Bienfang paper

[Sam Harrison]

Has anybody else here used it for anything?

I did a drawing on it because I like the soft texture (been using it for sketches) but I don't know exactly how good the paper is, quality wise. I know it's acid free and hasn't yellowed a bit in the few years I've had the pad so I trust it fairly well but I also know it's not 100% cotton or anything.


For some reason I have a ton of good Stonehenge and Strathmore Bristol/Charcoal 500 paper lying around yet I've never used it for anything. All my favorite drawings are on inexpensive paper!


I'm not sure if perhaps I should transfer the drawing onto a sheet of Stonehenge or what. Should I just leave it on this? It seems like fine enough paper but I'm a worrier.

By the way, this is Bienfang Raritan 70lb paper. I know they have a wide variety of products.

[jennaboo88]

Hi, Sam,
I used to use Beinfang paper primarily, it does have a nice texture, and seemed better than some of the "cheap" sketchpads I'd tried out. IMO, it's a nice middle-of-the-road paper, better than cheap paper, but not as nice as some of the finer art papers. It is a little light for graphite if you work in layers or apply a lot of darks, but makes a nice pad for sketching. Also, it has more grain and tooth than a lot of papers, which can be a good thing. I've come to like smoother papers personally, but everyone likes something different.

So far, the drawings I've done on Beinfang paper have not yellowed or shown any signs of age or damage. I would suggest working with a better quality paper for drawings, but the Beinfang paper will get the job done.

Hope this helps.

[Sam Harrison]

Thanks, it's good to hear that the paper will probably last a while; I've been using it with crayon and chalk since it didn't seem to work well with pencil but has a very likable amount of tooth for other things yet not as much as water color paper, charcoal, mi-teintes or the like.

[Indyviews]

Hi Sam, I currently use Beinfang smooth bristol although I haven't done a drawing for the better part of a year. I basically agree with Jenna, haven't had a yellowing problem but would like to try another paper....just can't find anything that is very good that I haven't tried, the exception being paper from England of which I am not willing to pay $4 a sheet for shipping! As for 100% rag paper....I have had a lot of it yellow for no reason.

[kevinwueste]

I am not a fan - at least with charcoal or graphite I will not use bienfang again.. it does not stand up to the abuse of arches or the better stratford papers.. but I have not used their bristol smooth or vellum.. more the papers w/some texture ( light texture) .. but no.