The range of Clairefontaine sketch papers – from recycled 80gsm to beautiful heavy weight 180gsm grained drawing  paper,  is truely a range ‘par excellence’.

In terms of paper quality, the sketch papers on offer start with the Zap Book range.

These chunky perfect bound books have a whopping 160 sheets of an 80gsm recycled paper and come in an assortment of brightly coloured covers. They are available in 3 sizes – A4, A5 and A6+ (11x15cm)

Clairefontaine’s recycled papers are all acid and chlorine free, and are produced without de-inking, bleaching or the use of optical brightners. They are made from 100% recycled fibres. About as good as recycled credentials can get!

The next step up the food chain are the Graf-it bloc pads.  The pads come in 5 sizes from the midget A7 to the generous A3. They have a sturdy backboard for use on the run and microperforated sheets that allow clean removal of each from the pad. Again, available in an assortment of different coloured covers, whats really important is what’s inside.

The 90gsm paper is a crisp white paper with a matte texture and feel. Its medium tooth lends a degree of resistance to your pencil strokes and while the weight and texture of this paper means it could be used for light watercolour work, at 90gsm expect the paper to buckle slightly when using a wet medium.

Sourced from sustainable forests and processed in an eco-powered paper mill which has an on site water treatment plant, the archival quality 90gsm stock is acid free.

At the top of the pile sits the 180gsm Dessin a Grain range.

This paper is available in a wide range of sizes and formats from A5 to A2, square pads, wirebound and glue bound.

The natural white colour is not to bright and the light grain allows colours to adhere well and give great depth.