Using Toned Tan Drawing Paper To Bring Sketches to Life

Recently I purchased a 9"x12" Strathmore Toned Tan sketchbook from Strathmore's 400 series.   I'd seen artists on Instagram and Tumblr share their sketches, and I was always impressed by how nice things looked on toned paper.  I liked the fact that the paper served as a midtone, and that you could add highlights with a white gel pen, white gouache, white color pencil, white chalk, or even white Winsor and Newton pigment markers.  The paper is very smooth, perfect for inking on, and takes markers moderately well.  
My media of choice for this paper are Prismacolor color pencils, Derwent Coloursoft color pencils, Sailor Mitsuo Aida brushpens, Copic markers (in warm grays!), colored Pitt Pens, and even Winsor & Newton Pigment markers.  You can find links to all of these products at the bottom of this post, if you're interested in checking them out.   It's really fun to play around on this paper, and the result is very finished and satisfying.
I highly recommend you purchase a set of Coloursoft color pencils, or at least purchase a white Coloursoft pencil, as these are some of the smoothest, buttery-est color pencils I've ever used.  While they're a bit too soft for my warmup sketches, they're great for applying fields of color evenly.  I plan on doing a post exploring them, and other color pencil brands in the future, but I think they're worth mentioning now.  I'm also currently working on a large Winsor & Newton Pigment marker post (waiting on my Winsor & Newton marker paper sample to come in, as well as my set of skintones), but if you have any questions about either brand, don't hesitate to ask!
While the paper takes markers decently well, they will bleed through, so I recommend putting a sheet of scrap paper beneath pages you plan on rendering with markers.  I also sketched my inked pieces with pencil first, and pencil erases very cleanly from this paper, leaving no scuffs or marks.  As always, I allow the Mitsuo Aida ink to dry 24 hours before I apply any water or alcohol based media on top, to prevent smearing.
Completed with Prismacolor pencils
Completed with a Sailor Mitsuo Aida pen, Copic Markers, and white highlights were added with a white Winsor & Newton Pigment Marker
Prismacolor pencils
Completed with Sailor Mitsuo Aidia, select Copic Warm Grays, and white Winsor & Newton Pigment Marker
Completed with Prismacolor Pencils and Derwent Coloursoft (white)
  Kara costume 1: Dandelion Completed with Sailor Mitsuo Aida, Pitt Pens, and Winsor & Newton Pigment Markers
Completed with Prismacolor pencils, Derwent Coloursoft, Recollections Opaque White Marker, and Winsor & Newton Pigment Markers
Kara costume 2: Dragonfly Completed with Sailor Mitsuo Aida, Pitt Pens, Copics, and Winsor & Newton Pigment Markers
Kara costume 3: Frog Completed with Sailor Mitsuo Aida and Winsor& Newton Pigment Markers
Completed with Prismacolor Pencils and Derwent Coloursoft
Completed with Prismacolor Pencils and Derwent Coloursoft
Completed with Prismacolor pencils and Derwent Coloursoft
Kara costume 4: Goldfish Completed with Winsor & Newton Pigment Markers.  Gold shadows were added with Pitt Pens
If you're looking to spice up your sketching, or want to give your art an interesting new direction, you should check out Strathmore's Toned sketchbooks, available in a warm gray and this tan.

Supplies Used In This Post



Please consider donating to this blog or purchasing from Natto-shop (http://nattosoup.com/shop) if you want me to continue publishing quality content. All materials tested were purchased from my own pocket. Keep on Truckin' Nattosoup is not under any sponsorship.