FLIGHT

Hi, I'm new to this forum but I hope to be posting up a lot of art soon for you guys to look at!

I wanted to ask you guys though-- what kind of paper do you use when drawing/inking? I use bristol with a vellum finish but when I look real close, there's a bit of bleeding when I ink.

Is there something better that you guys can suggest? Thanks!

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Inverted Love - my sketch blog

I prefer smooth finish bristol. As for the bleeding issue, unfortunately it's a sort of luck-of-the-draw situation. Most of the pads I work on take the ink just fine, but there are always a couple where the ink will bleed. I've had the misfortune of penciling some really intricate pieces before finding out that the paper won't take the ink. Now I make sure to test the paper first. You may also want to try out different types of ink. Sometimes Sumi-E ink bleeds less than India ink and you might prefer it. Over time, you'll just get a sense of what works for you and you'll get used to working around inconsistencies, like bleeding paper.

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I've never actually tried smooth bristol. It's so slick that it always makes me think the ink will slide straight off but I'm going to try it next time. I'm used to inking with a brush so I wonder if the effect is the same? Thanks!

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Inverted Love - my sketch blog

The hands-down best results I've had with brush/crowquill and ink are with hot-press watercolor paper and plate-finish 500-lb. 3-ply bristol board. They are the smoothest and most resilient, but also, unfortunately, are rather pricey. I like Arches Grain-Satiné watercolor blocks - they have a very tight surface and once ink is dry on it it bonds indelibly, so I can go over it with wash or watercolor if I want. As for 500 weight paper, I think you can only get it in 30x40 sheets, which I cut myself to make 10x15" art boards. Vellum-finish paper has its place as well - its slightly roughened surface can add a lot of character to a drawing. But I have never figured out how to make vellum-finish take a really smooth line.

For bristol board pads, Kazu is right that it's kind of a crapshoot. Some batches are terriffic, and others are so porous that they bleed almost before you even put the ink down. Testing your sheets is key.

--M

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I mentioned this in a different thread, but it's such good paper I'll say it again: Borden & Riley #234, paper for pens. http://www.bordenandriley.com/website/paperspenink.html
It's super-smooth, bright white, and there's absolutely no bleeding. The downside is that it's only usable for ink.

And I'm gonna agree with Kazu that bristol board is unreliable. Different brands can be bleed more or less, and I've found the paper color is not always consistent, some being more yellow than others.

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http://kstipetic.blogspot.com
http://kstipetic.deviantart.com

Amy loves Borden & Riley paper.

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Because I print my pencils out on a pre-ruled guide, I use a smooth cardstock from Office MAx. Not the most glamorous of things, but it gets the job done and handles the ink really really well. I've also used the bristol paper you can run through the printer and I've liked it a lot too, but its a bit thin. I've kind of had to start caring more about the final product (the finished page) than the paper itself. Though, if I can afford a heavy duty printer in the future, I plan to start using nicer strathmore paper.

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Strathmore smooth finish bristol. Never had a problem inking on it as long as I let the ink dry first

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