For artists who plan ahead more than I do, PastelMat will work wonders! I’d be interested in trying some of their other colors (they have 8). The yellow/buff color of my particular sample is not one that I would choose again since it toned everything a bit yellow, despite multiple layers of pastels. However, it was not particularly conducive to iterative improvisation, turning kind of muddy after a few passes over the same area. I found myself wanted to do more oil-like blending and even impasto. It felt a lot more like “painting” than it sometimes does with the pastel pencils. My first impression of PastelMat was “wow, this is EASY!” The pencils just raced across the surface leaving a clear trail of color behind. Substrate color can show through (which can be good or bad).Surface mars easily if not stored carefully.Decent stiffness, though it still has a tendency to curl.Encourages an oil-like approach (for me, anyway!).Imperfections in the paper are easily managed.Super-fast application of pastel pencils: just draw.Clairefontaine PastelMat “May September” – Sierra Nevada, CA – Pastel on PastelMat, 5.6×7.3″/142×186 mm “Rest” – China – Pastel on PastelMat, 5.6×3.2″/142x87mm Pros Current Conclusion: UART Dark 400 is easily sourced in the U.S., and its versatility makes it my go-to sanded paper.
#U ARTPAPER FULL#
I’ve erased full paintings right down to the surface leaving almost no ghost image. It’s one of the easiest papers to reclaim, too. Layer after layer can be added, and it takes all kinds of smearing (don’t use your fingertips, trust me!) and erasing. Back to the positive side, I love how subtle shifts in pressure can be used to get a range of saturation. Once framed, it’s not an issue, but storage is more difficult when the paper curls. I’ve been using UART 400 Dark now for a couple of years and I’m VERY happy with it, with one caveat: it definitely has to be mounted to a board to keep from curling up. Given the ease with which UART accepted both pastel sticks and pastel pencils, I’m interested in trying UART’s new “Dark” paper. On the other hand, the UART easily achieved well-saturated blues which did not appear greenish, despite the yellow substrate.
Since I like to leave a bit of the paper showing whenever possible, I prefer a darker gray, brown, blue or green as a color foil for my landscape pastels. I found myself working to cover every bit of it. The warm yellowish color was not particularly suitable to my style either. Also, while I was able to manage the “laid” finish of the 500, I would prefer not having to do so. The 500-grit was a bit too fine for my style, as it would not take as many layers. I found UART 400-grit to be comparable to the MingART Premium paper. Thin sheet tends to curl if not mounted.Slight laid finish on the 500-grit (could just be my sample).UART 400- and 500-Grit “Bastion” – Amalfi, Italy – Soft pastel on UART 500, 20×15 cm “The Space Between Us” – Enshi, China – Pastel on UART 400, 8.5×5.6″/217×142 mm Pros I’d be interested in hearing the perspective of others who use this substrate regularly. Unmounted, it seems brittle and I would be concerned that it might chip or break. I expect Multimedia Panel to be quite durable, especially when mounted to a wood panel or foamcore, but that increases weight and size for storage. I like it better than the Canson water media paper I gessoed myself. While it’s not as conducive to my usual style of painting in pastel, it might be a good choice if I want a brilliant white base. I like the stiffness and the random texture of Multimedia Panel, and I’ve seen others do nice work on it. Inflexible, possibly brittle if used in larger sizes might need mounting.Does not pill up or make the pastels “skate,” even after hard use.Mostly erasable, nice for pulling out highlights.Good for smearing (just go easy so as not to fill the tooth).(UPDATED : added UART Dark 400) Multimedia Panel “Doubt Dispelled” – Enshi, China -Pastel on Multimedia Panel, 4×5.1″/102×132 mm “The Black Dragon Awaits” – China – Pastel on Multimedia Panel, 4.25×5.25″/109×133 mm Pros (Go here for my earlier comparison of MingART’s four different types of papers.) Only after many paintings would one be able to properly compare these brands. This post is simply my personal experience of trying them. Well, I wanted to compare different pastel papers, and I was graciously given a selection of various brands for just that purpose! Take this “review “with a grain of salt, since the paintings you see here are my first attempts on each of these surfaces.
0 kommentar(er)
