Polychromos do well on a paper with adequate ‘tooth’, like Stonehenge, Strathmore bristol vellum, sanded art paper, like UArt, and also on mylar paper, known often as Duralar. The Duralar ‘paper’ is not an actual paper, but is a plastic surface, it won't handle a lot of layers but the colors lay down beautifully. Hope this helps!
Can Bristol paper be used as watercolor paper?
I used to do watercolors on both hot and cold press bristol board all the time. Using cold press is truer to actual watercolor paper but you will end up with harder edges. I liked it because it's very durable and it doesn't absorb the paint as much as watercolor paper does which allows you to lift the paint back off to create highlights and such. Hot press will leave you with very hard edges and is very similar to painting on poster board. An interesting technique to try with both is starting with an acrylic or ink backround and after it dries applying watercolor over top. After the watercolor dries you can then go back and lift the watercolor off with a wet brush and a paper towel to reveal the backround color underneath. The very good portrait painter Burton Silverman painted a lot on hot press bristol and published a book entitled Breaking The Rules of Watercolor in which he demonstrates his technique. Edit: I put a few examples on this Flickr page if you want to check them out. I was bored what can I say. http://www.flickr.com/photos/35754484@N03/
Yes you can. Bristol is a stiff paper and generally is suuuuuper smooth to the touch. It's going to have a similar feel to a hot press watercolor paper. Depending on how thick the bristol is there might not be a lot of warping, you can get around that by using watercolor tape to stretch out the paper before you start to paint. Bristol, because it has a different texture can give your finished work a slightly different look. And even though it might not have as much absorbency as a paper made for sucking up pigment it will work so don't be afraid to experiment.
Bristol paper vs drawing paper?
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Bristol Board or Watercolor Paper?
The nature of watercolor pigment is that it is intended to be applied very wet. That is why watercolor paper is supposed to be stretched on a board so that it does NOT wrinkle when worked. (actually, it DOES wrinkle, but the stretching minimizes this) The paper is designed to absorb the pigments into the paper at a certain rate. Experienced water color artists use this absorbtion rate in various techniques for different effects. Using watercolors on Bristol boards will change the rate of absorbtion and eliminates some of the technique and effects that you have available. These boards are GREAT for many kinds of media, but watercolor is not the best use of it. I know you seek a single, all-purpose paper stock, but this is NOT a good idea. That is why there are so MANY kinds of paper available. Why would you, arbitrarily, want to limit yourself to one form of paper?
Prismacolor Premier or Faber Castell Polychromos?
Prismacolors don't break as much as the Faber Castells at least in my experience. Both are nice and I like some of the subtle colours better in the Faber Castells, just use a lighter touch with them. As for paper, depends on details, but you do want something with some 'tooth' to it. I'd recommend Cason's or something that is cold pressed. Watercolour paper is too toothy unless you go hot pressed. Also experiment with the pencils a little. A little varsol (paint thinner) on a q-tip can be really fun with coloured pencils. Cheers
Faber Castell Polychromos or Prismacolour Premier?
I have tried both and I prefer the Polychromos. They lay down on the paper smoother and fill more of the white space that Prismacolour leaves behind on paper. The colours also range from some soft colours to vibrant, I truly recommend them.
What is the best type of paper to use on PrismaColor Pencils?
You can really use any kind of paper. It all depends on the type of look you're trying to achieve. The key is to keep your pencils nice and sharp. Have a sharpener handy while you're working. I would recommend trying different types of paper. Canson and strathmore are the two brands I usually use, but plain old printer paper works too. Canson also makes some nice colored papers that allows you to use the paper color as part of your picture. I've also even used prismacolor on arches watercolor paper in conjunction with my paints.
Can you use pastels on bristol board?
Bristol board is expensive for this medium, and the board will be too slick for pastel work. Bristol board is better suited to inks or some pencil works. I agree with the annie42’s answer, and I think one should heed the advice on proper fixative treatment. A primer is available in a spray can that will give the board more “tooth” for the pastels. You can spray the work a couple of times to add more texture, if wanted. A fixative after you are finished your artwork is an important step. Without it, your art will not last very long.