Term: Tooth

The surface feel of a ground is referred to as its tooth. Tooth is another name for the texture of the drawing surface. Tooth provides for the attachment of succeeding layers of paint. The more tooth a surface has the rougher it feels to the touch. The finer the tooth, the smoother the surface. Heavy or coarse tooth is the preferred surface texture for charcoal, pastel and some watercolors.

Most good drawing papers are in the mid-range from a tooth point-of-view and vary from a Bristol (with not much tooth) to papers with a moderately coarse tooth, such as Canson Mi-Tientes. Specialty papers are available that have no tooth (like Yupo), as well as papers with a lot of tooth (such as, sanded pastel and art papers).

Surfaces such as mat board, suede board, canvas, and wood also have varying levels of tooth. Some of them can be mechanically altered by sanding or gessoing to produce finer tooth.