A reader recently asked if I’d ever used Pastelmat and what my thoughts were if I had used it. That was such a good question that I decided to answer it with a post. So today, I want to share the top 5 reasons I like Pastelmat.
Top 5 Reasons I Like Pastelmat
Pastelmat is currently my go-to paper. The best portraits I’ve ever done have been on Pastelmat. It’s a game-changer for me. I wrote a review after the first project, and you can read that here. I also explained why I like Pastelmat here. Today, I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learned about using Pastelmat since that first project.
Let’s get started.
Reason #1: Don’t Worry About Needle Sharp Pencils
If you’ve watched any YouTube videos describing how to use colored pencils, you’ve probably heard the artist encourage you to keep your pencils sharp. The sharper the pencils, the better.
Yes, that’s true if you’re working on smooth papers.
That’s not true with Pastelmat. I do most of my work with a slightly dull or even a blunt pencil.
Besides, the sharp point on a pencil is gone after one stroke on Pastelmat. Do you really want to sharpen a pencil after every stroke? Put that pigment on the paper, not in the sharpener!
Reason #2: Don’t Worry About Making Mistakes in Color Selection
Pastelmat is so forgiving that it doesn’t matter so much if you make mistakes in color selection. I tend to choose colors as I work. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t. When I make a mistake on Pastelmat, I can do one of two things.
First, I can remove the color with mounting putty, a kneaded eraser or transparent tape. This works best if I’m still early in the drawing process. In the early phases, I can remove color down to the paper most of the time.
Even if I have a lot color on the paper, removing the most recent layer or layers is still easy.
If I don’t want to remove color, I can cover it with the right colors. Pastelmat takes so many layers that covering or adjusting color is no big deal. I haven’t run out of tooth very often with Pastelmat.
In fact, you can make some pretty big changes on Pastelmat.
Reason #3: All That Lovely Pigment Dust!
You may have heard some artists talk about the dust that comes from using colored pencils on Pastelmat. You may have heard them complain about that, and warn you to keep a trash basket handy to shake the dust off into.
Of course you may dispose of the pigment dust that way if you wish, but you would be wasting a lot of perfectly good pigment.
Instead of trashing that pigment dust, use a simple paper stump and blend the pigment dust into the tooth of the paper. Not only do you make use of the pigment, but you fill in the tooth more quickly. What could be better?
Reason #4: Dry Blending is a Dream
Using a paper stump is something I call dry blending. Pastelmat works so well for this type of blending that I don’t use solvent blending very much anymore.
After a little practice with a paper stump, you can blend adjacent colors for super soft edges, or tint colors by picking up a bit of one color, and rubbing it into another color.
But you can also use a bristle brush if that works better. I have a couple of oil painting bristle brushes that have been trimmed very short. They’re great for dry blending on Pastelmat, though I do prefer a paper stump.
Reason #5: Solvent Blending Works Too
If you really prefer solvent blending, you can do that, too. Pastelmat stands up to the moisture very well.
But you do need to understand two things first.
It doesn’t take very much solvent to do the job. Pastelmat is non-absorbent. The solvent doesn’t soak into the paper. it stays on the surface, so you don’t need as much solvent to do the same amount of blending.
Second, because Pastelmat is non-absorbent, the solvent stays on the surface of the paper. It doesn’t soak in, it has to dry by evaporation. That can take time. So plan at least half an hour for the paper to dry completely after blending with solvent. Air temperature and humidity both determine evaporation rates, but I still like to wait an hour before adding more color when I do blend with solvent (which I don’t do very often).
Top 5 Reasons I Like Pastelmat
Those are my top 5 reasons for using Pastelmat. There are others, too. The convenient assortment of pad sizes and colors. Full sheets. Interesting colors. Sturdiness.
But the five reasons listed above apply to every size and color of Pastelmat and to everything I draw.
Do you use Pastelmat? What are your top five reasons?
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I totally agree with you Carrie.
I love Pastelmat paper with Polychromos pencils.
I’m even using some of the powder blender for a background of a lamb I’m painting
Thank you for all your inspiration !!!
Thank you, June. You’re quite welcome.
I used Powder Blender once or twice, but to be honest, I found paper stumps just as effective and much more convenient.
However, Powder Blender certainly does have it’s uses. I may need to get mine out and do some more work with it.
This is very interesting and often is hard for us that are novices to pick the right paper and get a result that we love. Thanks so much for all the reasons you, as a professional, love Pasletmat.
Patricia,
You’re right about beginners finding the right paper. It’s a lot more difficult now than when I started. Most of the papers I use now didn’t exist when I started using colored pencils back in the 1980s. Or at least I didn’t know about them.
I hope I’ve helped you find a good paper, but don’t fret if Pastelmat doesn’t suit you. There is a paper out there that will suit you! If it’s not Pastelmat, then keep looking!
I haven’t had much luck with Pastelmat. In fact, so far I hate it! My go-to for years has always been Prismacolors on Bristol.
Since you give it such rave reviews, maybe I’ll have to teach this old dog a few new tricks and give it another chance!
How is it with Prismas?
Cindy,
Not every paper is a good match for every artist. I have used Prismacolors on Bristol, too; many times. But almost every time I do, I’m wondering why I did it by the time I get to the end of the project!
I use Prismacolor pencils sparingly on Pastelmat, and usually after doing a lot of work with Polychromos. Prismacolors are good for adding color on top of other color (after the tooth of the Pastelmat is filled a little bit), but they’re too soft and waxy for underdrawing. At least that’s my opinion.
I really like Prismacolor Verithin on Pastelmat. As thin and hard as they are, they go onto the paper like a dream. But they also come off like a dream, so you have to seal or fix them at some point just to keep them on the paper. I don’t know if that’s of help to you or not. It’s interesting to me.
And if you and Pastelmat don’t get along, don’t fret over it! It may just not be the right paper for you. If you want to try other textured papers, I recommend Lux Archival because it has a very fine surface. UArt is also a good textured paper. Try the finer grits like 800.
Or stick with Bristol. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. I like Bienfang Bristol Vellum because it’s heavy, but there are some other nice Bristol’s available, too.
Thank you for reading this post and for taking the time to share your thoughts!