200 or 300 gsm paper in sketchbook?
And how to choose right weight of cotton paper?
Before you make this decision it’s crucial to understand the difference between cotton and cellulose paper. Many people that have had experience with cellulose paper would consider the 200gsm cellulose as unsuitable for their needs. The thing is, it's not only the paperweight and the thickness that differs. Most of all, it's about the quality of paper and its hardness. To put it simply, 200gsm cellulose is not the same as 200gsm cotton and you would be able to feel that difference.
Cotton paper (known as watercolor paper) is significantly harder than the cellulose version. Cellulose paper and printing paper are frequently used in typical sketchbooks that many beginner artists use.
If you have worked with 200 grams cellulose paper and it has turned out as not the best option for you, you should not cross off 200gsm cotton paper from your list. While it may have the same grammage, cotton paper is more damage resistant despite being thinner.
200gsm cotton paper is a perfect choice for daily drawing and for those of you who have experience with regular sketchbooks. 200gsm premium is also great for practicing watercolor techniques, gouache, pencils and even fountainpens.
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| 200gsm Fabriano Artistico | 300gsm Fabriano Artistico | |
300gsm is perfect for intense washes but it’s good to know that the thick layer of an adhesive makes the drying process longer. Pencils and crayons don’t look as flawless, and fountain pens don’t work as smoothly on 300gsm. Unlike cellulose paper, the cotton version is sized both internally and externally. It makes verry strong. 200gsm cotton paper is simply strong enough and it is still a good choice. It has more pages therefore it will last longer. It’s also great for daily sketching in which you may want to use watercolor washes or other drawing/painting tools. In this case, 200gsm cotton paper is more universal than the 300gsm variant.
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| Faountainpen Ink on 200gsm Fabriano Artistico (Platinum Sepia+Pilot Falcon) |
Fountainpen Ink on 300gsm Fabriano Artistico (Platinum Sepia + Pilot Falcon) |
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Thinner pages in 200gsm look more aesthetic when the sketchbook is full (which makes it easier to flatten later on).
That's why we made ART series to let you enjoy this multi technique 100% cotton paper.
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Since we’re getting many questions about our products, we’ve decided to dedicate a whole article to dispel any doubts you might have. Let’s get started.
A peculiar approach to the matter
A thing that you may not know, is the fact that the majority of sketchbooks are produced on a mass scale. The process is similar to the production of books, notepads or even calendars. That’s why some sketchbooks look almost identical to notebooks. The only difference is the paper - it’s blank and therefore “recommended” for painting and sketching.
Our main goal is to produce high-quality and cruelty-free products. Creating Premium sketchbooks means making sure that we’re acquiring the best possible materials and that our clients know exactly what has been used to bring their sketchbooks to life.
Transparency is our domain. We’re not a corporation, so there’s no secrecy; we’re always happy to share the components of our sketchbooks; from paper through threads to glue and covers. There are very specific reasons behind our choices: all the elements come from manufacturers with a long history and experience in their field. The fact that our suppliers meet strict ecological requirements as well as ensure an ethical environment means a great deal to us.
We’re attaching all the components that we use and the description of the brands, below.