affiliate links

MOST of the links in this article are affiliate links, they are identified throughout the post. This means I will earn a small commission on each order, at no extra cost to you. I you are a new customer to Jackson’s and order through one of my affiliate links, you will have a one time discount of 10% on your first order!

However, if you would rather not support me and look for the products without going though my affiliate links, no hard feelings. Just go to the Jackson’s supplies website (no affiliate) and search for the product by name.

favorite products: the samples!!

One of my favorite things to order are the sample packs. Good professional quality paints and papers are expensive. And how much we enjoy different papers and paints often depends on personal preference. Because, yes, Arches paper might be great for a lot of people, but you might not like it.

So instead of splurging for a page or a pack of sheets and being frustrated by the cost if you dont like them, Jackson’s offer a wider array of sample pack you can get for very affordable prices. I order some of those each time I order something over at Jackson’s.

(affiliate link) Various test packs and samples

paper favorites and must trys

12 quarter sheets cold press cotton paper pack

My absolute favorite thing to buy at Jackson’s for paper is (affiliate link) this pack of 12 different artist cold press cotton quarter sheets. In there are 12 quarter sheets (so 11 x 15 inches) of different weights of paper from Arches, Fabriano Artistico, Saunders, Jackson’s and Milford. A great way to have a nice size of paper to try out.

Stonehenge paper pads

I love Stonehenge papers. And I especially love the tiny paper pads. These paper are difficult to find in my local retailers (if you have suggestions, I’d love to hear them!), so I need to order them online. And if using vegan or cruelty-free supplies is important for you, Stonehenge papers are vegan.

(affiliate link) all of the Stonehenge paper pads at Jacksons

Unfortunately, as I am writing this, Stonehenge paper is mostly in “awaiting stock mode”. Hopefully they do come back in stock before the sale is over. Fingers crossed!

The little test pads are an affordable way to test out different papers. Even tough some are not watercolor papers per say, some of the papers such as Lenox cotton and Stonehenge white give amazing results when use with no too much water. They are also totally amazing with technique such as monoprinting.

The tiny pads are available on their own, but also as packs. The tiny packs are a very affordable way to test out the papers, and a very fun way to make small art without worrying about cutting the paper to the exact size you want (I’m not yet equipped with something to make perfect cuts). The only down side is that you are allowed one of each with each order! So personally, I stock up on all of them each time!

quick list of Stonehenge papers I really enjoy (affiliate links):

• Stonehenge Aqua watercolor sample pack with 3 mini pads each of cold press, cold press heavy, hot press and black cold press.
• Stonehenge paper pad sample of 10 with sample pads of the “lighter” artist papers, perfect for drawing or monoprinting or light watercolors (with not too much water).
• Yupo test sample pack of 12 with 4 pads of each yupo papers : translucent, medium and heavy. These are amazing papers to work with liquid mediums and alcohol inks. I’ve had such fun with these!!!
• All of the samples from Stonehenge if you want to take a look at individual pads in sample size (and you can add them to a sample pack too!!!

Hahnemuhle Bamboo multimedia paper

It is Simone who introduced me to this paper in a Patreon post. It is a mixed media paper, but it has a very nice and soft texture and handles water pretty well. It is perfect for swatching and studies. .

• Hanhnemuhle bamboo multimedia block a 265 gsm paper that is also vegan and cruelty free.

I actually made myself a beautiful swatch book with this paper. It is a pretty good budget paper. I would not use it for very wet projects though.

Other papers

Jackson’s has an amazing range of papers, from watercolors to printmaking papers, so many beautiful options. You should be able to find the one for you! Look at (affiliate link) watercolor pads on Jackson’s supplies website.

Until the 11th of Septembre, Jackson’s is have a sale on paper (about 10-15% from the ones I looked at). Go check it out!