Customer Reviews

Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Paper Pad - 8 x 10 Inches

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I've been using Strathmore papers for more than 25 years. The 400 Series 150 gram paper is cold pressed and is sizing-free. This is perfect for pencil and technical inks. Strathmore indicates you can apply light washes, but they mean "really really really LIGHT" washes. The paper will deform with watercolor or too much ink.

Being sizing-free means it has great tooth for picking up graphite and technical or india ink.

The glue binding the pages to the pad used to be a rubber cement type adhesive that allowed you to pull the sheets off cleanly -- meaning you don't have to trim them for a crisp edge. I believe this is still true of the 150 g Drawing Paper, but beware that Strathmore Marker Pad paper doesn't have such a great binding: you must x-acto the sheets off the binding or it will tear.

The reason for the 4 star review instead of a 5 star review is due to the fact that these pads are rarely vacuum-sealed in shrink wrap. I almost always find them exposed to ambient air. This can mean the paper has absorbed moisture from the air which can affect ink (not graphite) performance on the paper. (Remember these sheets don't have sizing to seal them.) Also, marker -- like Copic or Tombow tends to warp the paper (as well as bleed through; but that isn't the performance window of Series 400.)

For the price, they're great sheet pads that handle graphite, erasing (pink pearl seems to work best), and technical ink.

To the reviewer who was disappointed at getting only a single "pad" all I can say is shop around, read the description, and you'll discover this is a good price compared to retail for Series 400.

If you need something more sturdy for heavier washes or dense ink try their Bristol Board which is available hot-pressed or cold.

You can find more sheets of paper for less money in similar paper products, but not of this quality. Those inexpensive pads are adequate for younger children; we all know how they often enjoy scribbling one line per page and then tossing the unfinished "work" ... or pasting it to the fridge AS IS! Daddy's little budding artists ... lol ...

But this Strathmore product is definitely for the more advanced artist who wants a sketch that s/he can frame, if desired. This paper is of a higher quality in an aesthetic cream color, appropriate for highlighting details of the artist's best illustrations.

Since each pad contains twenty-four 80lb. acid-free sheets per spiral-bound pad, that's approximately six sheets per dollar. What a bargain!

Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, 2008

The paper is not bright white, instead it is a very light cream color which is much easier on the eyes. It has a nice texture and the paper's thickness is perfect for drawing. I have tried many brands, and this one is my favorite.

when I bought this paper for my mom I thought it'd be cheap scratch pad to start here back into drawing, when it came it was great quality paper for multi-use artwork

This drawing pad is the best. Perfect for sketching. I would recommend this to anyone and shipping was timely.

Shipping was fast which made the product even more excellent! Though the only thing that let me down were the amount of pages the pad holds. About 10? I'll keep in mind to order extra.

This is a nice pad for working on your drawing skills and when you dont want to lug around a larger, more expensive pad. I like to use it when planning out subsets of a much larger drawing that I work on in my studio. The texture of the paper works well for charcols and other lead based drawing instrumements. Since it is simmilar in texture to my larger, finished pads, it makes my outcomes much more predictable.

Nice, strong, durable and handy. I love the smaller size ones, fits in my purse.

This is a Christmas gift for my daughter the artist. I buy her at least one every Christmas and several throughout the year. They are the ones that she prefers.

The paper is very high quality. I especially like the solid backing; it makes it easier to sketch on the go. I also like that the book is spiral bound and perforated so I can remove pages as necessary. I am in college taking a fine arts requirement, and needed a basic sketchbook. This exceeded my expectations.