Pastelmat: What Is Pastelmat and How to Use Colored Pencils on This Surface

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Hello and welcome! I’m Lana Gloschat, and in this video I will be reviewing Pastelmat and sharing some insights from my first experience on this unique drawing surface.

Pastelmat is described as having a “velvety” surface that was originally designed for pastel artists so multiple layers of pastel could be applied without needing fixative. This surface is on a sturdy lightfast and archival card that is also advertised to be compatible with wet media.

Pastelmat graciously sent me a few sheets of this paper to try out. The sheets I am using are 9.5”x12.5”, they are very sturdy and each sheet came with a protective sheet secured to the short side. The texture of this paper is very unique. It is much smoother than a “sanded paper”, but it is toothier than a cotton paper while still feeling quite smooth or soft to the touch.

For my first project on this paper I decided to do this small peach still life. It is my take on Colored Pencil Magazine’s monthly art challenge for September 2020, but features my own photo reference instead of the challenge photo. For this piece I used the light grey paper and trimmed it down to a square so I had a sample piece to play around with before I began.

I began by swatching several different pencils on the sample sheet and realized right away that because the paper is so toothy, it would require solvent to work the pigment into the paper and create a smooth application. After adding solvent all of my pencils performed really well on this paper. Because the paper was advertised as wet-media compatible I also tried out my Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelles and my Derwent Inktense pencils. I loved how vibrant my water-soluble pencils appeared on this paper, so I decided to begin with a watercolor pencil underpainting.

What I liked about the paper:
How sturdy the surface is
lightfast/archival
Different colors
Very low dust/fall out
Apply lights over darks
Very versatile

What I want to try in the future:
Pastel
Pastel + colored pencil
Fur
Glazing on a white surface

Still figuring out:
How to avoid the rings after adding water/solvent
How to speed up the process a bit

I am currently building an online workshop where I will be teaching techniques and process with colored pencils on LuxArchival sanded paper. These lessons will introduce how to use these materials in a way similar to classical oil painters. It will be awesome! Please leave a comment if you are interested in learning more and I will reach out to you directly when the course is ready. :)

Видео Pastelmat: What Is Pastelmat and How to Use Colored Pencils on This Surface канала Lana Gloschat