The pad contains 30 A4 sheets (20.5x27.9) of mixed media 200gsm heavyweight artists paper
- Perfect for Watercolour, Acrylic, Gouache, Pencil, Crayon, Chalk, Ink and more. Works with both wet and dry media
- Archival, acid-free and wood-free
- Every artist deserves to use good paper.
Mixed media paper vs watercolour paper
What is the difference between mixed media paper and watercolour paper? The main difference is in the paper sheet’s weight and paper surface texture.
Mixed media paper’s weight is usually 180gsm to 260gsm. Life of Colour mixed media paper is heavyweight 200gsm, to set an example. With mixed media, you are getting a surface with subtle texture.
Watercolour paper starts at 300gsm, and goes all the way up to 600gsm for experienced artists that use heavy amounts of water in their paintings. On watercolour paper you'll also need to test a few different textures to figure out if you like cold press, hot press, torchon or rough.
In short, the best thing about mixed media paper is its versatility, being useful for both wet and dry media.
Can you paint on mixed media paper?
Yes, you most certainly can paint on mixed media paper using both dry and wet mediums, we'll show you a few of your options below.
The weight of the paper makes it perfect for coloured pencils, crayons, oil pastels, silky stix, paint pens, acrylic paints, acrylic paint pens, watercolours, watercolour brush pens and more materials.
Mixed media paper for acrylic and acrylic paint pens
Mixed media paper can be very good for acrylic, this is a very common question we face when purchasing paper for this medium since the most usual material is canvas and wood.
Life of Colour mixed media paper is archival, acid-free and wood-free, making it perfect for creating art with acrylics and acrylic paint pens.
You will feel very comfortable using masking/washi tape for clean edges, layering and adding textures with gesso, brush or collage.
Mixed media paper for watercolour
Watercolours and watercolour pens work wonderfully on mixed media paper to create fantastic effects, as long as the artist is wary of the amount of water placed on the paper.
Mixed media paper is good for watercolours, the artist will need to practice to make sure their water control is good. This means, trying not to make big pools of water (if it happens, pat the area dry with a paper towel) and waiting for the previous layer to dry before adding extra water.
Techniques relying on copious amounts of water should be reserved for watercolour paper 300gsm and higher.
Mixed media paper sketchbook
Another benefit of mixed media paper is the ease of use when turned into your regular painting or drawing sketchbook.
You usually get more sheets of paper per sketchbook, having more surface for creating your works of art.
Life of Colour mixed media paper as A4 glue-bound sketchbook pad of 30 sheets is perfect for your daily art practice purposes.