Picking the Right Washi Paper: Which One Should You Use?
Join us as Karen Elaine dives deep into the world of traditional Japanese paper.
We’ll be testing a variety of mediums on different types of washi to see how they actually perform in real time. We’ll take a close look at the unique properties of washi—its fibers, absorbency, strength, and surface texture—and how those qualities affect different art techniques.
See how various inks, paints, and drawing tools interact with smooth, translucent, and absorbent washi surfaces, and learn which papers shine for specific creative approaches.
This video was originally livestreamed on the Yasutomo YouTube channel on Friday, January 9, 2026.
Items Used
For a shoppable overview of the items used in this demo visit our Picking the Right Washi Paper: Which One Should You Use? collection HERE.
- Metal tray that Karen is using for her brushes (not sold by Yasutomo) is out of stock (link) - similar HERE!
- Hosho paper pad (6H)
- All Purpose brush size 2 (SW2)
- Liquid black sumi ink (KY series)
- Round porcelain saucer (WCW210)
- 8 color gansai set (WC208)
- Fusion brush round size 5 (FS5)
- Golden Liquid Metallic Sumi Ink (CMGO2) - small 2 oz bottle, liquid gold ink
- Golden Black Traditional Chinese Ink (CG18) - large bottle, gold powder suspension in black sumi ink
- Fusion brush round size 2 (FS2)
- Washi Paper Pad 12" x 18" (6JM)
- Mashi paper (6MA)
- Detail Master Liner Pigment Pens (DMPL)
- Gasen paper (6G)
- Mashi Hosho paper (6MAH)
- Kozo paper (6K)
- Wa Fude brush, Kiyo (WF1)
- Torinoko (6T)
- Asagami paper (6AG)
- Usugami paper (6U) - restocking this week!
- Unryu paper roll (6MMU2)
- Karen mentioned Hedi Kyle's blizzard book, an amazing origami book model!
- Hosho paper roll (6M2) - coming soon!
- The Masters Brush Cleaner (not sold by Yasutomo)
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