Hello, I am an artist who works for the most part in India Ink on (at the moment) Arches hot press paper rolls, ~300 gsm. The art is larger scale (larger work can be around 40x70 inches) and is made mostly with fineliners and technical pens; however, I do much of the coloring with felt-tipped brush pens. This is because broadly brushing in solid India ink would appear overly dark, and moisten the paper too much causing it to buckle.

The "streakiness" of a felt brush India ink pen upon hot press paper is evident, though, especially under light. I have solved this problem in the past by drawing on cold press paper, as the texture has a smoothing, matte-ing effect when laying down solid inked areas - but this comes with its own caveats. Working on cold press paper does not allow the drawer control their pen so well (as it is not intended for that). Additionally, the cotton fibers are more easily able to snag on the needle-like piston of a technical pen, bending and ruining it.

I am wondering what sort of paper recommendations you would have for someone looking for:

1. A smooth drawing surface
2. Medium-heavy thickness (~300 gsm)
3. Non-streakiness when layering ink thinly upon itself with a (felt) brush.
4. Comes in both sheets (24x36 or 22x30) and rolls.

Thank you,
Peter Politis

Hi Peter,

Thank you for reaching out with such a detailed description of your work and requirements. Based on what you've shared, I recommend considering the papers listed below. That said - as we all know - since finding the right paper can be subjective, my best advice is to test the papers yourself. I suggest trying our Drawing Paper Sampler (https://legionpaper.com/drawing-papers/). It contains a variety of papers, giving you a hands-on way to test which surface and weight best match your artistic style and technical needs.

Let me know if you have any other questions or need help sourcing these papers!

**Coventry Rag Smooth**
- Surface: Smooth with a slight tooth
- Weight: 290–335 gsm
- Characteristics: 100% cotton, durable and ideal for ink work requiring precise control and smooth application.

**Lenox**
- Surface: Very smooth
- Weight: 250 gsm
- Characteristics: 100% cotton, machine-made, designed for fine line work and technical pens.

**Rives BFK**
- Surface: Soft and smooth
- Weight: 180–300 gsm
- Characteristics: 100% cotton, slightly absorbent, great for blending ink layers while maintaining detail.

**Somerset Satin**
- Surface: Smooth with slight tooth
- Weight: 250–500 gsm
- Characteristics: 100% cotton, firm and reliable for ink layering and minimizing streakiness.

**Stonehenge**
- Surface: Vellum, slightly toothy
- Weight: 250–320 gsm
- Characteristics: 100% cotton, versatile for various techniques, with a texture that helps blend ink evenly.

**Stonehenge Aqua HP**
- Surface: Hot press, very smooth
- Weight: 300–550 gsm
- Characteristics: 100% cotton, designed for watercolor but excellent for ink work needing a smooth surface.