There are various kinds of paper that you can use for sketching and drawing. The sketch papers that are not meant to be permanent are made from wood pulp. The paper is thin and cheap and is generally bound together in the form of sketch books. For those of you who want sketch paper that lasts, acid free sketch paper is the best choice. This paper is also thin but it does ensure that your sketches last for as long as you want them to. Thicker sketching paper comes in the form of heavier paper and it should at least have a weight of 125 grams.

If you are just practicing your sketches try not to waste valuable and expensive sketch paper. You can actually choose any kind of plain paper to sketch and practice your strokes. If you are someone who likes to sketch using a pen or ink then you may need to ensure that the paper that you use does not blot.

Professional sketching paper has a slightly rough texture to it. It has a fibrous texture and allows for specks of white to show when you are shading. There are various grades of such paper depending on the roughness that you are looking for. For starters you can use the 80 pound Blick drawing pads or the Canson heavyweight sketching paper. The lighter weight option for professional sketching is Strathmore Windpower Sketch paper.

There is no reason to believe that the texture of the paper ads to the quality of your sketches in any way. As long as you have a grain that is even you should be able to do a good job and create something to be proud of.