Strathmore Paper Deals: Compare Sale Prices & Find the Best Discount UK

Plenty of brands have a logo, but few have one with a story as charming as Strathmore’s thistle. In 1892, on St Patrick’s Day, Horace Moses opened the Mittineague paper mill in West Springfield, Massachusetts. On a trip to Scotland, he’d visited the Strathmore Valley and been so struck by the thistle in bloom that he named his paper after the valley and adopted the thistle as his symbol. In 1899 the Strathmore name first appeared on artists’ papers, beginning with charcoal paper and soon followed by Bristol board. More than 125 years later, Strathmore is one of the best-known paper brands in the art world, and that little thistle is printed on pads in art shops and classrooms everywhere.

The easiest way to understand Strathmore is through its series system, which tells you at a glance what quality you’re buying. The numbers run from the 200 and 300 Series, aimed at students, beginners and everyday practice, through the 400 Series, a premium range for more experienced artists, up to the 500 Series, Strathmore’s professional range. The 500 Series papers are archival and acid-free, and many are made with cotton fibre for extra strength and longevity. It’s a really helpful system, because you can start at a lower series for sketching and excercise work, and step up as your work gets more serious.

Within those series, Strathmore makes paper for almost every medium. The Mixed Media range is one of its most popular. It’s a heavier paper with a vellum finish, designed to handle wet and dry media together, so you can combine pencil, ink, marker, gouache and light watercolour on the same page. The Sketch pads use a lighter paper with a fine grain, perfect for quick sketches, practice and filling page after page. The Drawing pads use a heavier paper with a medium grain, ideal for graphite, charcoal, coloured pencil and finished drawings. Bristol board, one of Strathmore’s earliest products, gives you a smooth, sturdy surface that’s popular for pen and ink, illustration, comics and marker work. There are Marker pads with a smooth surface designed to prevent bleed-through, Watercolour pads and albums with a lightly textured surface, and Acrylic pads with a linen-texture grain that mimics canvas.

Strathmore’s Toned paper is another favourite. Available in warm tan and cool grey, toned paper lets you work from a mid-tone, adding shadows with dark media and highlights with white pencil or gouache, which makes drawings look wonderfully three-dimensional. The toned range includes recycled options too. Strathmore also makes visual journals and hardcover and softcover sketchbooks, which are lovely for urban sketching, travel journals and keeping a daily drawing habit, and Artist Trading Cards for making and swapping miniature artworks.

In sixteen years in the art supplies industry, including nearly a decade running digital marketing at ARTdiscount, I’ve seen Strathmore become one of the go-to paper brands for students and hobbyists, thanks to its clear quality levels and huge range. In our community of 36,000 UK artists at Discount Art Supplies, sketchbook and paper recommendations come up constantly, and Strathmore’s Mixed Media and Toned pads are mentioned again and again. Sketchbooks and paper are also among the things people regularly search for on our own site.

Getting the best deal on Strathmore comes down to a few things. First, compare prices before you buy. Strathmore pads are imported from the US, so UK prices can vary noticeably between retailers, and our comparison above checks Cass Art, Jackson’s, Amazon and others in real time. Second, choose the right series for the job. There’s no need to pay 500 Series prices for practice sketches, but for work you want to keep or sell, the archival 500 Series is worth the extra. Third, buy the right paper for your medium. Using a sketch pad for watercolour or a watercolour pad for marker will only lead to disappointment, so match the paper to how you work. Fourth, consider larger pads or multipacks if you get through a lot of paper, as they usually work out cheaper per sheet. And finally, watch for sales. Strathmore pads are regularly discounted, especially around back-to-school and Black Friday, and the ocassional multibuy deal is a great time to stock up.

A few questions come up again and again. What do the Strathmore series numbers mean? They indicate quality, from the 200 and 300 Series for students and practice, to the premium 400 Series and the professional 500 Series. Is Strathmore Mixed Media paper good for watercolour? It handles light washes well, but for heavy watercolour work, a dedicated watercolour paper is a better choice. What is toned paper used for? Toned paper lets you work from a mid-tone, adding both darks and white highlights for a three-dimensional effect. Is Strathmore paper acid-free? The 500 Series papers are archival and acid-free. Check the individual pad for other series.

From a Massachusetts mill and a Scottish thistle to art rooms all over the world, Strathmore has been making paper for artists for well over a century. Looking for a Strathmore sale, discount or discount code? Check the price comparisons above, updated in real time, and you’ll always know you’re getting the best current UK price.