Pastel Papers, etc.
 

I'm curious as to what others' favorite papers are, or other options for that matter.

I remember Chris Saper saying she was too heavy-handed for the Art Spectrum paper. (Please correct me if I am remembering wrong.) I so far have found this to be my favorite to use, but I would classify myself probably as light-handed. My least favorite so far has been Canson paper.

What is your favorite and least favorite and how do you classify your way of painting: heavy, medium or light?

Hmmmm
 

I don't really know if I'm a heavy, medium or light handed pastelist. I have only used Canson because that's really the only thing available at my local art supply stores. I will be trying some new things, art panels, paper mounted on panel, etc. to see what will work for my new rep. She wants them mounted to a firm surface to make framing easier without concern for longterm warping or buckling of the paper.

I am finding that the Canson paper tends to "pill" when I blend. That's the only time I believe I'm heavy handed. I do a great deal of blending and smudging, so I need a durable surface. My next project is on a low grit art board, so I guess we'll find out how that works after I dive in.

There are so many unknowns for me, being new in the industry, that change makes me nervous. Fortunately we have this forum and the experts herein that have tread this ground before us to show us the way to go.

Hi

You may want to try a couple of papers from Fabriano if this brand is available to you. (I think it's fairly widespread.) The two best ones, IMHO, are Fabriano UNO and Fabriano FA5. Both are acid-free and the UNO paper is 100% rag. The reason these should be suitable is because they are tough and can take abuse. However, they don't erase all that well. Can't have everything.

I normally use the "back" side of these papers - the backside is when the Watermark reads backwards (just in case you weren't aware of that) - because it is often slightly smoother than the front side. The front is quite toothy and, on account of the sizing (which is what makes them tough, I think) your drawing or painting tools wear down very quickly when working there. Although I don't work in pastel, I've found that the back of these papers is plenty toothy to accept a lot of pigment (in my case, charcoal or carbon, but it should be the same for pastel).

Hope it helps.

Juan

Dear Juan:

It

Pastel Papers
 

Mary,

Get thee quickly to the website of New York Central Art, www.nycentralart.com. Get their paper catalogue. It is the best. For about $5.00 apiece you can order books of paper from hundreds of paper manufacturers in every size, weight and color imaginable.

The swatches are big enough to try your pastels on. You can do pastel on any paper that has enough tooth to hold the pastel. You have to decide for yourself what paper helps you achieve the results you are looking for.

NY Central has its own pigment coated paper made by Dianne Townsend in two sizes; the colors are luscious.

I do not use Canson, its colors fade. What you
have to look for is pigment-died paper. It is more expensive but worth it.

Here is a partial list of the papers I use:

-Ruscombe Mills, Handmade, subtle colors

-Rives Heavyweight, available in larger sizes

-Hahnemuhle Bugra Butten, large size gorgeous colors

-Hahnemuhle Ingres, a real workhorse of a paper, their silver grey is especially usefull for charcoal or conte.

-Fabriano Ingres, they carry it it a larger size, 271/2"x39", great tough laid suface.

-Fabriano Murillo, ditto, can use it with gouache as well. They have a lovely light green and the texture is somewhat rougher than the Ingres.

-Fabriano Roma, handmade laid paper in exquisite colors.

-Moulin de Larroque Special soft Pastels.

-Alcantra, unusual pebbled surface, lovely colors.

Another fabulous resource is www.twinrocker.com.
Glorious handmade pigmented paper in colors to drool for. They made the paper for the movie "Master and Commander", with Russel Crowe. The ultimate paper indulgence, can't find the paper you want they will make it for you! Love them and their papers, they are the best.

It is a shame to limit yourself to the ordinary offerings of the large websites like Jerry's.
There are so many other exciting and better papers out there. Explore!

Hope this helps!

Sharon
 

Thank you SOO much for this!

YOU, are the main reason I picked up that box of pastels last August that had been sitting there for 10 years untouched. Since then, I have been hard pressed to even touch my oils! I just absolutely love your work.

Besotted with pastels
 

Mary,

They are a well known addiction, they should be regulated like alcohol. I ran into a friend of mine recently at a party, she had been exploring large scale pastels, using Goldens Acrylic Primer for Pastels. She looked positively insane describing the acres of lush pastels on oversized surfaces. You can put that stuff on anything, I am currently putting it on aluminum panels (DiBond) and airbrushing it with Golden Fluid Matte acrylic. It is like a giant piece of tinted paper.

However, explore the world of really good paper.
It is really satisfying to work on exquisitly crafted surfaces.

Try the Great American Pastels, gorgeous colors, somwhat like a Schmincke only with a greater range.

Ask me any questions about the stuff, I have been really researching pastels intensively over the last few years, mediums , methods, etc.

Thanks for the compliment!
Enjoy!

Thanks, Sharon! I've been drawing a lot lately and this is terrific information.

I've been experimenting with Nupastel on ABS plastic; one of these days I'll try them out on my 4' x 8' sheet. I will think of you as I choke on the dust.

I saw 'Master and Commander' twice. What paper? The one the boy used to create his drawings?

Hi,

I've also become an addict. And this info is very much appreciated. I'm going to try gluing fabric (linen, canvas, and some heavy cottons) to board. Adding a sizing, either gesso or acrylic fabric paint, then using pastel on it. I have tons of raw linen, cotton and silk left from my former business so am going to try using it up with these experiments. I have a "heavy" hand and I'm sure I won't be able to ruin the surface of this material. Sharon, thanks so much for the info, I sent for this catalogue a while back and it's one of my wish books (New York Central Art).

Jean

ABS Plastic
 

Linda,

ABS plastic, 4'x 8' sheet, for pastels, tell us more,weight surface, availability etc..

Thanks,

"Master and Commander"
 

Linda,

Twice? I did not realize you were a historical movie buff, or was it Russell Crowe in tight pants?

I believe it was all the paper, maps, documents drawing paper, email them and ask.

Hi Sharon,

I've been on a quest for coming up with large drawings that don't need to be protected by glass.

I've posted about preparing ABS panels on this thread:

http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...&threadid=2906

So far I've experimented with a combination of Nupastel and Charcoal. The biggest problem, of course, is that the ABS surface can't take a layers of drawing medium. The other problem is that sanded ABS will eventually yellow with exposure to UVA rays unless it's covered with a layer of media. After pulling out white highlights I went back in and put white Nupastel in to protect the ABS surface. I plan to spray varnish this to see what happens.

I'm posting a detail of a large panel.

I was on a Sir Henry Raeburn quest all summer, tracking down his portraits all over the east coast. I love that whole swashbuckling, British commmander costume look. Would you believe me when I told you I saw the movie twice just to see the clothes? (I knew you wouldn't.)

Hold Fast,
Linda

Forgot to attach the detail:

Pastels without Glass
 

Linda,

Thanks for the info on the ABS panel, the portrait of your husband is quite stunning.

I have switched from MDF board to putting my acrylic primer for pastels on DiBond. It saves me a great deal of weight. Also it does not buckle when you frame it. You could brush on the Art Spectrum primer which is more opaque, tinted and smoother.

There was an article several years ago, in American Artist, by a gentleman who shows his conte and pastel drawings sans glass. I'll see if I can find it. The upshot was that he used mainly charcoal, conte, white pastel and sanguine that was not adversly affected by his method, which quite saturated the paper.

He sprayed the drawing with, I believe Golden GAC,many times until no pigment came off.

Talk to Mike Townsend at Golden paints,(www.goldenpaints.com) he will lead you through the process. The technical staff there is very helpfull. I think this will work for you, however it is really rough on the blues.

Not a bit!

Kitty Wallis Paper?
 

Sharon, I would be interested in hearing your opinion on Kitty Wallis pastel paper, which seems to be extremely popular with many pastelists, and can be obtained in rolls for large scale works. Have you tried it? I was thinking about giving this paper a shot, as I really don't like the idea of having to spend exorbitant amounts of time, preparing my own ground.

Hi Valerie,

I don't know of anyone who has done more exhaustive research on different pastel grounds than Sharon has...as to the Wallis question, you may wish to look at the other references here on Wallis paper.

Wallis Paper
 

Thanks Chris,

Of all the substrates out there I have yet to try the Wallis paper.I like a deep background color to work on and I have not yet come up with a paint that will work to my satisfaction on Wallis without rubbing off. I have a heavy hand so any standard watercolor, to my knowledge, will rub off. I have a medium in mind but I have as yet not tried it.

For my pastel drawings I use large sheets of pigmented paper, as big as I can get.

Art Spectrum has a premixed tinted primer that can be put on almost anything. Also as I have mentioned before New York Central Art www.nycentralart.com has beautiful pastel papers, with pigmented grounds, similar to the Wallis surface, in two sizes.
www.dakotapastel.com offers Art Spectrum papers and boards, also in two sizes. They are already covered with the Art Spectrum ground.

I like putting on my own ground because I can color it any way I want it and I have more control of the surface. I can make it smoother in one area or rougher in another.

Hope this helps.

Underpainting Wallis paper
 

Hi Sharon,

I use Createx Pure Pigment as an underpainting medium. It provides Very strong color, dries matte and is effortless. I'm very surprised to hear you can rub color off of my paper. I can't rub the Createx off and it doesn't have a paint body.

Shall I send you a sample to try?

Kitty

Kitty,

I actually have a piece of your paper to try. I was going to experiment with ChromaColour, a UK product. It is an acrylic based watercolor and according to the manufacturer and an English materials book, it is water and fade proof.

I remember talking to the Createx people ( in Connecticut) and they were unsure about it (Createx) being waterproof or able to withstand rubbing. Maybe you should tell them it does. However they think you are a color genius!

That is the reason I ferreted out CromaColor to acheive the same result.

Actuall I plan to airbrush it on the paper sample to see what happens. I LOVE to work large and your paper would be great if my experiment works.

However, right now I am in the middle of a large oil and the experiment will have to wait.

Thanks for the offer.

Thanks for the info about Createx pigments, Kitty. I was hoping to avoid having to go out and buy yet another kind of paint to use just to tone my pastel grounds because I have so many tubes of professional watercolor pigments. I was hoping I'd be able to use them for this purpose, as well as my traditional watercolor paintings. Will watercolor paint not work? If not, why not?

I have underpainted on the Wallis paper in watercolor; thinned down acrylic; thinned out oil; and pastel melted with mineral sprits, alchohol, and acetone.

As long as you don't apply the underpainting so heavily that it fills the tooth, it all works.

Chris,

One day you are going to explode your studio!

Watercolor works. Its paint body is light enough not to fill the grit and it dries matte.

The downside of watercolor for me is:

1. It takes a lot of the stuff to make a vivid wash. Createx is much stronger, therefore less expensive.

2. Watercolor is gooey enough to get stuck up in the body of the brush* and resist liquifying into a wash. This is an annoyance for me because I work large, doing my underpainting in large, strongly colored, simple shapes like color fields, and Createx mixes into lots of wash -instantly.

*Remember to use a synthetic brush rather than natural bristles, since synthetic fiber resist abrasion.