Canson XL Series Bristol Paper, Smooth, Foldover Pad, 14x17 inches, 25 Sheets (100lb/260g) - Artist Paper for Adults and Students - Markers, Pen and Ink

One of the best surface Canson has produced for dry medium based on its tooth/texture. Not many artists has had the opportunity to try this paper to see how incredible it is. It has 2 different texture type on each sides. (A smooth and a medium/vellum that is equivalent to strathmore 300 series vellum.) My only dislike is that it has a few pulps here and there on each sheets because of its recycled properties but they're not very visible unless you've gotten very close to inspect. This is perfect for Charcoal, Graphite, Crayons etc and the thickness of the sheets are awesome.

I bought this expecting it to disappoint--I know, that is not the way to start a new product exploration. But often I get the recommended items from videos and find they are not as presented in the video. However, this was surprisingly good. I gave it a workout too--heavy washes of watercolor, several applications of India Ink lines--it was treated roughly--and yet, minimal warpage for that crazy amount of water I put on it. As the video said, it is tops for ink work. The color spread just enough for my fading in and out of intensity as I hoped, yet stayed within the parameters I set for it. Not much "tooth" so if you need a bit of grit there, it is minimal--but that is perfect for ink work. I would buy this again when I use it up.

This is Canson Bristol. It's good stuff. I use it to draw comics, graphic novels, and other illustration projects. It's good for penciling because you can erase a lot and it won't wear or pill up. It takes ink well if it's decent ink applied with a quality pen/brush. I don't recommend it for wet media.

This review is about XL Bristol Vellum. I’ve attached a photo of the inside cover of this pad of paper which indicates in its chart that XL Bristol Vellum works well with watercolor. After my test, I believe it - it certainly works well with water color pencil :) Detail: I rigorously tested this paper with a combo of liquid masking fluid applied three ways (ruler pen, marker, and silicon brush), followed by water color pencil (applied two ways - pencil then wet brush, & wet brush then pencil), followed by layers of color pencil (some applied light, some stronger strokes), followed by burnishing parts with colored pencil, blending parts with a stump, and blending parts with mineral oil. Masking fluid came off EASILY after 24 hours on paper! No bleeding above or below masking fluid. I even used an electric eraser to test that (did pretty well, darker colors tended to dye paper/harder to lift, but definite lightening without noticeably damaging paper). The paper held up great! No bleed through of wet or eraser or pencil pressure to the other side. FYI, I used one piece of paper taken out of the pad without stretching it or tacking it down - just loose. There was a slight curling but not too bad. No warping. No bubbling. No pooling. Because of the slight curling, I’d recommend using artist tape to tape it down. Curling righted itself when I put under the pad of paper once it was dry. FYI, There is enough tooth in the paper that it took several layers of colored pencil. -but smooth enough to blend nicely. I used Caran d’Arch water color pencils and Prismacolor Premier pencils. I used a water brush to apply water (so not sopping wet, so can’t attest to full water color wet on wet use). Mineral oil used liberally for blending pencils did not bleed through to other side. I’m very pleased, will enjoy using and will buy again. 5 stars!

I don't doubt its quality but I don't see the vellum and smooth surface differences on both sides, it's kind of vellum both sides to me.

finally got around to using this tablet,i started off with watercolors,then some colored pencil on top of that,then finished the elephant with soft pastel sticks..and it did great, I did tape a few of the edges,and it dried flat..very happy with this paper..i will try a alchol marker and penils next..

This is very good quality for the needs of a student in a graphite drawing class. Good value for the money. I'd use this brand again.

I bought this for gelprinting. Love the smooth tooth of this paper. I love the smoothness of this paper. Great quality!