Review: Fabriano Accademia ARTIST PAPERPACK drawing paper (120gsm, 160gsm, 200gsm)

Not a sponsored review

The Fabriano Accademia ARTIST PAPERPACK drawing paper is available in 120gsm, 160gsm and 200gsm. I had purchased the paper from ArtFriend Singapore recently. Each pack is SGD21.95 before discount. I only saw A4 size.

120gsm, 200 sheets
This is good for pencil and ink. The paper is thinner, so you can see impression of your drawing from the back surface.

160gsm, 150 sheets
This is good for pencil, ink and light ink washes. Paper is thicker so you can barely see the drawing from the back surface.

200gsm, 100 sheets
Paper is much thicker and suitable for heavier mixed media use, but not with watercolour.

The paper is not glued or gummed on the side, and there's no cardboard backing. It's packaged like printing paper except paper quality is better. The paper is acid-free.

As the name Accademia suggests, this is for students and beginners.

There's no mention whether there's any cotton content, so that pretty much means this paper has no cotton content and is not of archival quality. Cotton paper can last significantly longer than ordinary wood pulp paper.

This paper is made for drawing, from what I can see suitable for pen and pencil. 160gsm can be used with light water washes, and 200gsm is good for heavier mixed media work.

The paper is not watercolour paper so it does not work well with watercolour or water media, or markers (too absorbant). But 160gsm and 200gsm are still alright for light ink washes, as shown above.

The thicker paper has minimal buckling with this ink sketch with light wash. Actually the paper remained very flat.

Paper is thick enough so the ink or light wash does not seep or bleed through.

Ink works extremely well. Line edges are solid with no feathering.

This paper is considered high quality despite the Accademia label. Drawing on it is extremely satisfying. Having this stack of quality paper in front makes me feel inspired and ready to draw. If you've been drawing for a while, you'll know how satisfying it is to be working on good quality paper.

The Fabriano Accademia drawing paper is something I can recommend easily.

If you're interested to buy this, try searching Jackson's Art (UK) and Blick Art (US).