Strathmore 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media Pad -12 Sheets -62584110, 11x14, White

for some reason this paper doesn't have what I thought was an industry standard weight rating. Points? for paper weight. yeah, it is a thing. wow, buying art paper for over 35 years, ok., but 52pt ???

Strathmore's 500 Series Mixed Media Paper is amazing for gouache. It's heavy paper, and for comparison, it's as thick as two papers from Strathmore's 400 Series Mixed Media Paper stacked together. As for the texture, it's smooth, but a *little* bit more textured than Arches hot press watercolor paper. The texture is far from the cold press texture of Arches cold press texture, so on a spectrum, I'll place the 500 Series paper's texture like this (Arches HP being 1 and Arches CP being 10):(Arches HP) | 2 (Strathmore 500 Series (3)) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | (Arches CP)Gouache is typically painted on smooth papers, as many painters prefer that type of surface, but rougher surfaces are also chosen. Many smooth surfaces exist out there, but there aren't many smooth papers out there that offer a thickness without breaking the bank. Smooth watercolor paper that are 300gsm are still prone to warping and buckling, and watercolor papers weighing 2x 300gsm are very expensive.While the paper can resist heavy buckling and warping, you want to be careful with scrubbing or overworking a certain area with a lot of water. Pilling can occur because this paper is not really equipped for some techniques used in watercolor. I would steer clear of this paper if you are a watercolor artist that relies on scrubbing and heavy water usage. I'll try watercolor on this paper someday with careful water usage and will update this review with the results ASAP.The only sizes available in this line are 6 x 8 in (15.3 x 20.3 cm), 9 x 12 in (22.9 x 30.5 cm) and 11 x 14 in (27.9 x 35.6 cm). Hope Strathmore can make a bigger size like 12 x 16 in someday...Other than that, this paper is great for opaque applications with gouache and acrylic gouache, and great with graphite and pen. Color pencils, markers, charcoal, ink (without heavy water usage), chalk, dry pastel are fine. Wouldn't recommend oil based products on paper since oil on unprimed paper can degrade paper.I recommend it, especially for gouache painters looking for a smooth surface that is thicker than most expensive watercolor paper pads out there.

I work primarily in watercolor and ink, and as such typically work on quality, 100% cotton watercolor paper. This stuff is definitely a different beast than standard 140# Arches cold press. I'm pretty sure it's not externally sized, for one, so it tends to absorb more quickly. That can be a good or bad thing as long as you know how to work with it. It's also quite smooth - close to a typical hot press surface but textured differently. Graphite erases cleanly from it, it takes intricate line work quite well, and because it's so heavy you don't even need to tape/stretch it (it'll deform a bit with large heavy washes but doesn't really buckle, and with little effort you can flatten it sufficiently to hang/mount).I've been using it almost exclusively for ink-and-paint-style portraiture, which I find it well suited for. Because it's more absorbent, washes tend to end up with harder edges, but honestly I kind of like the style anyway. I actually find it easier to work in transparent layers/glazes on this than on standard hot press watercolor paper, which has allowed me to develop some complex, natural-looking tones with relative ease.I would love if Strathmore offered gummed pads of it in larger sizes (maybe 18x24?). Otherwise no complaints. It's a very forgiving surface and can work well with a lot of different media and techniques. I've even done some weird abstract mixed media stuff with acrylic ink and heavy layers of sealing wax and it held up just fine. I'd be curious to try it with heavy body acrylics.Overall, my favorite new paper. Highly recommended.

I have been working with this heavy weight paper for a long time, all off of the roll.In order to take the roll curl out, I wet large sections with warm water, and let it set to dry. Then I cut all my project pieces to size. No more roll curl, and due to the papers heavy weight the water has no other effect other than removing the curl.The tooth of this paper is amazing for working my graphite and charcoal pieces, and accepts my inks incredibly well. I've created water color paintings on this paper, and have had little issues...I just have to allow the piece to sit longer than I would with true watercolor paper.I have cut these rolls down to make my own drawing books, as well as large scale individual pieces.Over all this paper is amazing for artist trying to work multiple projects of many sizes with a moderate cost.You just have to know how to work with paper from rolls before purchasing. Inexperience with rolled paper can indeed cause frustration, and I assure you...it's not the papers fault.

The 500 series is my absolute FAVORITE! It’s a little more expensive, but well worth it. I love using this with my Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils.

The paper is amazing and I can't wait to work on it, but I was pretty upset about the corners being bent. Especially since there are only 12 sheets.Excited to try it out. Will update

Very nice

It’s not easy to find paper that is more than 300 pounds and at 3:50 this is very sturdy for mixed media Art And especially helpful for concerns about ink bleeding, through which would not be a concern here at all. I got the smallest size for my sketchbook and travel, but there are multiple sizes, and I will be looking at this item again in the future when needed. Very pleased.