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| 'Forest Light' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis available $195 |
I really wasn't expecting any surprises at the IAPS pastel trade show. At least where paper was concerned. I knew Uart was introducing their new Uart Dark paper and new Uart boards. I had been able to try both of these great products before the convention. But I was surprised to see two papers that were completely new to me! Aren't we lucky! Choices are always a good thing. I tried one of the new papers and want to share my thoughts.
YI CAI PASTEL PAPER
I was one of the first into the trade show and stumbled upon the booth for Yi Cai paper. I'm glad I did. Once I saw and touched this paper I decided to purchase 10 sheets. It's good I was early because the paper sold out quickly.
So what is Yi Cai paper? It is a sanded paper from China which has been in development for 20 years. It comes in 4 different paper types....standard sanded, premium sanded, velour sanded, and finest pastel paper. I'm actually not sure what type I bought. I think it is the standard paper. See the brochure photo below.
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| The back of the paper and the 4 colors I selected |
I decided to test the paper with an 8x10 wildflower painting. I didn't do any type of underpainting. I was too anxious to try the paper so I jumped right in. (see demo below) I will be putting the paper through testing so that I can report to you about how it takes wet underpaintings. I can tell you that the paper took many layers and had a slight texture in the first layers. There are also some sparkles to the paper. It must be from the type of sand they use. It is subtle but very cool! I really enjoyed working on this paper and can't wait to try more.
Now you probably want to know where you can get this paper? It should be available in th US soon. Here is the latest information I have and of course as soon as I hear more I will share it!
"We are in the midst of finalizing the collaborating partner in the States we will work with in retailing the papers and hope to announce it very soon!"
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| click to enlarge the brochure |
Below are some photos of the development of the painting.
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| Step one: Drawing with Nupastels |
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| Step two: Blocking in the trees and starting the dark forest |
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| Look at the texture and the subtle sparkle of the paper |
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| Building up the trees and adding depth to the forest |
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| Blocking in the flowers with shadow colors |
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| Finished! |
How does it compare to Uart?
ReplyDeleteJessica, I haven't worked on it enough to make a good comparison. I plan on doing that soon. I will say that every paper has it's place. I may decide I love this paper but may prefer Uart for some types of paintings just as I love canson for some paintings. Look for a more complete review soon !
ReplyDeleteI might have this wrong but their description of the standard paper says it's sand-blasted. That might mean it doesn't have any grit, just the rough surface created by blasting sand at it. Or it might be a language misunderstanding.
ReplyDeleteI'm half-convinced since it describes the premium grade paper differently, using knowledge of sandpaper making I know about; such as standing the grit up with static electricity to present the sharp point of the grit instead of the flat sides. -In case you want to ask for samples to make sure you order the paper you bought at IAPS.
Kitty,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you commenting and your insights. You brought up some interesting points and I will be sure to get samples of all of the paper before purchasing more.
Thank you!