In the 60’s I bought a pad of drawing paper, cream colored, clay coated. I believe it was Morilla Cameo, a paper that was used for silver point. I’ve never found anything before or since as wonderfully responsive to pencil… or to fine ink. You could use pencil as you would use a fine pen nib with ink… with all the shading and modulating power of pencil.
Here are two drawings, the first, from 1969 (crow quill), the second, from 1970 (pencil). I’ve searched in vain trying to find paper like this. If you know where I might find it, please let me know.
Post script: my suspicions were right-that this paper was intended for SilverPoint. Here’s a wonderful site with information on technique, materials and contemporary silverpoint artists.
x
Jacob Russell's Magic Names 
I’ve looked for ages… it is lovely paper! good work Jacob 🙂
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Paper is always a player, innit. With canvas–unless you seek the more heavily textured weave, the more expensive, high quality linens are the most self-effacing. They are made to support the priming and the paint without revealing their character. Mind over material.
But I am a material grl!
When I started painting again, I preferred the rough side of Masonite, weathered chipboard or plywood because the texture gave me something to work with from the start– dialog from the first brush stroke. Now, when I use stretched canvas, I begin with an impasto undercoat, applied with palate knife or this cool, hand held, round whisk-broom I found– or some combination of both– to give me what the canvas lacks.
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I don’t know if you’ll read this, but I happened to come into possession of a lot of 1950s-80s art material and some of this Morilla clay coated paper was in the mix. I have a few unused drawing pads in a cream color, although they may have been white when new. The pad has a blue construction paper cover and reads:
GENUINE CLAY COATED
“CAMEO”
DRAWING PAPER
24 SHEETS 14 x 11
THE MORILLA COMPANY
The original price of the pad is 70 cents as stamped on the front of it.
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Yes, it was cream colored — I would love to buy this from you!!!!
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I would love to buy this from you!!!!
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Where are you? I”m in Philadelphia.
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I’m in Tampa, Florida. I can probably fit the pad in a flat rate box. I know for certain I have that one but I also may have more. If you’d like to email me, my email is my name all as one word, no 99 after it, @outlook dot com. I’m being verbose with it because scam bots crawl sites and I don’t want my email getting ruined. Is there anything else you’d like me to look for?
The artist that originally owned everything focused on charcoal drawing and airbrush; he did a number of ads for companies like Raytheon in the 1950s and 60s.
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My email is gobycantabs@gmail.com
do you have Paypal? I can pay you for shipping. Not interested in other than those 14×11 pads… and as many as you want to send. This would make me very happy! My address is 26 E. Logan Phila Pa 19144.
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