This is my favorite paper. I will explain why.The first paintings I did were done on white (a big no-no) cheap paper. Choosing good paper without spending a ton of money is difficult. The following three paintings were done back in June 2017 which were my very first efforts. The last one here was my favorite in the beginning and I hung it behind an old mat on the fridge for months. Six months later I threw it away because the majority of the pastel dust had fallen away. Lesson learned. No more cheap white paper. In all fairness, loosing the pastel from the paper has a lot to do technique. I will explain this in another article.
Did this one on a Multi-Media Did this one on paper for Did this one on grocery
pad of paper. drawing. pad of white paper.
Now I use Strathmore Series 400 paper for doing pastels. You can use your soft pastels on paper that is not designed for pastels but the problem is: There is no tooth in the paper so there is nothing to hold the pastel. Over time the majority of the pigment will fall off the painting. So, spending a little more money on your paper will make a huge difference. The best papers are very expensive. Until you are at the point of doing commissioned work or charging hundreds of dollars for your paintings, I really think Strathmore Series 400 is a good choice. These paintings I did in November 2017 have dropped no dust to date and the surface will hold several layers of pastel.
A paper that is made for acrylics just will not work for pastels. Drawing paper has no grit to it or tooth as it is known to hold the chalk over time. When you create a pastel painting you will need to do several layers of the soft pastels to get your desired effect and yet a last layer for putting in your fine detail work. You must use a good paper. I have searched the Internet many times looking for the best options for paper. As usual, I found that Amazon has the best deals. My favorite paper is by Strathmore and is called Artagain. This is made from a recycled paper and the tooth is there but not so harsh as some of the others. I prefer my paintings to be soft in appearance. Many pastel artists like the blotchy, grainy look. I am not a fan but they do have very successful businesses selling these paintings and even running teaching classes.
Art is a very personal thing. Everyone looks at a painting as see something a little different. What is beautiful to you may not be to someone else. AS an artist your work does become very personal in that you put a little bit of your heart and soul into each creation. Being a successful artist is about your passion, your experience and of course getting your work in front of potential buyers. The latter is not something I had considered when I began painting with pastels. However, it has become a passion and almost every day I create a new painting.
Carson paper for soft pastels is something I have used. I did this paining using this paper. It is a good paper and comes in a choice of colors which is good. The problem I have with this paper is the tooth is really difficult to cover up so if you look closely you will see the texture. Again, not a fan of this look. I worked and worked on this painting trying to fill all the tooth. Unfortunately, there is a point where the tooth gets filled or crushed and it is not possible to lay more pastel down. If you look at an enlarged version of this painting you will see the grainy look.
Overview, you must choose a paper that is intended for using soft pastels. It is a form of paint as it is compressed, dry pigment, however, it will only stick over time to the better papers designed for their use. I have heard of pastel artists who use other grounds than paper like canvas. It is not something I have tried but it seems to me canvas would produce a very grainy look and other grounds would not hold the pastel pigment over time. When you create a pastel painting it should last for years to come if you have used good ground and used proper techniques. I hope this information helps.
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