Apr 2018
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robertclemmonsjr
Apr '18

So I live in the middle of Podunk USA and the shopping isn't great for art supplies. I am currently using Simply's Sketchbooks(soft white, 65 lb/100g/m^2). Which are fine, but are currently driving me nuts. I use two sizes, the 5.5" x 8.5" and the 8.5"x11.5". Why is it driving me nuts? Well.

I just spent the afternoon working on a character sketch. Heavy pencils. Finished it to ink. Erased with a kneaded eraser. The paper rips. This has just recently begun to be a problem and it's getting frustrating.

I can NOT afford digital.

I'm done being frustrated.

So what paper do you use for your comics if you do analog?

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    Apr '18

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    Apr '18
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shazzbaa
Apr '18

It's not a very artsy answer, but for my actual comic pages I go to an office supply store and buy card stock that's meant to be used in a printer! I cant speak to how well that'd work with your method, though, haha

ChanYE
Apr '18

if you do really heavy art that might make the paper pill, rip, tear ect you can buy one of those XL Watercolor books1 i got one myself from micheals. it cost me like 14 bucks.. the papers nice and hard as hell and they are great for doing marker art, watercolor, inking, oils all that. if you cant find these at micheals just get one off ebay for cheap.

also if your having issues finding money for digital, because i did too when i was starting out. how i got my stuff was i saved up or i made it clear i liked art and someone would give me what i needed for my Bday. ive seen some insanely cheap drawing tablets for beginners that work just as well. not forcing you into digital art, its just when times are changing now and traditional art has its downsides sometimes and digital art will never run out of colors, markers, ink, or paper.

hope i helped with the paper issue. XL's pretty good.

VibrantFoxRegular
Apr '18

I'm not sure if I'd be the most qualified as digital is my main medium but back in my grahpic design class we had to make use of a sketchbook (8.5 x 11' i think) bristol board and i bought myself a personal small size mixed media sketchbook all of which were under the brand Strathmore which were pretty inexpensive at my local walmart (between maybe 5-10 bucks usd) rather than some pricey art store. They've worked well with my traditional pink and kneaded rubber erasers but I made sure to go with the ones under mixed media as anything else has either torn or simply worn down the paper (like started shredding or peeling).

Kura
Apr '18
shazzbaa

I did the same, for comic pages I would just buy packs of card stock and use that since you can't really rip through it without a LOT of effort, and though it may not be the best paper it's one of the best cost wise, especially if you intent to have your comic pages in the hundreds (or in my case, the thousands)

Cavechan
Apr '18

I always used this or similar: http://deleter-mangashop.com/goods_en_usd_273.html2 This manga paper works really well with ink. The paper is smooth so the pen nib never catches, unlike rougher sketchbook paper. It also has rulers on the edges so you can easily measure and make perfect horizontal/vertical lines.

I used to use B4 size, but then I switched to A4 size I think since it fits under the scanner more easily, but I never ended up using them because I use digital now. But everything I do is still B4 size in digital.

Also, to help with erasing, tape your paper down or put something on top of it. I even had a clip board that helped hold it down so the paper wouldn't escape or bend easily when erasing. That used to happen to me, but luckily I haven't had a page rip.

robertclemmonsjr
Apr '18
1

Thanks for the responses!

I have considered using card stock, but I like to archive my sketches and pages easily, and loose card stock just doesn't allow for that unless you have some tricks. I've seen deleter stuff before but wasn't sure about it. There's just a lot out there you don't know what to look for.

What about for general sketching though? And smaller size sketchbooks?

I think 8.5x11 is too much space to 'just sketch'. But I do need a bit more space I think than 5.5x8.5.

Also, is it generally the thicker the paper, the fewer the sheets in a sketchbook?

VibrantFoxRegular
Apr '18

there's a good chance at there being inbetween sizes but it's probably a matter of shopping around as well. And from my experiences the balance between page thickness and the number of pages you get can depend on brand which again leads in to doing the research but in some cases it may be as few as say 40 sheets and others may go as high as 100 or more.

i have a 5.5x8.5 multimedia sketchbook with thick paper and its about 40 sheets but can clearly recall another that may have been slightly larger with almost as thick pages and had maybe 60-80 but it pays to look around a bit before buying just to find out whats available. I hope you can work things out!

Runie
Apr '18
ChanYE

This is what I think too. Art supplies are pretty expensive around where I am, so I just doodled with pencils... and when I was ready to step up, I worked and saved money for a pen tablet.

In any case, hope your search is fruitful! :slight_smile: