In this exclusive real-time tutorial, we explore something new — drawing on Strathmore’s Toned Tan Mixed Media paper with Faber-Castell Polychromos. You’ll see how toned paper helps beginners achieve instant contrast by starting from a mid-tone, making it easier to balance highlights and shadows. I’ll walk you through choosing and testing color combinations, layering blues and reds for the fish body and fins, and using black and grey for depth with crisp white highlights to bring everything alive. Along the way, you’ll also get insights into how this paper handles blending, layering, and erasing — plus why it’s smoother and easier to manage than most other toned papers. By the end, you’ll learn how toned papers can simplify realism while enhancing vibrancy, and you’ll discover why they’re worth experimenting with for both beginners and advanced artists. And as usual, the references of this tutorial are included in the Materials section.