Using Pastelmat for my Latest Paint Along Demo!

'Evening Magic'           11x15        pastel         ©Karen Margulis      available on Etsy $375

Every time I pull out a piece of Pastelmat paper I wonder why I didn't do it sooner. I had one last piece in my pile and I decided to use it for my February Patreon Paint Along. After I was finished I placed an order for more Pastelmat. I thoroughly enjoyed how nicely the paper paired with the new set of Unison half sticks. This month we are concentrating on color and mountains and this demo painting covers both! The Pastelmat allowed me to be bolder with my marks and I was able to place a mark and leave it alone!

Here is some information on Pastelmat. You can read the entire review on this blog post: 

http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2017/06/pastel-faq-all-about-pastelmat-paper.html

What is Pastelmat paper?

Pastelmat is a paper for pastels made by Clairefontaine. It has a unique surface that feels smooth and velvety but takes a surprising number of layers of pastel. It is acid free, archival, lightfast,water resistant and comes in 8 colors. Here is some information taken from their website:

PASTELMAT® is a premium card surface (360gsm / 170lb) specially developed for pastelists. Its unique velvety surface, made from a fine coating of cellulose fibers, has the ability to grab and hold multiple layers of even the softest pastels. 

PASTELMAT® significantly reduces the need for fixative, which means that colors remain vibrant and fresh once applied. It has the added bonus of being gentle on both fingers and blending tools. It is acid free and lightfast.

PASTELMAT® is ideal for use with all dry media - pastel sticks, PanPastel, pencils and charcoal. It is also water resistant which means that it can be used with wet media – such as acrylics and watercolor for washes and mixed media techniques.

Is it a sanded paper?

It is sanded paper but it feels much like very smooth sandpaper.  The surface is on a nice heavyweight card 170 lb. It is made from a matrix of finely woven cellulose fibers. (think sponge)

Does it take a dry wash/underpainting?

Pastelmat does take wet underpaintings and washes. I have experimented with the paper and report on my findings below. 

TIP: Wet underpaintings work best on white or very light color papers. They don't show up well on dark or even the middle value colors.

If you would like to see the 4 part video demo head over to my Patreon group. You can join for $6 and cancel any time!  www.patreon.com/karenmargulis

The photo below shows the limited palette I used for the painting.