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| 'Feel This Moment' 18x24 pastel ©Karen Margulis click here to purchase $450 |
Hmmmm I need it for a couple of big painting trips and this doesn't sound very hopeful! It is time to find a substitute.
I issued a challenge last month to my pastel students to come up with some substitution ideas and I came up with my own which I will share in this post.
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| A plein air study on Wallis Belgian Mist purchase for $100 |
However I like to use the Belgian Mist paper for a specific reason....I love it for plein air studies. I like the tone of this paper which works well for my quick landscape studies. I like the way the paper looks when it peeks through my pastel layers. It is not at all distracting so I don't have to tone the paper or do any kind of underpainting. I can just pick up my softest pastels and quickly respond to the scene in front of me. (on the other hand I don't like Belgian Mist for underpainting or toning as colors appear dull)
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| My Belgian Mist substitute |
In the meantime I decided I would mix some acrylic paint to match belgian mist and use it very thinly to tone some sanded paper. Before I got around to that I happened to be in Home Depot and found a small sample jar of 'oops' paint...samples that were rejected. It was very close to the color I wanted and best of all it was only 50 cents! I toned a piece of Uart 240 grit....I found it to be the closet mach to the Wallis grittiness.
Result: It was slightly lighter when dry and also a bit warmer than the belgian mist. But I liked it. I put it to the test with a large painting 18x24 (see top) I loved it! I didn't do any kind of underpainting or block in for the painting. I just went right in with my soft pastels ( a mix of Terry Ludwig and Diane Townsend) You can see places where it peeks through and I like the effect.
I am happy with my substitute. I will keep an eye out for what happens with the Wallis paper and will give it a try when it becomes available. But in the meantime I have a workable substitute. I welcome your thoughts and your ideas for substitutes!
I will no longer use Wallis paper. Problems with production, problems with quality control, purchasing pads that I thought were 12 x 18 but were actually 1/4 to 1/2" short on both dimensions ... the problems that I have encountered with this paper go on and on. When I want a pure white paper to do a watercolor underpainting, I have switched to MultiMedia Board or Arches watercolor paper. I also use UArt and will do underpainting on that with Acrylic Inks, or just use the light beige color as is. It is unfortunate that Kitty Wallis has not been able to provide a consistent product to artists. However, in a competitive market, others will jump at the chance to fill the gap, and they have.
ReplyDeleteLynn, I also like the multimedia artboards and plan to use them more often. I love Uart and the availability of various grits. It was the tone of the paper I liked and that can be matched. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLove your paintings and your informative posts! I'm new to pastels, so your information is so helpful and interesting. Thank you for sharing your knowlege!
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, don't know if you can get it there, but Art Spectrum soft umber looks pretty close and I love it :)
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing quite like Wallis but we'll have to make do with similar papers. Thanks for posting the info on tinting the UART paper.
ReplyDeleteKaren, I use Fisher 400 panels when Plein air painting, also the fisher paper. I liked the Belgian Mist, but also want something dependable. So toning my paper and using other sanded papers is filling gap. Not sure I'll go back to Wallis unless Dakota or someone has a sale after its back. I have a feeling we'll find the price will have increased even more once its back.
ReplyDeletericheson unison paper in different weights and colors, I like sandstone
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for sharing! I need to try Fisher. Sandra, I haven't tried sandstone yet. I find the unison paper almost to rough but I have an older piece so maybe I need to revisit it and try sandstone!
ReplyDeletesandstone is a gold color and i like it peeking through the pastel, i also like pastel mat for dreamy looking landscapes
ReplyDeleteThat Belgian Mist is indeed a nifty color. In my dreams I see myself diluting Mars Black acrylic paint with water until I get the right value of grey. Then I mix in just a dab of Burnt Sienna acrylic to warm the temperature up a half notch. Applied to white UArt paper.
ReplyDeleteAny chance of seeing a video on how you did this exactly? I'm also going nuts with paper that is nothing like the Wallis, and I need to create an alternative.
ReplyDeleteThanks!! Great idea for a video. I'm not sure when I will be able to get to it. My regular classes begin this week so I will be busy this week. Thanks for the idea. I will work on it!
ReplyDeleteI have used Wallis for years because of the technique that I work, tons of pastels and reworking with lots of sharp detail. Could your readers suggest a paper substitute that allows a high degree of small details like the work on my website - 4snowart.com.
ReplyDeleteAnother ? Lately I have been getting little tiny spots when I spray a fixative on my finished drawings. Any suggestions?
If anyone hasn't seen this, Kitty Wallace shares the same frustration as many people here, especially with quality and price. She herself does not hand make each piece. In a real world, she has to rely on a production company. She was increasingly frustrated with the quality control issues she was having with that company and, instead of passing that along to customers, she decided to terminate production until she can find a company who can make the paper you all want.
ReplyDeleteI am in no way affiliate with her or her company. I was watching a video last night where someone suggested Wallace paper and i started researching it. This is what I found: http://sierrapastelsociety.net/wallis-paper-update-from-kitty-wallis