Tomoe River Paper has been around a long time, and was a favorite for ink artists and calligraphers. I kinda wish I’d known about it then! But over the course of a number of years, the paper went through a lot. The decommissioning of one machine, then another, then the sale of the paper to another company, Sanzen. Calligraphers have panned it, mostly because of feathering – and if that’s a big part of your work, I can totally see it.

Does that mean Tomoe River Paper is now useless? Maybe it’s not helpful for those whose work depends on crisp lines. If you know me and my sketchy style, I’ve never panicked over feathering a little from time to time. (My all time fave paper for pen and ink is Hahnemule’s Lettering Paper if I need a really crisp line, and I’m now becoming aware of some others that calligraphers recommend. Stay tuned.)

I tested out a few different black pens as well as fountain and dip pen….and yes, various amounts of feathering if you look really really close. Not a dealbraker for me, but yes, it’s there!

I’ve used this paper for more than pen and ink, though. Primarily Bible journaling, but maybe more in my future, after some revelations that clicked in my brain!

Tutorial: What is Tomoe River paper?

Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!

Wet media tips

While this was once known as great paper for inking – the amount of liquid matters. Maybe one day it hadn’t mattered – although I do find I struggle with Sumi-e papers buckling too, so maybe it’s user error!

For Bible journaling I love watercolor and washes of color or ink enough that I’m good with somewhat wrinkly pages. To mostly flatten them I iron them (cotton setting) for 10-15 seconds between a few sheets of computer paper. I say “mostly” flatten – but remember we’re talking about paper. The buckling is sometimes turned into fine wrinkles in the paper. Not in a terrible way, IMHO – I’m not expecting perfection. But for art that I want to sell or frame, this paper wouldn’t work for me – not for washes.

But for line art, it’s fine, primarily for sketching and doodling. Most pens won’t bleed through, and it works nicely – though with slight feathering. So it depends on how bothered you might be by that. Again, I’m not sure I’d be selling anything on this paper that isn’t truly labeled a sketch, but for inexpensive paper that I can play with? It’s awesome. 

Graphite sketching – and kiddos

The smooth surface of this paper is lovely for graphite. The pigment rests on the top of the surface – no tooth to hide pigment down in the valleys of the paper. Which means blending methods work more immediately than a lot of papers I’ve regularly used! 

A simple cotton ball can soften and blend easily. Gamsol enriches the blackness, and drawing on top of wet blended areas comes out darker. Erasing can lighten areas, from soft kneaded eraser lifting blended highlights, or a stick eraser to draw with. The value range is pretty much off the charts.

The price here is a big benefit as well. I’ve talked with parents of kids who obsessively draw – and they ask what they should do with ALL THOSE SKETCHBOOKS they keep buying for their children. This paper is less expensive in its loose-sheet format than most sketchbooks (100 sheets for about $12-13), and the parent can spirit away some of the best drawings or the ones that mark special milestones or stories. (Parents, SAVE YOUR KIDS ART! What I wouldn’t do to have more of mine….)

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Colored Pencils 

The same tips for graphite also apply to colored pencil – layering, blending, gamsol, tools, and techniques. But using artist grade pencils works better for more saturated drawing; the pencils you can get at the drugstore or grocery store are for kiddos, and have more binder than pigment in them. Your kids can still get some potential benefit from Gamsol, but I’d recommend getting even a small pack of good pencils. 

Bible journaling

If you’re new to the concept of Bible Journaling, I’d recommend one of my courses to get yourself started; I find colored pencils are my top recommendation of a medium to start with since we all know how to hold a pencil! The whole point of Bible journaling is creating while in an attitude of worship, documenting what you’ve learned from a particular passage of Scripture, or a prayer in your heart inspired by the text. I find that creating imagery helps to cement those ideas in my mind and provide me with other reminders in daily life of what the picture was about – this elephant is paired with a passage about remembering God’s faithfulness….my next trip to the zoo might well help me recall that when I see the elephants.