The 9 Best Strathmore Watercolour Papers (2023 reviews)

If you want nothing short of the best possible paper for your daily usage, this product is certainly a worthy investment. If you're wanting to practice your art skills, something like this works wonderfully because the paper works for a little bit of everything. It’s a medium weight paper in sketchbook formats. It will hold watercolor, colored pencil, gouache, marker, pens, etc very well. It is a mixed media paper and has a slight texture to it.

The paper is nice and thick and rigid. It is the perfect size to carry.

Why We Like This:

Good sketch book for mixed media
Sturdy enough to travel with, as well
Holds heavy body acrylic paint well
Including heavy body, graphite pencil, and ink

Best For Really responsive Paper: Strathmore Series Paper

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The strathmore series paper is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your daily usage. This is absolutely the greatest watercolor paper for printing digital images and coloring with zig clean color markers. It has the texture of soft leather. It withstands heavy water, and a lot of paint lifting. The paper withstands multiple layers of wax from pencil, holds up to erasures, and of course watercolor applications. It is convenient to carry with you for painting away from home.

This is fine paper for trying out projects or making hand painted cards. These precut sheets are very handy to pass out during a workshop, use for practice, or even to complete a small painting.

Why We Like This:

Great for plein air or travel kits
Cute size cotton paper, easy to handlebudget friendly for beginners
Color blends beautifully, looks sharp (not dull at all) on the paper
Nice heavy paper perfect for small art projects

Best For adding White highlights: Strathmore Watercolor 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 product is exactly that - it's a simple product that hits all the right notes. The paper holds pastel pencil with little rub, as well as Pen and Pencil well. The smooth side is somewhat less absorbent than the other side and they behave somewhat differently in general. The paper is thick and very smooth for pen&ink and watercolor. It is a great sketchbook for adding highlights to your sketches.

The beige paper is great for adding white highlights. The paper is thick and can be used for a variety of art projects. The benefit of the softcover makes it more pliable for a travel pack. It's 100% cotton, acid free. There is no water seepage so far through to the next page.

Why We Like This:

Excellent even for moderate watercolor use
Flexible lightweight format in convenient, portable sizes
Good for light washed and dry mediums

Best For Acrylic: Strathmore Art Journal

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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 product is exactly that - it's a simple product that hits all the right notes. The small number of pages of this sketchbook provides a nice way to document your work over short time periods. The pages are quality 60lb acid-free paper with a little bit of tooth which makes for a nice drawing experience. It’s nice and sturdy with the hardcover front, and the paper is nice and thick. The natural white color and traditional cold press surface allows for fine and even washes, as well as lifting and scraping applications.

The Durable Smyth-sewn binding allows pages to lay flatter. It is easy to loosen it up enough to lay flat while you are painting. This is great for all watercolor, gouache, pencil and colored pencil.

Why We Like This:

Nice size, big enough for full pieces and small enough to take around easily
Wonderful for pencil, watercolor, and markers
Good investment for long term

Best With Acrylic Paint: Strathmore Really Nice Heavy Smooth Paper

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The strathmore really nice heavy smooth paper might be a relatively new release, but it's still nothing short of impressive this year. It is one of the most important decisions an artist makes in determining the outcome of their work. The Vision watercolor pad features an economic heavyweight watercolor paper with a cold press finish that provides even washes and good lifts with wet media techniques. It features a tear-off top sheet with a customizable, steel blue, 184 lb. The paper is nice and thick, and it is great for pen, marker and watercolour paint. It holds up well with watercolour and no bleed through.

The paper is not translucent, and feathering depends on the ink used in your calligraphy pen. It isn't great for heavy washes, but it handles mixed media well. This is only good for a young beginner artist.

Why We Like This:

High quality paper, great for art projects
Very good paper great to paint on and draw on
Nice for ink, pencil and charcoal

Best For Water coloring: Strathmore favorite Watercolor Paper

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It is necessary to have at least a 140 pound density paper to use. It is easy to use and high quality for a beginner that's dabbling in watercoloring. It's nice and thick with light texture on one side. It is great for any kid to have their own pad for the watercolors. The quality of the paper is great and the water colors look sharp and dries fast and great.

The paper is thick enough to not have to worry about soaking through the paper. It is easy to remove, and you can just trim the frills off, rather than risk tearing your paper.

Why We Like This:

Lifting is easy, providing you do not use staining watercolors
Good quality for beginners on water color painting
Holds watercolors well without running or curling
Very thick and heavy so it doesn't crinkle with a lot of water

Best For learning Watercolor techniques: Strathmore Quality Paper

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If you often find yourself scrambling for appropriate and satisfactory paper, this product should be your first option for buying. No matter your choice of medium, you can be confident strathmore paper will enhance your artistic efforts. The strathmore learning series utilizes both traditional lessons and video-based instructions to provide a 'blended' lesson, enabling you to follow at your own pace with step-by-step instructions developed by prominent, professional art instructors. It is an instructional on how to draw women, as there are literally one or two male characters out of about. The steps make it easy and the tips included make you feel confident.

The paper is nice and you will like the spiral binding. There are clear videos and explanations on line that you can access with information within the booklet. There are also extra pages at the back of the book to practice on and the paper is really good quality and works well with most pencils and graphic pens.

Why We Like This:

A great book for beginners and all pencil artists
Fun and easy art book for beginning and budding artists
Useful and also connected to online video instruction for the extra benefit

Best For ink drawings: Strathmore percent Cotton

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The strathmore percent cotton is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your daily purpose. The strathmore 500 series ready cut watercolor cold press papers are standard sized sheets for ready-made frames and mats perfect for your watercolor creations. It lifts well and handles masking fluid and light erasing or using a kneaded eraser. It is good for ink drawings. It fits standard, inexpensive off the shelf frames. It holds ink very well and the texture makes it feel as though it's a high-end, professionally printed card.

This watercolor paper is 100% cotton, acid free, and archival. It makes it hard to blend on the paper because the water soaks in quickly.

Why We Like This:

Great for art journals, plain air, etc
Nice thick card quality with textured side
Decent quality paper, ready cut for watercolor sketches
Good paper in a convenient pre-cut format

Best For colored pencil: Strathmore Watercolour Paper

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For a low asking price, strathmore watercolour paper has managed to overwhelm their customers by packing as many features as they could. These are convenient, ready cut sheets of 140 lb. It comes in european sizes rather than standard american frame sizes. The Ready Cut Watercolor sheets are lignin and acid free, archival, and are made from 100% cotton fiber.

Why We Like This:

Standard sizes fit frames and 100 cotton
Holds a large amount of water
Good brand reputation

The 9 Best Strathmore Watercolour Papers (2023 reviews)

Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Strathmore Great Paper

Best For Really responsive Paper: Strathmore Series Paper

Best For adding White highlights: Strathmore Watercolor Paper

Best For Acrylic: Strathmore Art Journal

Best With Acrylic Paint: Strathmore Really Nice Heavy Smooth Paper

Best For Water coloring: Strathmore favorite Watercolor Paper

Best For learning Watercolor techniques: Strathmore Quality Paper

Best For ink drawings: Strathmore percent Cotton

Best For colored pencil: Strathmore Watercolour Paper

10 Best Strathmore Hot Press Papers