Hi Laurie - sorry, I overlooked this thread until now!
You are experiencing what has frustrated a lot of hand coloring artists, as it can be challenging to marry a traditional process with digital output. However, it can be done.
A few choices: the Marshall's Inkjet Canvas is a fast & easy choice. My main nitpick with it is its heavy texture: it really does feel and handle like canvas, which IMO makes it less suitable for some images. But, you can apply the photo oils directly to the surface and also use oil pencils, and with light pressure everything blends easily. The paper is acid free, too - so, when used with the more archival pigmented inks in a photo printer, you end up with an original hand colored print that actually has some archival stability to it.
Another down & dirty trick is to just apply a "workable fix" type of spray directly onto your inkjet paper - Krylon is a good brand. Spray quickly and evenly, first horizontally and then vertically to ensure a good barrier. I tried another product, Print Guard spray recently and it worked great and was smoother than the Krylon.
I would look for an inkjet paper that calls itself a "watercolor" type, hot pressed surface if you can find it as that will be smoother. The sprays take to these surfaces very well. Depending on your patience level, you can also head to any artist supply store and just buy real hot pressed paper (generally in large sheets) and tear it or cut it down, and apply sprays to that after printing. Your printer doesn't care if it's inkjet or not, as long as you choose the correct loading method.
And yes, photographic silver gelatin paper will always be the best choice, more archival and the oils flow beautifully - so, I'd be remiss if I didn't add that you could always learn some darkroom enlarging skills, maybe at a local college, and make your own prints. :mrgreen:
Terri may show up here as she is an expert with handcoloring
I dunno about that, Ann - but I am persistent!
