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Five of the Best Paper Pals for Your Oil Pastels
You’d be forgiven for thinking that paper is paper is paper and that’s that, but it’s actually an incredibly varied industry with countless areas of specialism.
Every aspect of paper affects its suitability for a given application.
You can get thin paper, thick paper, coarse paper, smooth paper, paper made from trees, paper made from stone, paper with different grain patterns, and in different colors.
If you can dream it, it probably already exists, so in this veritable golden age of paper, which is best for oil pastels?
We’ve dedicated ourselves to finding that answer for you by rating and reviewing five princely papers perfect for use with your favorite set of oil pastels.
We’ve even pressed together an in-depth buyer’s guide and brief FAQ section so you can get what you need quickly and continue your artistic journey.
Inspiration Striking?
Here’s our top pick so you can get straight to it.
Top Picks
1. Strathmore 400 Series Pastel Pad
Our number one pastel paper exists at the intersection of affordability and quality.
With six different muted tints to choose from, you can really bring your creativity to life, the paper becoming part of the work itself, rather than merely its canvas.
24 sheets of acid-free paper await your pastels within this pad, each of them lightly textured to enhance pigment grabbing capabilities.
This slightly rough surface makes layering exquisitely easy, so if your goal is to create dense, immersive, textured art, this is the perfect paper for you.
The 400 Series is Strathmore’s contribution to serious and advanced artists, it’s quality only surpassed by their 500 Series Premium paper.
They also provide the same style of paper for children, beginners, and intermediates.
One of the best things about this pad is that it’s widely stocked in art and hobby-craft shops all over the States which means you can go out and assess the quality of the paper yourself and decide whether it’s right for your artwork.
The flip-over style page motion gives you an authentic artsy feel, helping you get into the creative zone, and the solid chipboard back provides a stable base no matter where or when the giddy rush of inspiration strikes.
Pros
- Pages are tinted 6 different muted colors
- With 24 sheets, this pad is great value for money
- Very affordable and widely stocked in brick and mortar stores
- High-quality textured paper grabs pigment and lends itself to layering
- Suitable for hard and soft oil pastels
Cons
- Paper is high quality, but not heavy-duty
- Coarser grain would allow more intensive layering and blending
2. Faber-Castell Black Paper Pad
With 25 sheets of pure black paper, our second product to release your inner Pablo Picasso isn’t the most versatile, but its quality and uniqueness are arguably even more inspiring than a standard pad.
Completely acid-free, the jet-black pages work adequately well for dry pastels, gel sticks, and beeswax crayons, but nothing really pops on these pages like loads of colorful oil pastels.
It’s a heavy sheet, great for adding a little pressure and really digging the pigment in, but it has a relatively fine grain, so anything beyond a third layer might not track that well.
One of the things we love about this pad is that it’s half made of totally recycled materials, so choosing Faber-Castell may be an awesome choice for your art, but it’s an even better one for the environment.
The pages turn horizontally rather than vertically which allows you to fold them onto the front cover so you don’t leave indentations on other pages, and they tear out smoothly so you can frame, gift, or compile your best pieces.
Pros
- Heavy-duty paper lets you apply more pressure
- Light grain allows precision
- Black paper is unique, striking, and lets colors pop
- Works quite well with a bunch of mediums
- Great price
- 25 acid-free pages
- Made with 50% recycled materials
Cons
- Light grain isn’t suitable for layering
- No variations of color or tone
3. Canson XL Series Oil and Acrylic Paper Pad
Our next essential oil pad offers 24 sheets of crisp warm white paper for more traditional artistic pursuits.
Warm white is far more inviting than the clinical harshness of bright white.
It draws your hand instinctively towards the page, whether you know exactly what you’re about to sketch or if you’re just sort of Jackson Pollock-ing it.
If you’re looking for a canvas feel from your oil pastel paper, you’re on to a winner with this one. It’s heavily textured with a crosshatch, thread-style grain.
You’re going to be able to achieve Van Gogh level textures, and with a quality cardstock thickness, you can really dig into this paper too.
Should you find the canvas grain a little too rough for your tastes, you can flip the page for a slightly smoother surface and sharper lines, which we think is pretty innovative.
These pads come in three different sizes, all with the same 24 sheets of quality canvas-style paper.
This particular Carson paper is totally vegan in its components and productions, but a couple of their other products use gelatin in the paper sizing process.
If you’re a vegan or veggie, you may want to support a totally vegan brand.
Pros
- Cardstock thickness can handle pressure and liquids
- Canvas thread-style grain is amazing for dense layering
- Reverse side of page is smoother if you prefer that for a certain piece
- Affordable
- Warm white coloring is very inviting for artist and appreciator
- Vegan production
- Great for paint as well as oil pastels
Cons
- Other Carson products aren’t vegan
- May be too rough for some
4. U.S. Art Supply Premium Pastel Paper Pad
Our penultimate pigment puller comes in three incredibly warm and natural tones: a cream, sand, stone, and warm white.
Generally speaking, this pad has the most usable and palatable color profile, but you’re limited to 16 acid-free sheets.
Texture-wise, the paper has a mottled circular grain that catches pigment wonderfully for around three layers.
It doesn’t facilitate the sharpest of lines, but the slightly fluffing effect it has on the pastel gives the image tons of character.
This texture is great for finger shading too, allowing an even dispersion of fading color from the line.
Designed specifically for use with pastels, it’s pretty heavy gauge paper that excels under a firm hand.
A few artists/customers claim that it’s hard to achieve total coverage due to the grain style, but it’s smoother than most large-toothed pastel paper.
All things considered, this is lovely paper. The texture is quite mild to accommodate as many art styles as possible, and the colors are great to give your work various opacities of that coffee-stained vintage vibe.
Putting the paper cherry on the pastel cake, these pads come in packs of two, meaning you get a total of 32 sheets at a very reasonable price.
Pros
- Four very useable vintage-style colors to choose from
- Comes in a pack of two
- Mottled texture provides a lovely smoky line
- Texture is also great for finger shading
- Totally acid-free
- Designed for pastels
- Best value for money on our list.
Cons
- Some artists claim the slight divots are hard to fill
- Paper can be hard to tear out
5. Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper Pad
The last pastel pal on our technicolor list can be purchased with entirely grey sheets, black sheets, earthy sheets, white sheets, or an assortment of all of them, making it the most versatile product so far.
Unfortunately, though, this is one of the Carson papers sized using gelatin, so if you’re vegan, scroll on, and keep up the good work.
The sheets are 50% cotton which means they’re going to stand up to the test of time.
Cotton paper can survive hundreds of years before any noticeable discoloration or deterioration occurs. It’ll outlive us all.
Much like our third pick, the paper is dual-sided. The primary side features a rough grain perfect for grabbing all that vivid pigment, and the reverse side is smoother for a crisper line.
The paper is colored during pulping to ensure that it doesn’t interfere with your work or fade. It’s also advertised as light-fast paper which means it’s designed for intricate detail.
Disregarding their use of animal by-products, Carson has been really thoughtful in making this pad.
It comes with protective sheets for each of the 16 pages, protecting your art from friction against opposing pages.
This means that you can keep your pieces safely inside the pad rather than transporting them to a separate secure collection.
As such, they’re not tearable pages and will require some neat scissor work to free them from the pad.
Pros
- Comes in a variety of colors
- Acid-free light-fast paper
- Dual textures
- Page protection keeps your art pristine
- Cotton construction means it will last a really long time before tarnishing
- Designed specifically for pastels
Cons
- Uses animal by-products in the sizing process
- Only comes with 16 sheets
- Most expensive on our list
Buyer’s Guide
Paper seems simple enough, doesn’t it? But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
From the manufacturing process to materials to grain, it’s a very complex and multitudinous product. So, before you dedicate to a paper, have read of some key considerations.
Paper Type
Although paper is typically made from wood pulp, there actually many different natural substances you can craft it with, each with its own unique properties.
Some kinds are even made from a number of different ingredients, combining their qualities into one super paper.
The best quality paper in terms of longevity is made of cotton. Any paper with a cotton content is going to be tarnish resistant.
It’s commonly used for important official documents as well as fine art pieces.
If you’re planning to use traditional wood pulp paper, you should consider the particular tree the wood has come from.
Coniferous trees have the strongest fibers, ideal for oil pastels.
Other substances that can be made into paper include seaweed, herbivore poop, fruits, hemp, stone, and leather.
These kinds of paper are less experimented with in artistic communities, so it might be worth conducting your own investigation into their qualities.
Paper Weight
Paper weight is measured in grams per square meter, abbreviated to gsm. Paper measuring 80 – 100gsm is the most commonly produced and used weight.
It’s a typical office supply paper. Moving upward from there, you get 110 -120gsm which is considered a quality stationery paper for letters and address books.
The next two stages are the ones you should concern yourself with most: 130 – 170gsm and 170 – 200gsm.
130 – 170gsm is often used for things that require greater durability such as book pages, leaflets, and posters.
The sweet spot for oil pastels starts at around 140gsm. 170 – 200gsm roughly marks a halfway point between paper and cardboard, so if you plan on giving your pad some serious abuse, that’s the range you need to look into.
Sheets
Obviously, the more sheets you get for your money the better.
Typically you’ll find pads with 16 or 24 sheets, although there will be other more expensive options that contain 40+ sheets.
Topography
Texture is one of the most important things to consider when buying paper for a certain medium as different grains are more receptive to certain substances.
For oil pastels, you’re better off looking for a paper with a fairly rough texture. This might be expressed as a tooth or toothy paper.
The rough texture gathers the pigment from the oil pastel, giving your lines better coverage on the page.
Generally speaking, the rougher the paper, the more you can layer with oil pastels, so if you like laying it on thick, look for an abrasive grain.
Colors
Colored paper can be as inspiring as it can be limiting. It’s good to find a pad that comes with a selection of colors to really feed your creativity, but you should always check how exactly it has been colored.
If paper is colored later in the production process, it’s more likely to run or fade. Paper that was colored during the pulping process will hold nicely for a long time and won’t seep into or from your art.
Cost
Specialist paper is always going to cost more than your average sheet.
It’s irritating, especially as artists aren’t the best-paid workers in the world, but it’s just a fact of life.
That said, you should be able to get at least 25 quality sheets for anywhere between $10 and $20.
Environmental Concerns
Paper production and burning releases nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
If you want to do your part for the environment, why not search for an oil pastel paper that uses recycled materials like our second pick.
Veganism
It’s ridiculous, we know, but even paper production can include the use of animal by-products. Gelatin is commonly used in the sizing process.
Weirdly, sizing doesn’t refer to the actual size of the paper, rather a process of treating the surface with a substance that acts as a protective filler or coating.
Gelatin is still used today as it’s thought to improve the strength and flexibility of paper; however, there are plenty of vegan-friendly alternatives available.
Versatility
Some paper that works well for oil pastels also works well with other mediums. Other oil pastel friendly papers do not.
Generally speaking, thicker paper is stronger, so it can handle things like watercolor and hard pastels too.
Backboard
Before you produce that next masterpiece, you’re going to need something to rest on, and a suitable surface isn’t always at hand, which is why a pad with a solid backboard is a smart purchase.
You can get out and about, immersing yourself in nature, drawing sensory inspiration from your surroundings.
Page Turn Style
Do you prefer a flip-style page or a left to right book-style page? It’s all a matter of preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use printer paper for oil pastels?
You can but the pigment won’t stick all that well, and the paper may tear under the pressure.
What kind of canvas is best for oil pastels?
While you’re best off looking for coarser paper for oil pastels, a canvas made of finer linen may be preferable.
What kind of paper should you use for oil pastels?
You should use a fairly thick paper with a coarse grain.
Can you sharpen oil pastels?
Yes, you can, gently, although oil pastels are about expressive art rather than precise and detailed work.
If you do need to sharpen your pastels, it’s best to refrigerate them for a while beforehand to keep them rigid during the process.
Final Thoughts
As you can see from our list, it takes a fairly specialized paper to make the most of oil pastels, but you actually have quite a large range within that specialism to choose from, each yielding different results.
If you start to get lost in the labyrinthian puzzle that is the paper industry, stick to these main tenets to keep you on track.
It should weigh between 140 and 200gsm, and it should have a fairly prominent grain to gather pigment.
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