Originating from France, the Clairefontaine PastelMat Paper found its way to Nova Scotia, a rare discovery. Winning two sets of this unique pastel paper in an online auction was a thrilling moment. This brand is not commonly found in local art stores, making it a novel and exciting addition to my pastel collection.
Soft pastels are one of my favorite mediums for painting, and I have a fine collection of various brands that I will enjoy working with on this new paper. One of the most essential parts of a pastel painting is that the surface has to deliver a gripping tooth for holding down the strokes of soft pastels.
CLOSE-UP of Truth the Tulip:
NOTE: Chunky pastel gripping the surface, with 4 to 6 layers of pastel.
LOVE this Clairefontaine PastelMat paper!
I do not use pastel sprays, so it is essential to have a pastel paper that grips the pigment particles while giving me the layering attributes for a painterly approach with pastel sticks.
When I first learned to use pastels, in the 1990s, there was not much offered for pastel painters. The only paper for the pastelist provided in my local town was Canson Mi-Teintes paper. It's lovely paper with many colors, but the tooth is limited, making it more suitable for drawing, perhaps with a maximum of two layers of pastel. The paper has one smooth side or can have a textured pattern on the other side. You can read more about the abstract art I created on black Canson Mi-Teintes paper.
I took art courses with the Vancouver Art Academy, and the Russian art teacher showed us how to use wet/dry metal sandpaper (9"x11") that can be purchased at any local hardware store. However, it comes mainly in one size & one color, black. For years, I painted on the sandpaper for excellent results. You can check out my Pet Portrait Gallery, where the 9"x11" portraits are created using wet/Dry Metal sandpaper.
The pastel art process for 'Truth or Dare: Goat Skull & Tulip':
PHOTO Reference for Truth Or Dare
My garden serves as a living canvas, with a collection of skulls that I strategically place to juxtapose the stages of life and death in my flowering gardens. The goat skull, a recurring motif in my work, holds a special place in my artistic journey.
Rusty Goat Skull Garden: Pastel on grey Canson Mi-teintes Paper
The sketchbook helps me work out the composition for my paintings...
Truth Or Dare.
Tape down the curling edges of the dark grey Clairefontaine PastelMat paper.
In the first stages, I use pastel pencils & harder pastel brands
to draw out the painting and scribble loosely, building up color vibrations.
Each brand of pastel stick I use brings its own unique qualities and color values to the artwork. As a pastelist, one can never have enough pastels. This medium, where colors are not mixed on a palette but are used as individual sticks, requires either the exact color or the skill to use color juxtaposition effectively. This technique, reminiscent of impressionism and pointillism, can trick the eye into perceiving a third color, inspiring endless creativity.
- PRO: Consistently sprayed a nice tooth with a sandy coarse yet smooth surface.
- PRO: There is an assortment of colors of PastelMat, so no need for underpainting.
- CON: PastelMat paper would not take any kind of wet medium for underpainting, so rely on the color of the paper and stick with dry mediums for this paper.
- PRO: Each sheet has a stiff backing, so it will be easier to handle and frame.
- CON: Does require being taped down to a flat surface because the edges will bow up.
- PRO: Started with hard pastels for drawing with smooth lines that cover the surface evenly.
- PRO: The tooth of paper took nicely and took up to 6 layers with the softer pastels that can typically fill up the tooth of paper very quickly. This means that this paper will provide me with room for my impressionistic build-up of colors.
- PRO: I am very pleased with Clairefontaine PastelMat's paper and will look forward to using up my two packs.
CLOSE-UP of Dare the Goat Skeleton
Go for it!-Minaz
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