8 Advantages of Drawing on Toned Paper

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What's the difference between drawing on white paper vs. drawing on toned paper? Will drawing on toned paper help you improve your art skills faster?  What advantages does this type of drawing/sketching substrate have?


As I've explained in past blog posts and YouTube videos, I 100% believe that drawing is the basis for all kinds of art. 

Through drawing, we're not only able to increase our knowledge and skills with essential art fundamentals such as perspective, 3D form and value, but we're also able to develop basic skills such as our observation and our hand-eye coordination. 

To read more about how drawing will improve your painting skills, check out this blog post.

As a painter, I make time for my sketching practice routinely, as I know this will positively impact my painting, and it is incredibly fun and enriching to explore new tools and substrates. 

Today, I'm excited to share another great guest blog post that sheds light on why drawing on toned paper can help us continue developing our art skills. 

Emily Clare is the artist and author behind the Fine Art Tutorials website, which is a great educational resource for art enthusiasts looking to improve their skills with drawing and painting. Over at her website, you can find step-by-step guides, beginner-friendly tutorials, and interviews with professional artists. 

Clare is primarily a painter working with oils, but just like me, she loves working with a range of drawing and painting mediums. Her interest in art began at a young age, when she started drawing portraits. Today, her subjects of choice are landscapes and seascapes. 
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Let's jump into her article!

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8 Advantages of Drawing on Toned Paper

by Emily Clare

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When it comes to choosing the right paper for drawing, there are a lot of options to consider. The color of the paper you choose can greatly impact the finished look of the drawing.

Toned paper is a great substrate for artists to work on and if you've not tried it before, it's worth experimenting with. Toned drawing paper usually comes in cool gray tones and warm brown tones, so pick the one you think will work best for your kind of artwork.

In this blog post, we will explore 8 advantages of drawing on toned paper. Keep reading to learn more!
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​1. You can work much faster
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​Artists can speed up the sketching process when drawing on toned paper  because the midtone values are already established.

Allow the gray or brown paper to show through to save time shading all the middle values yourself. Instead, focus on rendering the deepest shadows and brightest highlights.

In contrast, when drawing on white paper, artists will shade the midtones and shadows, leaving the white paper blank for the lightest highlights. Although drawing on white paper yields excellent results, it's more time consuming, as artists have to develop the full range of values.

An example of where it would be beneficial to use toned paper in order to draw at a faster speed would be at a life drawing class, where each drawing is timed. You will be able to get more down on the paper in a shorter time frame.

Another great instance to harness the speed of drawing on toned paper is if you’re working on a project with many drawings, such as a comic book. It can be helpful to use toned paper so that you can work faster and more efficiently.

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​2. It helps us create great contrast 
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​Artists can also create more contrast and visual interest in their drawings using toned paper. This helps improve composition, creating areas that stand out and lead the eye in. The midtone present in the paper can help unify different aspects of the drawing.

Choose to draw with a highly contrasted effect, by shading with a dark charcoal pencil for the shadow tones and use a white pencil for the highlights.

With a midtone background, the white pencil will pop out of the page!

Toned paper can help create a sense of atmosphere in your drawings. It's perfect for adding depth and dimension to your artwork.


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3. We're able to determine values more easily
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In addition, using toned paper can help artists to better see the overall value range in their drawings. This helps artists to achieve more realistic values.

When the midtones are already established on the paper, it's easier to see where you need to place the darkest darks and lightest lights.

This can be especially helpful when starting out with drawing, as you become more familiar with working in a range of values.

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4. We can create more subtle changes between values
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Working from a midtone "base" and gradually building light and dark tones will encourage you to be more subtle in the rendering of your subject.

​It's a common beginner's mistake to draw with high contrast, instead of toning values down to appear true to life.

It's hard in the beginning to notice subtle changes in values in our reference photos or life subjects, but being able to capture different values present is essential for any level of realism. 

By starting with midtones, you can develop your ability to achieve more realistic drawings.

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​5. It leads to interesting mood/atmosphere in our art
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Toned paper offers artists the opportunity to experiment with different drawing techniques.

For example, you could use watercolors to paint over the toned paper to create a light and airy feel. Or if you want to create a more moody and atmospheric drawing, you could use charcoal or conte crayon.

If you're creating a drawing that is set at night time, using toned paper will help to give your drawing a moonlit look. Use a white pencil or gel pen to create the highlights on the moon.

There's an infinite amount of materials and techniques than can be used in combination to bring more of yourself into your artwork and create unique effects. 

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6. Toned paper is less harsh on the eyes
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If you find yourself staring at a white piece of paper for long periods of time, it can be hard on the eyes. Toned paper is easier on the eyes and can help to reduce eye strain.

Whether you're working on a small project or a large one, toned paper can not only help make your artwork more successful, but it can also make the creative process more enjoyable.

​Experiment with different types of toned paper to see which one you prefer!


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​7. We can create portrait drawings with subtle effects
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Toned paper is especially suited for portrait drawings where there are lots of subtle transitions in midtone values.

Skin tones can be difficult to achieve when starting from a white surface, so using a midtone as your starting point can help you to create a more accurate portrait.

​You can then slowly build up the lights and shadows.


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​8. It's an incredibly versatile substrate for drawing and sketching
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On toned paper, artists can use a wide range of drawing media and techniques to achieve striking effects. It can also be used in lots of different ways.

​For example, artists can use charcoal to achieve deep matte black shades, alongside white charcoal pencil to achieve a full range of values. Colored pencils will look bright and saturated against a brown or gray background, as the neutral backdrop creates contrast.


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Do you want to try drawing on toned paper?

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned artist, drawing on toned paper can help improve your drawings in a number of ways.

​Give it a try the next time you sit down to draw!

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Recommended Supplies:

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Strathmore Softcover 400 Series Toned Sketch Artist Journal

Strathmore 400 Series Recycled Toned Sketch Wirebound Pads

You can use a variety of different drawing tools on toned paper including chalk, conté crayons, pastels, charcoal sticks or pencils, and regular colored pencils. 

You can protect your artwork and keep it from smearing, with a fixative. 
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I hope this post was helpful and inspiring!

Thanks so much to Emily Clare for so generously sharing all of this useful information with us. 

Thank you for reading and I wish you tons of progress and enjoyment in your art journey.

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