Ok I have been drawing a long time .. and alot of you know my work and who I am so now I have a question .. may seem silly coming from me because its a question I SHOULD know the answer to .

Why is it that when I draw on certain paper it looks rough ..like you can see small parts of the paper that do not hold the color ?
Why would anyone want to use that kind of paper ?
Whats weight mean when it comes to paper ....cause my paper ( all paper I have ever used ) is not heavy only weighting less then a gram lol ..set me straight on that please ...cause when I read "paper weight 175lbs" I just think to myself .....what the heck my husband weights that much . lol
I know typing paper or printing paper should not be used but it is smooth and the colors just pop out and layers turn out so well .

that was more then one question lol

Oh and black ...why is it taboo to use black ? I love black ...I know there is the color wheel and mixing colors to get another color ..but I dont understand that either .

Thanks for the help in advance .

The paper weight has to do with the weight of an entire ream, I think. Maybe Wikipedia would have some more info.

I'm pretty sure the rough texture of the drawings have to do with the rough texture of the paper. If you were to look under a microscope, the surface of the paper would be bumpy instead of level. But then you are only drawing on the uppermost level, so the valleys remain clean. Personally, I prefer this sort of rustic look.

As for black being taboo - I am not very immersed in the art world, so I did not know this to be true. But I like black, so I say your art is for you and you can do what you want with it. But I like the other colors on the color wheel too

Hi Kim1963, I am not too sure about paper weight, but I do know about using black. Black is not really classed as a colour and appears flat and uninteresting when applied to a painting. However to each his own, but you are supposed to mix your darks including black from other colours, because if you look at what appears to be black in nature, there is nearly always a hint of colour there. (there are exceptions to every rule, charred wood on a burnt tree was one exception I have found and eye balls are another, but even they reflect some colour) It would seem to be easier to just apply black, but after some experience you will see that black is not the answer to really vibrant darks, and most dark areas are lighter within themselves in certain areas. Have a close look at black in nature and look for a hint of some other colour/s there. (Usually black throws blue shadows reflected from around it, and a classic example of optical illusion are zebras which have varying tones of brown in their stripes, not flat black as we are mislead to believe.) As far as non natural subjects are concerned, black may definately be there but you will get a more lively and interesting painting if you mix the darks yourself from other colours. Take a look at how other artists handle "blacks", and you will see beautifully mixed darks that are lively and not flat on the painting.
Hope this helps a bit.

Kim, this article may help you understand the different types of paper and how they perform. It really is down to personal choice as to what type you use and of course what effect you're looking for too. Some like a rougher 'tooth' to the paper as it holds more layers of graphite or coloured pencil etc.

The weight of drawing paper (or watercolour, etc ) is determined by the number of pounds in a ream (500 sheets) of paper. The more weight, the thicker and heavier the paper is. An average drawing paper is anywhere from 60 - 90 lbs, meaning that a ream would weigh 60 - 90 lbs. An average watercolour paper for instance usually is 140lbs.

Experiment. Buy single sheets of paper and try them out if you can. Different mediums, different supports...I'd say there must be at least 9 or 10 different types of paper on my art storage shelves. And if I see something interesting, I'll buy it and try it out.

As for using black. Well the reasons have been laid out for you. But of course you can use black and we all do - when its appropriate. Black should NEVER be used for shading, as shadows aren't black at all, they're composed of all the reflected colours of the surrounding environment. You can use black, but always soften it with other colours in the palette that you're using. It will create a rich, deep black that has movement and interest. It really becomes a boring colour if used on its own and is flat - almost like a dead space in your picture.

Touches of black work in many drawings, but they usually are touches, not large areas. I'd suggest that you get out a colour wheel and do some exercises in creating colour swatches - little blocks of colour - using a variety of pencils or paints and see the range of darks that you can achieve without even considering black.

Thanks for the link ...I will check that out ....and I think the art store has single sheets and not too pricey so I will try that also .

Black has always been my favorite to work with ... I understand the adding color also as a reflection in the shadow ...I will give this a shot and post the drawing .

I have found many things with being self taught one of those things are the education the small things that everyone else seems to know like color wheel and black ect..

again thanks for the info .

You aint just whistlin dixie Kim! I am in the same boat as you, and boy is color hard for me. I keep asking the few artist I meet about color theory and "Hey could you give me some lessons, I will pay you!" They all Run for the hills! I think it is an art in itself, and more complicated than any of the other skills needed to render a color image reguardless of the medium.

Kim buy a colour wheel and go to town!

I just play with colour and subscribe to the theory that "I know what I like". And hopefully nobody notices that I don't know what I'm doing!

Its funny because I have people ask me for advice ..This is one reason I try to leave the critque thread to Jeanette and the ones who know this kind of stuff ...I would not want to give the wrong advice ..I respect these people who are a library of information .

The basics of colour theory are fairly straightforward. The complexity comes into it in how each individual sees colour, surrounding environments, reflected light and colour and on and on. Which is why many people shy away from colour theory - it becomes more like hard work to explain exactly how to do it.

There are no hard and fast 'formulas' for mixing colours. Each person creates their own dependent on visioning and requirements.

Have a look at this site and go through the exercises in colour, it will be very beneficial at any level. Yes, its wordy and complex but work your way through it bit by bit and you'll develop a much better understanding of colour and how to approach it.

You may not know what you're doing, Kim, but you sure do it well!

Hi,

The "weight" of paper is related to a ream of paper. For your queston about 175#, that is the weight of 500 sheets of 22" x30" watercolor paper.

When anyone tells you that black is taboo, keep in mind the statement is an over-simplificaton. In terms of transparent watercolor, any of the tube blacks or grays are garish and dry; whereas, MIXING two or three of your most vibrant colors will punch the tube colors off your painting. Try indigo for the stage of your desired black--mix an equal amount of alizarin crimson and see if it fits into the value/intensity of your painting. To cool it down, mix in an extra touch of indigo; to heat it up, mix in an extra touch of alizarin crimson. Using your transparent watercolors will give you a velvety shade of "very dark" (lol). F.Y.I. I just went through the agony/argosy of black yesterday.

Good painting,

rthettler

Hi, again,

The blank spots that you are seeing in your paper are the result of small pieces of wood pulp that were missed in the quality control department of the manufacturer. They are usually in any of the copy paper purchased from an office supply company. If you want to use this type of paper (as I do), hold your brightest light source behind the paper and you can see what looks like small oil stains and they are called lignins. I use these pieces of paper to test the weight of my pencil markings before actually drawing. I recently picked up a "sketch" book at Walgreens for $3.79 USD which is acid and lignin-free.

Good painting,

rthettler