Clairefontaine - Ref 96541C - Paint'ON Multi-Technique Naturel Paper Pad (30 Sheets) - A3 Size, 250gsm Heavyweight Paper, Natural Sand Colour, Acid Free, pH Neutral

I’m a long time fan of Clairefontaine art paper, and I’ve (probably) bought every colour from the standard pads 250g range.I bought this one because I’d run out of grey, previously bought the same from another outlet. It’s my preferred choice for working in coloured pencils, and though I’m not a professional artist, I tend to put pencil to paper more days than I don’t.As always, it’s an excellent choice for pencils - graphite, sketching, coloured etc. I have, in the past, used acrylics on the 250g weight and, for me, I didn’t find the paper to hold up to acrylics as well as some other reviewers claim but that could be down to the fact I like to use a fair amount of water, though not quite the amount used for watercolours.Pencils are what I generally use, and in that regard the paper is an excellent choice. It’s a nice, robust paper, smooth enough to create fine detail, stands up to layering, erasing, and it’s perfectly capable of handling a few lines, dots and dabs with a Posca pen (for highlighting/creating contrast), as well as inks/fine liners.I find the grey works well when creating both light and dark work, blending/burnishing colours poses no difficulty, and I like the contrast between the paper and whatever the finished result is.The one negative is the fact that the pad is glued, and you can’t switch a page without it coming away from the pad, my preference being spiral bound pads but, considering the price, quantity and quality, I think it’s a fair trade off.At 30 A4 sheets for less than £9.00 you can’t go wrong choosing any of Clairefontaine’s Paint’ON range to work with though I’m not sure I’d recommend it for professional work, I’d go for Clairefontaine’s Pastel Mat range if your aiming for pro art.All in all a recommended art paper for students, budding artists, hobbyists, practice-makes-perfect attempts, art therapy and similar.

This is the best pastel I have found for use with soft pastels. It's expensive but worth the price as cheaper ones don't do justice to the pastels.

I've been looking for an A5 sketchbook for some time now and have struggled.I've been buying a set of cheap sketchbooks from a stationary store and Amazon for about 3/4 years now. Same brand, same size, worked every time. A big brand name. However they suddenly changed the paper quality and it left me scrambling to find a replacement! I tried 3x different sketchbooks from Amazon and none of them worked. The pages were too smooth, or they didn't blend correctly.At a loss I tried this one - the Clairefontaine pad in A5.It is, by far, the BEST paper I've ever used for watercolour and blending.I primarily use small markers and blend these together with a watercolour brush pen. It is seamless, and really holds up well. You can see in the images that the output is bright, punchy and even the saturation test really holds up. I used a pigment black marker on top and this also held nicely!In terms of bleed - even a chunky permanent marker didn't go through. The texture is spot on - a white finish with a slight grainyness to it (not overly textured like watercolour paper, but a good level of resistance).The best part? You can tear out each sheet - perfect for prepping art to sell / scan in without cutting or tearing out.I'll definitely be buying more and really hope Clairefontaine don't change the paper finish and quality!

I bought this paper to practice coloured pencil drawing with after hearing some reviews. It hasn’t dissapointed so far, it can take quite a few layers and the quality feels great. Only downside is the weight at 250gsm. I would prefer a little heavier at 300gsm. I’m have also bought the coloured version and looking forward to trying that.I would say if you are new to mixed media or indeed coloured pencils this is a great starter paper that won’t break the bank and gives a great result. I will be buying it again.

I use this grey paper for Life Studies, with pastels and charcoal. It really gives a lovely effect, even with very short poses it can add a fabulous look and feel with plenty of atmosphere. It has a nice texture and is ideal when using an eraser. The pages can be taken out of the pad with great ease and I am really enjoying the A3 size, which I tend to use most of the time.

This is good thick,heavyweight paper with the surface feel of cartridge paper. The block is glued along one long side. The colour is a pale, even buff. It does have the occasional tiny dark speck blemishing the surface on some pages but nothing serious. I actually wanted something a little warmer and darker in tone, but I am pretty happy with it nonetheless. It is impossible to judge the colour accurately on a computer screen but the paper is actually a bit lighter than the shade implied by the front cover of the block.I've only just started using it and haven't yet tried it wet on wet, but it shows no sign of buckling under a wash. It is lovely to draw on with ink (dip pen and brush) and I'm sure it would be suitable for watercolour. However, probably not for pastels or similar as there is minimal tooth.

One of the best I have come across and a great price.

This is my favourite paper. Ive been using it for a few years now & Ive used it with almost every single medium due to doing a lot of mixed media projects for school. Watercolour paints, acrylic paints, graphite & charcoal, coloured pencils, oil pastels, everything. It's just great all around paper. For watercolours if you add too many layers it can buckle a little but for the price & amount you get it's worth it in my opinion. I use it for most of my art because its so handy, and doesnt have the guilt that super expensive paper does haha. I dont really have any complaints, I couldn't recommend it more

This paper is not good at all it is easy to make unwanted marks ( make a dents in paper even with gentle pressure). Do not use low masking tape on this paper to preserve certain areas. It does not hold the pastels very well. The ink blotches. Etc see my sample.

Top ! Papier quali, epais résiste à l'aquarelle. Franchement super.

Tiene un grosor perfecto para aguantar técnicas con pigmentos y con pastas de textura

C’est la première fois que j’achète ce type de papier donc je n’ai pas d’éléments de comparaison. Utilisé par ma fille de 2,5 ans pour de la gouache et de l’aquarelle en pastille. Tant que l’on ne mouille pas trop le papier il se tient très bien et ne gondole pas trop. Ne convient pas pour de nombreuses couches d’aquarelle ou pour travailler humide sur humide.

Das Papier ist zwar nicht gerade günstig, aber der Preis lohnt sich definitiv. Bisher habe ich es nur für Softpastellkreide genutzt und war mit dem Ergebnis sehr zufrieden.