Strathmore 400 Series Wire Bound Toned Sketch Pad, 80 lb. Paper, 9 X 12 inches, Gray, 50 Sheets (412-109)

This pad of paper is fantastic! I used it in a drawing class and it was excellent. Our instructor shared that this brand and style of paper is as good as it gets. I’ll buy Strathmore forever.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting your art journey, the Strathmore 400 Series Toned Gray Sketch Pad is one of those rare supplies that immediately changes how you think about drawing. It is a staple on my desk for several reasons.Why This Paper Is a Game ChangerThe Mid-Tone Magic: Starting with a cool gray background instead of a blinding white one does half the work for you. Since the paper acts as your "middle value," you only have to focus on adding your darkest shadows and brightest highlights.The Perfect "Tooth": The surface texture is smooth enough for fine detail work but has just enough grit (tooth) to grab onto graphite, colored pencils, and charcoal without it sliding around.Pop Your Highlights: This is where the paper shines. Using a white charcoal pencil or a white gel pen on this gray surface creates an incredible 3D effect that you just can't achieve on white paper.Sustainable Quality: It’s 100% recycled (containing 30% post-consumer fiber), yet it feels premium and acid-free, so your sketches won't yellow or degrade over time.

If you love working on toned paper this is right for yo u. Perfect size for larger drawings, but can also cut down to your required size for a drawing. Paper weight is perfect, quality is excellent it’s expensive but worth it. I primarily use pencils and charcoal. This is gray tone which I use if I want a cooler tone. There is also tan version for a warmer drawing. At this time in my artistic journey I prefer a tone paper versus white paper I’ve also purchased the 11x14 size.

I had been wanting to try the toned sketchbooks but was hesitant because in the hobby store the paper felt thin & not very durable. It also felt like it had little to no "tooth", (for non drawing folk that means the roughness that allows the device you are writing or drawing with to be able to make the mark you wish & for drawing tooth allows for multiple layers of graphite, charcoal, or colored pencil. OKAY! Here's the good news! I was WRONG! (I really do not like to admit that, it's rare, so enjoy it😱)I have been doing product samples on this sketchbook as I do on all new paper that I'm trying for the first time. (you never want to be creating your masterpiece & discover that your luscious chocolate brown colored pencil looks more like something your dog created on your new paper!) So after some testing I have found that the paper is much more durable than it looks! Ballpoint pen, colored pencil, & graphite work fantastic. Erasing is not a problem if you are delicate about it. By delicate I mean normal erasing for art not grinding away with a rockhard old eraser. I tested this by erasing a 1" squared area then using the same pencil I created a smooth patch of color over that square & the one next to it. I couldn't tell a difference. I wouldn't try to erase pen, or a dark pencil mark. Using markers was a mixed deal. My pigma microns were great, sharpie's bled through.I am very pleased so far, it has created a new spark in my drawing having the additional value to work with. (I bought both the gray & tan) I bought the smallest size available because drawing on a toned background is new for me. If I have any new information in the future I will post it, as of now I am extremely pleased overall and am sure I will be buying more in the future.UPDATE: One thing I have found a little frustrating is the paper has multicolored fibers throughout. I didn't think that was a real issue at first until I was drawing a face, not really a portrait just an imaginary face & these dark fiber lines kept appearing in the most awkward places. I think the clearest description I can give is they look like eyelashes fell into the paper as it was being made. In one drawing it seriously looked like I had drawn a nose hair on this poor womans face! Not the look I was going for, and unless you are much better at changing your drawing midstream than I am you are then stuck with the nose hair or you will need to create some dramatic shadows. I could have done a "sex change" I guess, gave her a mustache... it was just a bit frustrating. I am by far not the greatest artist on the planet, I am really not even comfortable using the term artist to describe myself, I just like to draw. I still do like the sketchbooks but my paper preference is still Arches hot pressed watercolor paper in a bright white. I probably just need more work time with these.

The grey is a bit more taupe. It’s a nice color but not a neutral grey.

This is a quality mid-tone sketchbook. I like it for quick sketches or urban sketching. I often use it with black and white charcoal and it works well with that.What I like:The tooth. This holds thick applications of charcoal or powdered graphite well.The color. This sits at a nice mid point, letting me evenly darken the shadows and brighten the highlights without anything seeming out of balance.The binding. This lays flat, as expected of a spiral bound. The binding does not catch on anything in my bag. The pages are sturdy and not prone to falling out.The sturdiness of the page. I am not very good and have to erase a lot. This tolerates that kind of abuse quite well. I recommend the Pentel Hi-Polymer Eraser even so, as that's really gentle on the page, but either way, this paper can take a lot of reworking. I've had paper lose its tooth after too much rework. Not an issue here.The size. This is just small enough to carry around easily and just large enough to give me a good surface to work on. In this too, it hits a nice midpoint.I would normally put a "what I don't like" section in a review, but here I can't. It would be empty.

Good paper for colored pencils

I love this paper. I had the 9x12 pad and just upgraded to the 18x24. It's my go-to. Highlights pop.

Muy buena calidad de papel, perfecto para sketching con la posibilidad de usar blanco. Tamaño adecuado para llevar en un pequeño bolso

Ich habe einen größeren Block gebraucht. Ich bin zufrieden aber nach längerem drauf zeichnen hat der Block die Farbe nichtmehr richtig angenommen und es fühlt sich anders an darauf zu zeichnen als auf der normalen Größe. Ich musste 4 Köpfe zeichnen und mit den ersten beiden hat alles irgendwie super gekappt. Bei dem 3 und 4 kopf nahm der Block dann die Farbe weniger gut auf. Ich weiß nicht woran das liegt, so alsob das Papier auf der anderen Seite besser ist als auf der anderen. Keine Ahnung. Bin aber schon zufrieden aber geht besser.

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The texture is just too much busy sometimes, otherwise a great book for sketches with both Graphite and CharcoalMore art at instagram id Sahilvrawat

ik werk er graag mee papier is dun de kleur is mooi heelijk om het allemaal uit te proberen