The 10 Best Cotton rag Papers (2023 reviews)

We consider a cotton rag paper to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your needs from all the best available products in market today.

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Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Arteza Cotton rag Paper READ REVIEW

Best With Acrylic Paint: Buy: Lear Village Cotton rag Paper READ REVIEW

Best For craft projects: Buy: Wanderings Cotton rag Paper READ REVIEW

Best With gouache: Buy: Nomadcraftsco Nice Thick Paper READ REVIEW

Best For Cyanotype: Buy: Lear Village vintage Paper READ REVIEW

Best For small studies: Buy: Paul Rubens Cotton rag Paper READ REVIEW

Best For charcoal: Buy: Nomadcraftsco Cotton rag Paper READ REVIEW

Best For Professional: Buy: Indigo Artpapers Cotton rag Paper READ REVIEW

Best For Artist: Buy: Khadi Cotton rag Paper READ REVIEW

Best For beginners: Buy: artbeek Cotton rag Paper READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Arteza Cotton rag Paper

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Arteza cotton rag paper is the epitome of what a great paper should be. This is a watercolor paper and it’s a good one. This paper allows for watercolors to disperse beautifully and not lay on top of the paper like other inexpensive options. It absorbs water slowly. It has to be wet,weighed down flat,and allowed to get before it will remain flat.

These pages quickly absorb water to maximize blending capabilities and clean lines with no bleed through. The thickness of the paper, water absorbs farley quickly so you need to work a bit faster. It is really tough so it can handle a lot of water and scrubbing. These are designed for maximum comfortability and reliability for sketching, watercolor painting, and mixed media.

• Wonderful watercolor paper for blending, layering and shading
• Pretty thick and really made for water colors
• Paper weight is enough for watercolor

Best With Acrylic Paint: Lear Village Cotton rag Paper

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate paper. The lear village cotton rag paper is exactly that - it's a simple paper that hits all the right notes. This 100% cotton watercolor paper has neutra ph to keep your artwork safe for centuries. It provides 100% pure cotton handmade paper suitable for all dry and wet mediums. It can be used for dry and wet mediums and unlike other sketchbooks they are suitable for watercolor, oil pastel, pencil color, charcoal, pen and ink drawings. If you take the time to fill this up with nice drawings this will make a nice keepsake and something you will be able to hold on to for decades as the paper is made from 100% virgin cotton to last for generations.

It is perfect for recording ideas, anecdotes, lessons learned, daily events of fond memories. The paper comes in a durable box so you can store your wonderful artwork for decades.

• Coffee stained rough edges are perfect
• Nicely packaged with a ribbon and bow
• Holds up well with ink pens and magic markers

Best For craft projects: Wanderings Cotton rag Paper

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These one-of-a-kind raw edge handmade paper sheets are a great alternative to traditional watercolor paper or writing paper. It feels so much more “real” than regular store-bought watercolor paper. It is made using traditional practices passed through generations dating back to 14th century in India.

The white cotton paper is definately the better one in terms of quality. The paper is great quality and a good look for craft projects. The paper is both soft to the touch but holds up strongly against heavy use with a fountain pen, watercolour, and pencil drawing. It is a little unsuited for just pencil drawing but details finished in pencil crayon are just fine. They are Beautiful, delivered in a timely manner.

• Beautiful hand made 100% cotton paper
• Makes you feel like you are writing a treatise to a king
• Very nice handmade cotton rag paper
• Withstands the moisture and dries unblemished

Best With gouache: Nomadcraftsco Nice Thick Paper

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The nomadcraftsco nice thick paper's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. These papers are made from 100% recycled and acid-free materials, with 150 gsm thick, strong, slick-smooth & durable features. The paper is a little thicker than printer paper. It comes in 8x5 inches to add to that it is great for making small leather journals. It's very loosely made.

The clean and straight cut copies are wonderful post-printing and rolled into scrolls nicely, there was no bleeding on the printed pages, and students loved the aesthetic. It's a beautiful color and texture also thick. It is easy to use like gouache or watercolor.

• Lovely antiqued paper with deckeled edge
• Works great for making small leather journals
• Good investment for long term

Best For Cyanotype: Lear Village vintage Paper

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Scrapbook paper comes in various sizes, you can use this handmade paper and give wings to your creativity. It is made from 100% egyptian cotton & can be used as classic scroll paper or invitation paper as well. The edge gives uniqueness and authenticity to the overall look of the paper. The edges like the Hand-made paper can give the painting a more tactile appeal.

The thickness offers great versatility for the medium of choice. It is good for greeting cards, better for dry media or drybrush watercolor. The quality is great, it holds water very well and the colors look super vibrant. The rag edges are well done—just enough to give an authentic handmade paper look but not too uneven.

• Marvelous look with the deckled edge
• Held on beautifully without buckling or bleeding
• Very sturdy paper and really pretty

Best For small studies: Paul Rubens Cotton rag Paper

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The features department is where paul rubens cotton rag paper truly manages to shine. Your watercolor paint tends to dry slower than hot-pressed paper due to the texture, giving you more time to create effects, suitable for both artists having a good grip of standard watercolor techniques and beginners. The production of these quality watercolor paper draws on the strengths of traditional hand-crafting while incorporating modern industrial techniques, providing a great user experience for you. It works well with the watercolor. It is cotton and the sizing is ok, too. It is packaged beautifully and aesthetically.

It has a beautiful sparkly effect that shows when you tilt the paper into the light. It can paint on both sides and does not bleed through. It is great for small studies and practice.

• Perfect for a variety of water-coloring techniques
• Excellent paper and the light sparkles are wonderful
• Lot of satisfied buyers

Best For charcoal: Nomadcraftsco Cotton rag Paper

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The nomadcraftsco cotton rag paper's high-end materials makes sure that it ages well with use. This paper is wonderful and the aged look is perfect. It is perfect for mixed media art. It is slightly slightly smaller than printer paper due to the deckled edges. The color is vibrant, the paper feels great and is easy to work with.

These papers are made from 100% recycled and acid-free materials, with 200 gsm thick, strong, slick-smooth & durable features. It has a very nice feel and thickness to it. The ink does not bleed or rub off when it comes out. It is great as a full sheet.

• Very nice for making journal pages and artwork
• Delivers what they promise

Best For Professional: Indigo Artpapers Cotton rag Paper

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The indigo artpapers cotton rag paper is the best convenient paper on the market today. Indigo Art Papers are handmade so the cold press surface is rougher than your typical cold press watercolor paper. It features ivory-white 100% cotton rag and has exceptional strength and durability. The paper has a texture similar to that of a roller blind, which remain visible and is distracting when looking at a water color painting. It is acid-free and both internally and externally sized.

This art paper is best suited for watercolors. It's a wonderful thick quality but responds to water and adhesives.

• Good investment for long term
• Delivers what they promise

Best For Artist: Khadi Cotton rag Paper

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Compared with other paper in this category, the khadi cotton rag paper has a convenient design. These are tub sized (surface sized) with gelatine. The khadi paper is hand made and therefore the edges are not " straight " and they are ragged and uneven.

• Holds tons of water without buckling
• Lot of satisfied buyers

Best For beginners: artbeek Cotton rag Paper

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This paper is a fantastic value especially for 100% cotton, cold press paper. It is thicker & heavier (140 lb/300gsm), so it can stand up to multiple washes without warping or bleeding through. It absorbs the watercolor pretty quickly so there is not much time for blending but there IS a bit of time. It can be used in high concentration with very little water.

Each thick, durable sheet of paper comes with a smooth side as well as a textured side, allowing for flexibility in your creation. It is optimized for both wet and dry media, so you can create with any medium of your choice. This paper is decent for watercolor practice as it does work somewhat similar to other cotton papers but it is not 9x12 so when it comes to matting or framing it is not a standard size. It is great for beginners or pros.

• Excellent for the beginner watercolor artist
• Excellent watercolor paper, great for beginners or pros
• Definitely recommend for beginners that want to practice wet on wet