300 Series Strathmore Paper Bristol Board Pads: Art and Craft Supplies

Strathmore Bristol Board is my favorite all-purpose paper for art and crafts. Whether I'm drawing, painting, making greeting cards, or creating collages, I keep a pad of Strathmore Bristol Board close at hand. Strathmore Bristol Board comes in a variety of weights and sizes, but the 300 series pads are the ones I use most often. These pads are affordable, and they are a fantastic value.

Available Sizes of Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board Paper:

Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Pads are available in the following sizes:

6" x 6"
9" x 12"
11" x 14"
14" x 17"
19" x 24"

There are 20 sheets to a pad. If you need a larger size, sheet stock measuring 22.5" x 28.5" is also available. Strathmore also recently released Bristol Artist Trading Cards and matching envelopes. The artist trading cards measure 2.5" x 3.5".

Quality:

Strathmore Bristol Board is acid free, and it can be used in projects that are intended to last for years. The paper is high quality.

Weight:

Strathmore's 300 Series Bristol Board is a 100 lb. paper. It is sturdy enough to withstand being painted, collaged, and embellished. Most scrapbooking cardstock feels wimpy compared to Strathmore Bristol Board. Scrapbooking cardstock will often buckle or warp if you attempt to collage with it or paint on it; Bristol Board is stronger, and can withstand more painting and collage.

Media:

Strathmore Bristol Board is available in 2 different finishes: smooth and vellum. The smooth finish is ideal for airbrushing and drawing with pencil, pen or ink. The smooth is my preferred surface for gouache painting, and for use with walnut inks. I've also used it with Lumiere Metallic Paints, acrylic paints, 7Gypsies Colorwash, Dr. PH Martin's Brilliant Concentrated Watercolors, and Lyra watercolor crayons. The vellum finish is ideal for use with graphite, colored pencils, pastels, charcoal, conte crayons, and other dry media. It would probably work with other art supplies too, but I haven't tested it as extensively as I've tested the smooth finish.

I first learned about Strathmore Bristol Board when I was a student at Otis School of Design. I was taking a class in fashion design, and most of the class assignments involved painting fashion illustrations with gouache paints. Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board was the surface that the instructor recommended, so I bought some. I was impressed with the product, and have been using it ever since.

Project Ideas Using Strathmore Bristol Board:

Click here to see original hand painted ATCs (art trading cards) that were made using Strathmore Bristol Board.

Click here and here to see handmade greeting cards that were created using Strathmore Bristol Board.

Country of Origin:

Strathmore Bristol Board is Made in the USA.

Conclusion:

Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board is the perfect all-purpose art and craft paper. It is versatile. It is affordable enough for art students, yet the quality is good enough for consistent use by professional artists. I am delighted to recommend this product to other artists and crafters