Canson XL Series Oil and Acrylic Paper Pad 11x14"

I'm very happy with this paper for Mixed Media. It's my first time using it... I'm not sure why I haven't tried it before, but I'm glad I tried it during this project. It was just what I needed. I just finished utilizing it to illustrate a "junk-journal style" children's book, so I used/tested plenty of different mediums this past week. I have no skin in the game, bought this myself. But I enjoy reading reviews before buying (before wasting my money lol) so maybe this review will help a fellow crafter/maker/artist decide what paper they need. It held up well to acrylics, gesso, Sharpie markers, Posca paint pens, tempuras, and different types of adhesives. No problems. This is probably the best paper I've EVER used with Gesso because the medium didn't distort the page in any way. I applied it on THICK! The paper/canvas didn't budge. Continued to lay flat. From now on, if I need a spackle-thick texture (like the hospital cut-out in the photo) this will be my go-to paper. And to think, I had almost sworn off Gesso and gel mediums. I just didn't have the right paper. I DID NOT use watercolor on this paper, and wouldn't. It's not pourous or absorbent, so your watercolors wouldn't be effective. I also wouldn't recommend using this as your primary sketching pad. You'll be able to draw on the page before painting, but it's too slick for graphite or charcoal to stay put. I have not tried oils yet, but it's supposed to work well with oil paint so I'm not worried. It took my ink pens fine. I haven't painted with Indian Ink or Quink on it yet, but again, the non-porous surface probably won't take to the inking arts very well-- nor would I want to use any water based markers on it. You can always attach your painted or sketched pg to this heavy canvas paper by adhering it, as I've done in my project. You can try laying down a layer of gesso or gel medium to make this paper play better with water based paints & markers. Once your surface is dry, that should work fine. In my photos, you can see where I used this paper in some of the cutouts (photo: pregnant mom and hospital cutout) and I also used it as the sturdy paper I built each page onto. (The hands are also a cutout from my sketchpad and applied to the canvas ppr.) I usually use heavy cardstock or heavy (overly expensive) watercolor paper to give more weight to the pages in these projects, but so far, this canvas paper is superior, and it's a better value $. Hope this helps. Happy making :)

I use this all the time, it's good for doing study with. It is for mix media. Fir watercolor it dose not take a lot of water. Other wise the paper get warped, hard to flatten.. but a good around pad worth the buy.

Good value. Quality nice

Works as good as canvas stretched over a frame and then cut off. It was the correct size for portraits that I needed to send in a flat priority mail envelop.

Oil: I have used this many times for oil painting, and it’s great. Holds up really well over time. It’s my go-to for oil. Highly recommended. Acrylic: Warps badly. If you plan to leave a lot of white space, it could work. If you plan to paint a full background in acrylic, it warps and won’t lay flat after drying. I use heavy body acrylic and it did it every time. Not recommended.

Very high quality. Loved painting in this paper. Handled moisture great didn't curl or peel. Felt luxurious and exceeded my expectations.

Love this paper for en plein air paper. It makes traveling while oil painting a feasible option. The surface is quite similar to a canvas or linen.

Pleasant texture, durable, and the right thickness for painting :) plus it doesn't absorb the paint like crazy. It's great.