The 6 Best pastel Painting Papers (2023 reviews)

If you often find yourself scrambling for good paper, ucreate watercolor paper is your end point. This paper is perfect for arts and crafts. It has absorbency to take colour and gives you some blending for beautiful colour presentation. It will handle acrylic paints and it is all loose in shrink wrap. It is great for large groups or classrooms at the beginner to intermediate levels. The scrap leftovers can be used for making book markers or as test samples to see how your paint will look when mixing your own colors, testing out some new paint or some kind of watercolor idea or technique.

It is a 290 gsm watercolor paper but it does not have much of a texture compared to fine art watercolor paper. The paper is good quality and when painting it doesn't ripple when it's painted on and it drys very quickly. It is a must have for your watercolor painting fun.

Why We Like This:

Great for teaching lessons and for practice
Excellent stock quality for water paints
Good brand reputation

Best For quick studies: Canson pastel Painting Paper

Buy on Amazon

This is great paper for art projects. It works well with oil and acrylics, as it is paper it can not be stretched. If you leave the page in the book, the pages behind the one you’re using will have paint seep on them from the sides if you paint all the way to the edge. It has tooth and texture, but it most likely has gesso, as it’s fairly smooth.

This paper is a nice weight with a canvas type texture. It is durable but as with any paper, it will curl if you use fluid paint. High school and college instructors you will love the quality paper and often recommend it as an economical option for art students.

Why We Like This:

Thick and good for acrylic painting
Great for art students who don't want to spend money on canvas
Very thick pages, great for watercolors
Great paper to use with oil pastels

Best For frame: Bianyo pastel Painting Paper

Buy on Amazon

Not everyone likes to purchase paper for their daily purpose, but the bianyo pastel painting paper would be an anomoly. The Bianyo Mixed Media Paper Pad is an excellent pad for doing multi-media projects on. It’s nice thick paper that accepts all kinds of mediums. It’s acid free spiral-bound and micro perforated so it’s easy to take pages out when completed.

It’s good for watercolor acrylic ink and pen and pencil. It has a light tooth, which makes it good for pencil and dry applications. The perforation does leave an edge, but it's not terribly noticeable. The paper is high quality, and great for any application.

Why We Like This:

Pages are secure, solid feel to it, nothing fancy
Takes marker, pencil and pen line very well
Good weight paper for mixed media

Best For portrait: Canson Wonderful Paper

Buy on Amazon

Canson line of paper come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. This paper is very sturdy. It works for watercolor =p and additionally comes in different sizes. It can handle lots of water for making full page watercolor backgrounds. It is strong and the paper doesn't fold when wet. It doesn't warp very much either which is very good.

It will last even this family of 5 watercolorists longer than most watercolor tablets. It also comes in different sizes. It's very heavy-duty but it does bow a little if you use wet on wet.

Why We Like This:

Definitely works well for heavy use of water
Nice thick water color paper that doesn't get soggy like other papers
Curls slightly when damp but good paper over all
You can cut it without a problem and water absorption amount is perfect

Best With alcohol ink: Ucreate pastel Painting Paper

Buy on Amazon

The ucreate pastel painting paper's superior materials makes sure that it ages well with use. This pack of paper measures 9 " x 12 ", has a smooth uniform finish on the front and the back, and includes 250 sheets, making it great for large groups or classrooms. It is great for experimenting with various techniques. It absorbs well and does not get soggy/shed. It is great for most mediums but will warp easily with a lot of moisture. It's strong enough to collage on and obsorb water colors nicely. It is great value for the amount of paper as well as the quality. It is perfect for watercolors. It is great to use on paper or to use for yardstick or card dies.

Why We Like This:

Works great for watercolors and school paint
Very economical and great for experimenting
Good brand reputation

Best For working Indoors: Arches pastel Painting Paper

Buy on Amazon

The arches pastel painting paper is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your daily purpose. Arches huile (oil) paper is great for pigment sticks, oil paints and cold wax. Treated with a semi-absorbent oil barrier that prevents oxidation and grease spots, it easily absorbs solvents and mediums so you can use thin, medium-heavy washes or thick, impasto techniques with minimal warping or buckling. It provides extra protection from light and elements, meaning this paper is made to last for years to come. It is specially made for oil paint, with a ready-to-use surface that is softer than gessoed paper, saving time on preparation.

All Arches paper is acid-free and made from 100% cotton, ensuring it valiantly stands the test of time and allows you to make the most out of every sheet. It can withstand a lot of manipulation of paints and pigment, and because it’s already treated, it’s ready to be used immediately.

Why We Like This: