Do you want to try out a new range of papers? Have you heard of Clairefontaine’s Paint’On?

Paint’ON Papers: Which paper to choose?
White, smooth, grainy, black, grey, natural, denim blue or greeny-grey, but which paper should you choose from the multitude of papers in the Paint’ON assortment?
Finding a paper that meets your expectations is not always easy.
Here is a short summary to help you see things more clearly.
Mixed Media Paper
Clairefontaine’s Paint’ON MIXED MEDIA pads are versatile, affordable 250g/m2 papers that make it easy to apply a wide range of graphic or painting techniques.
Appreciated by art students as well as full-time artists, these multifunctional papers allow you to express your creativity at any time.
These products are currently available at GreatArt Online or in the art supply shop in London Shoreditch..
GREAT TO KNOW : White, black, grey, blue, green, natural… Before buying a complete block in one colour, do not hesitate to test the assortment pads which have all the available colours in, so you can appreciate all the paper qualities and their versatility.

White PAINT’ON
Paint’ON offers 3 types of extremely versatile white papers: Smooth, textured and Rough.
Depending on your needs, you may choose one or the other. White paper with a smooth texture is mainly suitable for dry, precise and refined techniques. It is better suited to technical drawings, perspective sketches and clear line drawings. Do not hesitate to use graphite or coloured pencils, markers, fine-liners or pastel pencils with this white paper.
The other two white papers are more suitable for spontaneous strokes, diffuse techniques, reliefs or paints slightly diluted with a pen or brush.
You can therefore use graphite pencils, sanguines, stamps, chalks, but also thick Indian ink and tubes of gouache if you want to have fun.
These papers are still very pleasant for illustration, creating patterns, styling, studying landscapes, contrasts or portraits in black and white, still life and so on…
GREAT TO KNOW : All the colours in the Paint’ON Mixed Media assortment are not really recommended for wet or fluid techniques. Therefore, within the Paint’ON family, watercolour should be avoided.

Natural PAINT’ON
With its slightly rough texture, this paper has a beautiful natural colour, similar to that of soft wood. It enhances the nuances of the drawing, and stimulates inspiration when you are tired of creating too much on white backgrounds.
Paint’ON beige brings more warm tones to portraits or botanical drawings.
Why not try these papers out?
You will see for yourself that the white ink or pencil look divine on paper. Don’t hesitate to use pastels, coloured pencils, charcoals or you can have fun with collages to discover the qualities of natural Paint’ON!
GREAT TO KNOW : For a modern artwork, don’t hesitate to dare to use fluorescent lines with this type of paper shade. The result will be bright and surprising.

Black PAINT’ON
Black Paint’ON is a deep black, solution-dyed paper with a very light grain and a remarkable texture.
It’s A clear preference to use black paper with coloured and white pencils, oil pastels, gouache in tubes (undiluted or slightly diluted), fine point white markers or Tipp-Ex pens.
The black colouring brings out the most delicate contrasts and gives a beautiful depth to light and bright colours. You can have fun creating Zentangle patterns, abstract design inspired by mark-making, line art, sparkling galaxies, moonlight silhouettes, and even make pretty passepartouts!
GREAT TO KNOW : Black paper is not really suitable for dry pastel, the results can be a bit disappointing.

Grey PAINT’ON
Paint’ON’s neutral grey textured paper is dark enough to allow for beautiful contrasts between light and dark colours, as the highlights pop off easily to create beautiful 3D effects.
The paper has a light texture that is smooth enough to be used with pens, alcohol markers, ink, graphite pencils, chalks, charcoals, pastels and even electric scrubbing, which does not damage it.
This grey shade is excellent for animal portraits, floral drawings, car design, architectural or industrial design, fine jewellery designs and also for snowy landscapes.
GREAT TO KNOW : Paint’ON pads are bound with glue, and their heavy pages tend to separate from the pad. Unlike sketchbooks, the sheets are easily detachable for framing or portfolio completion.
Blue PAINT’ON
Paint’ON Blue Denim is my favourite paper. There is something hypnotic about this blue. Stare at it for a few minutes and you can’t tell if it’s blue or grey…
Its soft mineral blue tint highlights the depth of the black lines and the brightness of the light strokes.
This paper is perfect for portraits, still lifes, mountainous or snowy landscapes, seascapes, but also all abstract creations that allow you to let go.
This blue lends itself well to paper cuts, multi-technique drawings, pastels or slightly diluted gouache.

GREAT TO KNOW : Why not play with monochrome or tone-on-tone with this blue paper? The full blue colour works well with a few touches of white that will give your design a very modern look.
Greeny-grey PAINT’ON
Greeny-grey Paint’ON paper is a tricky colour to define, as it is actually a different shade of yellow-green. Sometimes flirting with khaki, sometimes grey, this incredibly sophisticated green can bring a real touch of originality to all our graphic creations.
It would be a shame to miss out on it: with this paper, you can use red chalk, charcoal, ochre, brown and white chalks, pastels, felt pens and coloured pencils.
An excellent choice for creating portraits, plant or mineral compositions, sketching forest landscapes or flower gardens.
GREAT TO KNOW : Greeny-grey paper goes divinely well with orange or copper-gold, so don’t hesitate to combine metallic effects to play with contrasts!
Content provided by Amylee Paris

The passion of Amylee Paris, painter, consultant and author is to share her paintings between galleries, art collectors and her community. Beyond her pictorial skills and her several eBooks available online, Amylee is also recognized as one of the most influential francophone artist-entrepreneurs. She helps beginners or professional artists to optimize their artistic activity.
You can visit her colourful portfolio, follow her on Facebook and Instagram, or find all Amylee’s posts published in GreatArt online Magazine by clicking here!
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