more tooth. Just a few other ideas to try out. Teri (with 1r) ---
**Author:** ![mand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9a28c/32.png) [@mand](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/u/mand)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://community.thevirtualinstructor.com/t/best-paper-for-coloured-pencils/3872/6 "2024-06-25T19:40:35Z")
So sorry Teri, i meant to reply earlier. Thank you so much for your advice, this is so helpful. I will try these papers out for sure 🙂