Derwent Lightfast Paper

I’ve just started my very first piece on Derwent Lightfast paper, so I thought I’d give you my first impressions. I’m currently using Lightfast pencils, as naturally, it seems like the best choice.

What is Lightfast paper?

It’s a smooth, hot pressed paper, made from 100% cotton. It’s pretty substantial at 300gsm, which is great (I hate flimsy paper). It’s also an off white colour, which was a bit of a surprise for me, but it means that I can use white pencil on it at some point, and it’ll really pop.

What have I learnt so far?

The fibres in the paper are quite fragile, and the paper doesn’t take well to tape or knives. This isn’t overly unusual, as lots of artist papers don’t like this.

It’s pretty smooth, and it easy to get good coverage quite quickly. It holds the pigment well and it’s easy to create smooth blends and transitions. Although it’s very smooth, it seems to be taking layers well, and can hold a lot of different pigments in its tooth, which is rare for smooth papers.

It doesn’t seem leave a grainy texture, like some papers do, which is also great.

It’s an expensive paper, but so far, it seems to be well worth it. Smooth, able to hold layers, robust and doesn’t leave a grainy texture.