Is Sketch Paper The Same As Watercolor Paper?

First of all, it’s good to note that the word sketch gives the sense that your drawing or painting is something you will create that isn’t on the professional finished level. It might be something you do quickly or something you do when you’re bored.

I would also like to note that speed of sketching or painting shouldn’t dictate any of those things I stated above. You can do a fantastic painting in a few minutes and a crummy drawing in an hour or more. Time, process, and results are very subjective.

Is Sketch Paper The Same As Watercolor Paper?

So, is sketch paper the same as watercolor paper? No. Absolutely not. Sketch paper and watercolor papers are actually pretty different in many different ways. See the table below for a good breakdown of the differences you find between the two different types of papers.

Sketch Paper – Thin, Inexpensive, Recycled And Wood Pulp Materials, Probably Not Acid-Free,

Watercolor Paper – Thicker With Different Weight Options, Different Textures, More Expensive, 100% Cotton Options, Acid-Free Options

What Is The Difference Between Sketch Paper And Watercolor Paper?

There is no reason why you can not try different sketch papers and watercolor papers to see how they perform for you.

Sketch paper and watercolor papers have been designed differently for different materials and media responses. (how it performs with different media applied to it – pencil, watercolor paint, charcoal, markers, etc)

Ask yourself a number of questions to decide what type of paper you want to use:

Am I on a tight budget but I want to work with watercolor paints? You can certainly find watercolor papers designed to accept water that will be inexpensive. I work with a watercolor paper ring-bound book that wasn’t expensive. It does have it’s drawbacks, but nothing I can’t work with. I wanted something inexpensive, smaller with a smooth surface. I think I paid under 10 bucks at a big box art supply store. It works for daily experiments, tests, learning, and quick painting.
Do I want to do some daily drawing and learning? This can be the perfect scenario for buying a sketch pad or journal. You can find a size that fits your needs of working large or small that can accept pencil, ink pen, and charcoal media.
I want to watercolor paint and have the paper lay down without warping. Choosing a heavy weighted paper will give you the best way to accomplish this. Watercolor papers come in a variety of weights. The most common are 90pd, 110pd, 140pd, and 300pd. 90 will be thin and less expensive. 140 is a lovely weight and can hold more water. 300 isn’t easy to find, but it’s a very thick paper kind of like a board.
I need a paper that won’t yellow in the future and I am going to sell as a finished piece. This is a situation where you want to buy the best paper you can. Watercolor papers that are 140lb will work great. Check that it is 100% cotton and acid-free and you can’t go wrong.

Can Watercolor Paper Be Used For Sketching?

Absolutely you can use watercolor paper for sketching. I would like to note that it might be overkill for this type of artistic process because watercolor paper can be much pricier than sketch paper and not necessary to do some daily sketching on.

Many times you will sketch your subject matter before you apply any watercolor paint.

If you find you have sketched something nice in your sketch paper pad or journal you could absolutely add watercolor paints to that. You won’t have as good of a result as a thicker watercolor paper will give you. But, what’s important is that you are having fun, experimenting, and maybe even learning something!

What Type Of Paper Is Sketch Paper?

Sketch paper isn’t necessarily of lesser quality than watercolor paper. Look at the info on the Strathmore sketch pad below.

Fine Tooth Surface
Acid Free
50lb

That sounds like a very nice paper. The 50lb will be a thin paper great for sketching. If you do find you try it for watercolor painting, you’ll probably have a finished painting with a warped and lumpy finish. So, not something you could probably sell or give away, but you probably had fun and learned something.

Here is what it will look like if you paint on it.

Is Sketch Paper The Same As Drawing Paper?

Sketch paper is something that you can draw on successfully without any issues. When referring to drawing papers you can go in many directions in regard to quality, thickness, and texture. When you say drawing paper it tends to mean a fancier paper that can be framed, made of 100% cotton, and maybe with a deckled edge.

Sketch papers are often a lightweight inexpensive paper. Drawing papers tend to be a heavier weighted substantial piece of paper. You might find it in a book or pack, but often nice drawing papers will come individually as sheets or even in a roll.

Here is a random type of paper from the Stonehenge line of papers. Just reading the description makes you feel how luxurious the paper is. (Sometimes I even find it hard to use the paper when I have it and just have it to look at and feel. LOL – it’s so silly, but it’s such a lovely paper you want to make sure you use the most of it. It must have the best drawing or painting created on it! Maybe order 2 so you can enjoy one when you paint or draw on it and one you set aside to just admire.)

You can find this paper on Jerry’s Artarama if you want to explore them further.

You can also see the price is larger than a sketch paper pad of paper, the weight is heavier and can accept many types of media and will probably hold up. Now, remember, it’s not 140lb so it can certainly still buckle with a watercolor painting. Stretching and taping it down can help a lot to prevent that.

What Is Sketch Paper Made Of?

Sketch paper doesn’t necessarily mean it’s cheap or junky by any means. You saw the example above. This brand offers an acid-free paper and that puts it into a different category than a non-acid-free paper. If it’s acid-free it shouldn’t alter the color or appearance of your paper, drawing or painting over time.

Sketch paper is most often made from wood-free pulp. Now, what the heck is that? As I understand it the way wood becomes wood free is in a chemical process that is used to actually turn it into a product that is usable for paper. This chemical process removes most of the lignin from the pulp.

Lignin is a Polymer that gives wood pulp strength. Removing it will provide a less acidic product and can be a nice material for making many types of art papers from.

Learn more about Pulpwood.

From here it is developed into many products and one of them is a higher caliber sketch paper.

Newsprint As Sketch Paper

Now, if you are looking for a very inexpensive paper to sketch and draw on, newsprint is going to be your friend. It is pretty cheap and easy to come by. It comes in large pads and it’s great for sketching with pencil, pen, charcoal, and pastels on.

While newsprint is great for learning and experimenting it isn’t from a wood-free pulp. It will turn yellow over time and maybe even start to fall apart some.

Can You Use Watercolor On Sketch Paper?

The quick answer is yes of course you can use watercolor paint on sketch paper. It most certainly will warp because of the moisture. But, if this is the paper you have to putz with, you shouldn’t worry about it. If you are giving the piece as a gift or selling it, you should spring for a nice piece of watercolor paper so it looks fantastic.

If you want to practice and sketch paper is all you have, just go for it and move on. But, make sure to look for some watercolor papers to experiment with and buy a few you can try and move past sketch paper for this wet media.

If you decide to try watercolor paintings on sketch paper you will probably see a lot of warping, bleeding to the other side, it might even tear or break up some if you scrub or use too much water for the paper to handle.

Maybe a watercolor pencil or water-based crayon and then a light wash of water could be a nice application for sketch paper.