Written for Artsavingsclub by Henriëtte van Eeden
My search for the perfect soft pastel and pastel paper.
If you are anything like me, you probably have more art supplies than you can use in one lifetime, yet whenever something new hits the shelves you itch to have it and try it. This is usually much easier to justify if it’s your favourite and most-used medium!
For a while now, I’ve felt that our range of soft pastels is too limited. So, I’ve ordered my fair share of soft pastel sets from overseas. I’ve done the same with pastel paper, looking for rougher surfaces that work especially well with soft pastels.
Along the way, I’ve tried a wide range of pastel brands, including Mount Vision, Unison, Jackson’s, Rembrandt, Blue Earth, Art Spectrum and Sennelier, to name a few. I’ve also tried UArt and Fischer 400 pastel papers. Clearly, I’ll go to great lengths to find the perfect paper for my pastel habit!
Clairefontaine PASTELMAT has been my go-to paper for pastel pencils ever since it arrived on our shores, so it was with great excitement that I decided to try their PASTELGRAIN paper. The PASTELGRAIN pastel paper is available in various sizes up to 50cm x 70cm from Artsavingsclub. It would also allow me to work on a larger scale in soft pastel – if it passed the test so-to-speak.
While trying new pastel paper, why not throw a new brand of soft pastel into the mix? BLOCKX soft pastels might be a new name to me, but research revealed that this brand was founded in 1865 in Belgium and their pastel range was launched in 2002.
So how did the BLOCKX soft pastels perform on PASTELGRAIN paper?
I’d describe the BLOCKX soft pastels as medium softness. Neither crumbly, nor hard. They’re large pastels – 6.7cm long and about 1.3cm in diameter. I found they break easily and cleanly to use as smaller pieces. The colour shades are vivid and their texture is creamy and highly pigmented. They are water-soluble, as pastels usually are, but I enjoy using surgical spirits to dissolve the minimal binder as it dries faster than water.
The pastels gave me great coverage, moved easily onto the paper and due to the high pigment content gave me the texture I longed for instantly. These are workhorse soft pastels – both due to the large size and the ease of coverage without the pastel disintegrating. Considering their price, size and performance I’d say these pastels are excellent value for money.
Oh, I am in love with the Clairfontaine’s PASTELGRAIN pastel paper!
Compared to the velvety texture Clairefontaine PASTELMAT offers, PASTELGRAIN pastel paper is toothier. I prefer this when working in soft pastel because it allows for more layers while gripping the pastel to the paper and lends lovely texture to the artwork. PASTELGRAIN pastel paper is a multimedia paper and at 360gsm, can take a beating.
I applied a couple of layers of BLOCKX soft pastel that I painted into the grain with surgical spirits and the PASTELGRAIN pastel paper held up to the onslaught without buckling at all. PASTELGRAIN is also available in different shades and since I’m not a fan of the old cream-coloured pastel paper, this is a selling point for me! This is especially true considering the lovely mid-tone colours available.
Artwork by Henriëtte van Eeden
PastelGrain is the perfect alternative!
I have worked with soft pastel on PASTELMAT pastel paper, but my personal preference would be PASTELGRAIN. Comparing PASTELGRAIN to the 400-grit papers I have used before, PASTELGRAIN offers a slightly smoother finish while still allowing more layers than PASTELMAT. In this test I didn’t blend a lot as I really like the grainy texture and wanted to see if I could achieve it on this paper. I have the nasty habit of blending with my fingers, and on 400-grit paper you end up sanding off your fingerprints (try opening your banking app afterwards, thank goodness for facial recognition!).
Pastel appeals to me for so many reasons: the immediacy of rich colour, the sound of the pastel on paper, the colourful dust on my fingers, and the versatility. I’m sold on both products for all these reasons. First point of call is, of course, to add more of both to my stash!
Shop online or in-store at www.artsavingsclub.co.za:
BLOCKX soft pastels single colours open stock, also available in assorted sets.
Clairefontaine PASTELGRAIN pads & sheets
Written by Henriëtte van Eeden / Instagram: @henriettevaneeden_artist / Facebook: Henriëtte van Eeden Art
