Sketchbooks for Gouache, Acrylic, Oil and Watercolor Paints

Sketchbooks for gouache, acrylic, oil and watercolour paints have thicker paper that can handle wet paint without buckling after the first layer. Here you will find bound sketchbooks for studies outdoors, watercolour blocks glued around the edges and paper rolls for large formats. The range mainly features Arches, Talens Art Creation, Canson, St Cuthberts Mill and Clairefontaine, alongside Hahnemühle and Daler Rowney. For paints, brushes and other supplies, visit Painting.

What paper do you need for watercolour, gouache, acrylic and oil?

• Watercolour needs paper weighing around 300 g/m² that can absorb plenty of water. Cotton paper holds water for longer and can withstand repeated lifting of colour; Hahnemühle Watercolor Book is made from 100 % cotton.
• Gouache is an opaque water-based paint that works on watercolour paper or a mixed-media sketchbook weighing 250 g/m² or more.
• Acrylic dries quickly and forms a flexible layer on paper; suitable sketchbooks include Clairefontaine Paint'On and Canson XL Mixed Media.
• Oil requires paper made specifically for oil painting, such as Canson Graduate oil and acrylic pads weighing 290 g/m².

A pad, a bound sketchbook or a roll?

A watercolour block, such as one from Arches, is glued around the edges to keep the paper flat as it dries, and you then separate the finished sheet with a knife. A pad glued on just one side opens like a notebook, and you can easily tear out a sheet. A hardbound sketchbook such as Hahnemühle Watercolor Book or Talens Art Creation Sketchbook goes outdoors with you and keeps your studies together. With Arches paper on a roll, you can cut exactly the size you need.

The most common formats are A5, A4 and A3, and you will also find square sketchbooks. For more paper for water-based paints, visit Watercolour paper.

What do paper weight, surface and colour tell you?

Paper weight is the weight of one square metre of paper. A 140 g/m² sketchbook, such as Talens Art Creation with cream paper, is good for drawing, ink and light washes, while 250 to 300 g/m² can handle more water and several layers of paint. Cold-pressed paper (Cold Pressed) has a textured surface that holds water and pigment, while hot-pressed paper (Hot Pressed) is smooth and suits detailed work; Arches offers both surfaces.

White paper lets pure colours stand out, while a cream background gives the painting a warmer tone. Opaque paints such as gouache and acrylic stand out on black and grey Clairefontaine Paint'On paper, while transparent watercolour would be lost against it.