A Closer Look at a Great New Paper

'Under the Summer Sun'       12 x 9      pastel  on Uart Dark 800      ©Karen Margulis
available $165

The first thing I did with the new paper was to paint on it. I wanted simply to respond to it without overthinking.  Next I put it to my paper test. I was more deliberate and analytical. I tested how the paper responds to harder pastels vs. softer pastels. I also did a layer test. I wanted to find out how many layers the paper would take. Finally I painted the same thing using the same pastel palette on each of the 4 grades of paper. I've been playing with the new Uart dark sanded pastel paper this week and having a great time!  Below are my results.

All 4 test paintings together in a canva.com collage

My test strip. Click to enlarge for detail

• How dark is it?  The paper is called Uart Dark and the level of darkness varies according to the grade of the paper. The two lower grades (rougher) 400 and 500 are the darkest.They are considered black. The 600 grade is slighter lighter and is called dark charcoal. The finest grade 800 is called charcoal and is slightly lighter. The higher the grade, the smaller the pigments are. I find the variation in darkness to be so slight and subtle that it made no difference at all in my paintings. 

• How do pastels perform on Uart dark? The good news is that both hard and softer pastels perform EXACTLY THE SAME on the dark paper as they do on regular Uart sand color paper. Pastels go on easily and layer well.  There is no struggle to get pigment from even the hardest pastels. You get the benefit of the consistency of the Uart you love with the new dark color.  I truly forgot I was working on black because the paper felt so familiar to me. 

• How many layers does Uart Dark take?  I put each grade to the layer test. I used my box of 30 Terry Ludwig yellows and started layering. I used my usual light touch. I got to 26 layers without a problem. I layered dark over light and light over dark. I was able to build layers without the pastel completely filling the tooth of the paper and getting slippery. I could have added more layers but more than likely we don't really need to use more than 26 layers! A painting would probably loose freshness. It's good to know that the paper can take it though!

• What is the difference in the various grades? Besides the subtleness in the darkness of the grade there is also a difference in the amount of grit or roughness. Think of how regular sandpaper is graded from smooth to rough. I found that I didn't paint differently on the various grades and my results are similar. Click on the photos below to enlarge. The smoother paper does allow one to get finer detail. The rougher paper allows for more suggested texture. I like all grades and again found them to be the same as regular Uart sand color paper.

Final thoughts: I love the new dark paper. I will still use the sand color Uart and choose my paper color depending on the subject. I love having choices and having a dependable and consistent paper to choose from!  NEXT UP: testing wet underpaintings on Uart dark.

Today's Painting Notes: The painting at the top of the post was done on Uart dark 800. I chose to blend the sky to eliminate the bits of black peeking through. I wanted a calm sky to contrast with my busy weeds!

Two Important Reasons to Try Dark Paper.... A First Look at Uart Dark

'Daisies'         4x6       pastel       ©Karen Margulis

 Keep those great questions coming! The next few days will be devoted to my tests on the new Uart Dark sanded paper. Your questions are helping me put the paper to the test!  Before we explore dark paper any further let's address the question of why would we want to work on dark paper in the first place!  There are many reasons artists like black or dark toned paper but my favorite reasons are VIBRANCY and CONTRAST.

My pastel palette on a black cloth. Look at how vibrant they look!

•  VIBRANCY. Look at how bright and intense the pastels in the above photo appear on a black surface. This same level of vibrancy can be achieved on a black or dark surface. Pastels glow and come to life on a dark surface. Because the paper is black or dark....the lights and brights appear even lighter and brighter than they would on a lighter surface. (simultaneous contrast at work) 
• TIP: When choosing a subject to paint on black choose something that will exploit the ability of the dark paper to make light and bright colors pop. Subjects such as flowers are wonderful candidates for black paper. 

New paper leads to new explorations! Uart Dark comes in
four grades: 400, 500, 600, 800
available at Dakota Art Pastels

• CONTRAST: Black or dark paper can lead to stronger paintings. The dark tone provides the glue that holds everything together. It provides the much needed contrast with the middle and light values. If handled well the back paper can help unify shapes and prevent spottiness. I like to block in a painting with simple shapes of 2-4 values. These big areas of light and dark form the foundation for the detail and colors to follow. Working on a dark paper ensures that my darks are strong enough. (often we are afraid of pushing the darks too far and we end up with disjointed and weak paintings)

• TIP: The Uart dark paper is dark but there are some pastels, notably the Terry Ludwig eggplant which is actually darker than the paper. I like to use these 'super darks' with restraint as accents. This makes the dark paper a perfect overall dark allowing my accents to pop!

The photos below show the progression of today's painting. I have repeated the same painting with the same pastels on each grade of Uart Dark. I will share the results in tomorrow's post.

Blocking in the darks and starting some mid value green

Adding the bright yellow centers and the darkest accents.
See how they pop on the black paper!

Adding the lights using a pale blues

Painting a simple background of greens allowing the paper tone to peek through

Adding some warmer lights on the petals and a few details.

Finished painting on Uart Dark 500

As an experiment I painted the same daisies using the same pastel palette on regular sand color Uart. Can you see a difference? Did the black paper change the look of the painting? 

Painting on regular Uart 500 sand color

A New Mounted Surface from UART!

'Dancing with the Stars'            9x12           pastel          ©Karen Margulis
available $165

It was perfect timing! My new Uart boards arrived on the same day that Uart announced this great new product. Of course I had to drop everything and try the new board. Working on this surface was a pleasure and I am looking forward to using them more often!

side view of the new Uart Premium Mounted Boards

What are they? Here is some information from the Uart website:

 "UART’s newest mounted boards are made from a strong PVC material that is the perfect solution for plein air artists or artists alike that are looking for the convenience of UART’s sanded pastel paper pre-mounted on what we believe is the most durable and dent resistant board on the market.

UART’s borderless mounted boards are only 1/8” thick and lightweight making it the right choice for artists on the go. Each board is mounted to the edge with UART Premium Sanded Pastel Paper allowing a consistent texture every time for pastel, charcoal and pencil, and is pH neutral, acid free and capable of handling any type of wet media including watercolor, alcohol and oil washes.

Premium Mounted Boards – (all sizes in inches)

• 9 x 12
• 12 x 16
• 18 x 24

Available in different grades ensuring you can create with confidence, knowing that your paper has the same grade from corner to corner every time you sketch or paint.
Grades: • 240 • 280 • 320 • 400 • 500 • 600 • 800"

wet wash with oil paint and turpenoid

 So how did the boards perform? Here are my thoughts:

• The most important thing to me is that the mounted Uart paper perform exactly like the unmounted paper. The new board passed this test with flying colors! I depend on the consistent nature of the paper and found that sometimes mounted paper doesn't always perform in the way that I expect. Not so with the new premium mounted boards. The pastel went on the same way it does on unmounted boards. No strange texture was present and I was able to layer as usual.

• I put the board to the test using a wet a drippy wash with oil paint and turpenoid. It was a complete joy to do the wash without worry of buckling or bumpy paper. The board took all of this wet abuse and held up beautifully.

• I didn't count but I was able to get quite a few layers on the board even with the oil stain. I used some very soft pastels including some super soft Senneliers. I still didn't fill the tooth of the paper.

• I had fun with scraping pastel with a pin. The firm surface of the board allowed me to scrape without any issues.

• I love that the paper is flush with the edges of the board. I always paint to the edges of my paper so I don't like having a border. I still taped the board to a bigger piece of foamcore using white artist tape hinges. This allowed me to paint to the edges with out the easel getting in the way.

• The board is very lightweight which will make it good for travel and plein air excursions. I like that each board is individually packaged in a resealable clear bag. This bag will come in handy to carry a finished painting home from a trip or from workshops and classes.

close up detail

OK I'm convinced! Where can I get the new boards?

They are available online at Blicks and Fine Art Store. Here are the links:
http://www.dickblick.com/.../uart-premium-sanded-pastel.../ & and Rochester: http://www.fineartstore.com/p-11314-uart-premium-mounted...