The Search for the Best Colored Pencil Paper: Part 4 – Stonehenge Hot Press

It’s no secret that Stonehenge is one of my favorite brands of paper. There’s good reason for that – they make high-quality, affordable products. There are also many varieties to choose from with each option coming in a variety of sizes.

Since I primarily make tiny art, I always search for the smallest pads I can find. Legion has many of their products available in mini-sizes. This pad of hot press is 2.5″ by 3.75″ which is slightly bigger than Strathmore Artist Trading Cards. These pads are perfect if you work on a small scale.

I want to spend some time with my set of oil-based Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils, so this test of Stonehenge Hot Press only pertains to those.

From the very first pass, I knew I was going to love it. It has the perfect amount of texture for the oil-based pencils, which excel on a medium-tooth surface. Even though I didn’t try wax-based pencils on Stonehenge Hot Press yet, I anticipate it to be a good substrate for those as well.

The Verdict: this an excellent choice for Polychromos colored pencils (and Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils, which I will discuss in a separate review).

Closeup of burnished color. I used a wax-based Caran d’Ache blending stick and a felt burnisher.