If you’re teaching visual arts, one of the most important supplies you can have is paper. The material you use for visual art can vary greatly, from metals and acrylics to canvases and walls but paper is an excellent choice for teaching beginners. This is primarily because of its inexpensive costs and its ability to be crumpled up if the end result isn’t what the artist had in mind in the first place. Using such an inexpensive material for beginners to learn visual arts on encourages experimentation and creative thinking which will benefit their art styles. So what kind of paper should you buy for your students? It depends on the age of your students and what type of art you’ll be teaching.
Construction paper is very popular with children because of its additional weight and its variety of colors. However, construction paper doesn’t have to be just a children’s material. Construction paper can be used in a variety of arts and crafts that would appeal to older students as well. For instance, making colorful paper flowers or as a matting for scrapbooking projects are both excellent arts projects for adults that use construction paper. Make sure your construction paper is large enough for the type of project that you’d like to do. A large variety of colors can also help to spur creativity.
For general visual art projects involving drawing, markers, tempera or pastels, consider Sulphite White Drawing Paper and Economy Manila. This paper is versatile and can be used in a variety of different projects and in conjunction with myriad utensils, so it’s safe to buy in bulk.
Finally, tissue paper is an under-utilized paper when teaching visual arts but it has a variety of uses.