" Ursus coloured paper is 100% recycled. It is ideal for collages, engraving, printing, linocuts, display and crafts. The paper is acid-free, bleed-proof and has a matt surface with high colour brilliance. Ursus coloured paper contains no toxic material and is therefore ideal for children to use. "
Taken from the Great Art website - www.greatart.co.uk
Taken from the Great Art website - www.greatart.co.uk
I do not think that there are enough paper companies out there that offer professional quality coloured paper for artists. The papers that I have found are either textured, too soft which minimises layering applications and most papers have limited colour options, normally white only. I like tonal papers as they work as a base very much like oil painters who apply a burnt sienna wash to their canvas before they begin applying colour and the tan tone that Ursus offers allows me the same effect. I also like to use light and mid tonal greys for cool subjects and on the odd occasion a black too. I use white paper on the odd occasion when I am creating a subject with lots of colour and feel that a white base definitely helps these colours to 'pop' in the same way light colours on black paper do. Papers such as Stonehenge, Canson Mi-tientes and Strathmore offer tonal colours but some can be textured and these may or may not be suitable for all artists, there is always the possibility that some products may not be easily accessible to everyone.
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CHARACTERISTICS
GSM: 220/300gsm |
PAPER TYPE: 100% Recycled |
ARCHIVAL: No |
ACID FREE: Yes |
COSTS RRP From: 45p |
ADVANTAGES
* A wide selection of 56 colours and tones * A choice of weights - 130/220/300gsm * Matt surface allows multiple layer application - good for highly detailed artwork. * Multiple uses * Low cost * Acid Free & 100% recycled * Contains no toxic material |
DISADVANTAGES
* Not Archival * Tonal paper is prone to colour fade if not correctly protected -the darker the colour, the more noticeable it will be - framing art created on tonal paper behind museum quality/UV protection glass is recommended * It has a slight tooth that does not allow for a smooth, transitional tones of colour needed for smooth subjects such as skin tones. * Only available from Great Art |
A wide selection of colours & tones
If, like me you prefer to work on tonal paper, Ursus has a great choice of colours to choose from. My favourites and most used are the tan & the light grey tones. The paper has a slight tooth, so you cannot get a really smooth transition of colour such as subjects like skin or smooth man made items, however this is all down to individual preference and the texture can add to the interest of the artwork. The cool tones are great as a foundation for cool subjects mostly those with a majority of white, black or blue tones and the warm tonal papers are best suited for warm subjects with mostly yellow, orange and brown tones. Green coloured papers could be used for botanical art, the blue tones could work well for landscapes and pinks/purples well suited to human portraiture. A tonal paper can really help pencil colours 'pop' and black is especially popular for many artists as it offers a striking finish, especially if you apply lighter colours to the main outline of a subject.
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The colour charts below are taken from the only online UK art store that sells this paper, Great Art. The paper is sold in a 50cm x 70cm size as either single sheets 130/220/300gsm or you can buy 1 colour as a pack of 10 as well as packs of colour assortments in 130/300gsm and a brown shades option in either 130 or 300gsm weights. There are also other options to purchase bulk or pads in the 130gsm weight which is more suited to crafts or for sketching purposes.
Examples of paper tones
I have always leaned towards using coloured paper for my coloured pencil art, even when I was just starting out and thought there was just one type of paper and one type of coloured pencil (I was young!) Even now, I rarely use white paper except for brightly coloured subjects. Many pencil artists work only with white paper and when creating white subjects, would actually create these with tones of grey - by choosing a grey tonal paper, I am doing the opposite, using a white pencil over a grey foundation and it all depends on the preference of the artist, I like the strong highlights that is offered on a tonal paper. Here are a couple of examples.
You can see how striking the lighter pencil tones are on this warm tonal base and how much effect it gives to the overall effect. The warm base offers a starting point for light colours that would be lost on white drawing paper and this paper allows for multiple layers to create very fine detail. Every piece of art I create is treated with a UV protection fixative for added protection. |
I create a lot of 'Illustrative' type head & shoulder pet portraits but personally prefer to see immediate effects of the light pencil tones on tonal grey backgrounds. The striking effects are seen from the start and this allows me to keep perspectives in check as I work, the vibrancy of the 'pink skin' undertones also offers an effective and realistic finish to the whole portrait. |
What is gsm, and what is the importance of it?
There are many weights of paper that are used in art but all sold as gsm (grams per square metre) or lbs, the higher the number, the thicker the paper tends to be and more suited for heavier applications of various mediums. Different mediums will require different weights of paper just as different artists with different techniques will prefer different weights too. Ursus paper is sold in three weights, a 130gsm for artists who prefer light sketches, the 220gsm for those who like a maximum of eight layers (estimate) and the 300gsm for those artists that create very detailed art and will apply multiple layers of pencil as well as those that may be a little heavy handed with their pencils too. The two sample images above show the difference between applications, too many layers and you can dent or even damage the paper (see 220gsm example) the 300gsm image seen above will take many more layers without any damage to the paper so always be aware of your own technique and application before deciding on which paper weight is most suited to you.
Article written February 2017