Borden & Riley #125 marker paper

Prelude

I have compared 45 different papers for markers. I have not included any papers that are not specified for markers by the company that produce them. It is not uncommon that an art store will market a paper as a marker-paper but if you look at the brands homepage they are not label as a marker paper. But with that said, a lot of other kinds of paper can work very well with markers, for example watercolor paper (even though they will “eat” the ink in the marker a lot faster than any other paper). I also tried some Japanese sumi-e paper with good and interesting result.  I might write more about that in the future. For now, this is a marker paper review.

The theory and method

I will start with a group of eight papers, the very thin paper for layout. I categorized the thin layout paper as being between 45 g/m² and 65 g/m².  

Since it is layout paper and not drawing paper for final work, I will not test them to harshly on properties as blending capacity or layering capacity. It isn´t after all what the paper is meant to be.

I started with some small samples to se color saturation and value, bleeding and feathering to mention some of the things I look for. However, I am a firm believer in working the paper as you normally would, to be able to fully understand the potential the paper has, so I decided to do a drawing on every paper.

Before I started my drawing I wrote down the brand name of the paper. I then covered the name so I wouldn't se which paper I was working on. I wanted it to be a blind test.

I have earlier tried to do the exact same drawing but find that that is only working if you compare two or three items. When you compare many items (as I did; I compared 29 markers) the chances are huge that the first couples of drawings are a less good than the following (because you are learning) and the last ones are pretty bad because it get so monotonous that it is very difficult to do a good job. At least that is true for me. I therefore chose to draw every drawing different but in the same manner and the same subject (in this case, one girl stood model for all drawings). I also chose to use few colors so that the face would have the exact same colors. I did the skin on every paper before moving on to the hair since it where easier to compare the paper in that way. I let myself have the freedom to use different hair colors after that.

Borden & Riley #125 marker sketch pure bleedproof paper

Borden & Riley

This is a neutral PH paper. This paper pad has (for European standard, but obviously not for US) an odd sizes; 9x12 in (which is 22x30 cm), 11x14 in (which is 27,94x35, 56 cm) and 14x17 in.

It has a smooth feeling and a slight yellow tint. The paper has a very different backside. You can both se and feel it. The backside is very shiny and is not suitable to draw on. The paper had a little different feel and sometimes it resist my pen a bit.

I did not have any problems with the ink feathering out when I draw the portrait, but on the swatch I made (with a lot of ink) it did feather some. The colors (in comparison to the other brands) are a bit darker then the average paper. There is also some bleeding on to the next paper but that’s not a huge problem, and is also very easy to prevent by putting a sheet underneath to protect. Colors do, however look great on this paper and you can both layer and blend on this paper without problems.

  

When I started the drawing the paper buckle a bit, but it dried flat.

Conclusion: I think this is a very good paper. A didn't love the feeling of resistance but I do believe it is only a matter of getting used to.

Borden & Riley paper

Sample on Borden & riley

Comparison 

Ami Design-Block

Prelude

I have compared 45 different papers for markers. I have not included any papers that are not specified for markers by the company that produce them. It is not uncommon that an art store will market a paper as a marker-paper but if you look at the brands homepage they are not label as a marker paper. But with that said, a lot of other kinds of paper can work very well with markers, for example watercolor paper (even though they will “eat” the ink in the marker a lot faster than any other paper). I also tried some Japanese sumi-e paper with good and interesting result.  I might write more about that in the future. For now, this is a marker paper review.

The theory and method

I will start with a group of eight papers, the very thin paper for layout. I categorized the thin layout paper as being between 45 g/m² and 65 g/m².  

Since it is layout paper and not drawing paper for final work, I will not test them to harshly on properties as blending capacity or layering capacity. It isn´t after all what the paper is meant to be.

I started with some small samples to se color saturation and value, bleeding and feathering to mention some of the things I look for. However, I am a firm believer in working the paper as you normally would, to be able to fully understand the potential the paper has, so I decided to do a drawing on every paper.

Before I started my drawing I wrote down the brand name of the paper. I then covered the name so I wouldn't se which paper I was working on. I wanted it to be a blind test.

I have earlier tried to do the exact same drawing but find that that is only working if you compare two or three items. When you compare many items (as I did; I compared 29 markers) the chances are huge that the first couples of drawings are a less good than the following (because you are learning) and the last ones are pretty bad because it get so monotonous that it is very difficult to do a good job. At least that is true for me. I therefore chose to draw every drawing different but in the same manner and the same subject (in this case, one girl stood model for all drawings). I also chose to use few colors so that the face would have the exact same colors. I did the skin on every paper before moving on to the hair since it where easier to compare the paper in that way. I let myself have the freedom to use different hair colors after that.

The backside of the cover

The cover of Design-Block

Ami Malzeit Design-block

This is a product from the German company Ami. But I cannot find any information about it on Google. This pad was an A4 sized.

When you open up the front side you will find a step-by-step car illustration. 

The paper is smooth and white.

This paper can feather out, when overly saturated the paper with a marker, but only slightly. On the drawing I made (where I worked on the hair with many layers) it was not visibly, but on a sample I made, you can se it. The colors (in comparison to the other brands) have good value and saturation (may lose a little on the darker colors). All colors look great on this paper. I could work in many layers without a problem.

Conclusion: I think this is a very good paper. The downside is that it might be difficult to find.

Design block samples

Design-Block

Conclusion

Letraset Layout pad

Prelude

I have compared 45 different papers for markers. I have not included any papers that are not specified for markers by the company that produce them. It is not uncommon that an art store will market a paper as a marker-paper but if you look at the brands homepage they are not label as a marker paper. But with that said, a lot of other kinds of paper can work very well with markers, for example watercolor paper (even though they will “eat” the ink in the marker a lot faster than any other paper). I also tried some Japanese sumi-e paper with good and interesting result.  I might write more about that in the future. For now, this is a marker paper review.

The theory and method

I will start with a group of eight papers, the very thin paper for layout. I categorized the thin layout paper as being between 45 g/m² and 65 g/m².  

Since it is layout paper and not drawing paper for final work, I will not test them to harshly on properties as blending capacity or layering capacity. It isn´t after all what the paper is meant to be.

I started with some small samples to se color saturation and value, bleeding and feathering to mention some of the things I look for. However, I am a firm believer in working the paper as you normally would, to be able to fully understand the potential the paper has, so I decided to do a drawing on every paper.

Before I started my drawing I wrote down the brand name of the paper. I then covered the name so I wouldn't se which paper I was working on. I wanted it to be a blind test.

I have earlier tried to do the exact same drawing but find that that is only working if you compare two or three items. When you compare many items (as I did; I compared 29 markers) the chances are huge that the first couples of drawings are a less good than the following (because you are learning) and the last ones are pretty bad because it get so monotonous that it is very difficult to do a good job. At least that is true for me. I therefore chose to draw every drawing different but in the same manner and the same subject (in this case, one girl stood model for all drawings). I also chose to use few colors so that the face would have the exact same colors. I did the skin on every paper before moving on to the hair since it where easier to compare the paper in that way. I let myself have the freedom to use different hair colors after that.

Letraset layout pad

It's a 60g/m² paper that are available in pads in two sizes: A4 and A3.  

It has a smooth feeling and is white in color.

I did not have any problems with the ink feathering out when I draw the portrait, but on the swatch I made (with a lot of ink) it did feather some. The colors (in comparison to the other brands) have very good value and saturation. Colors look great on this paper. The paper could take a lot of layers without any problems.

Conclusion: this is a very good paper.

Letraset Layout pad

Letraset color samples

Conclusion