Clairefontaine Pastelmat paper review

The ideal choice for any pastel artist

If you are new to pastels, finding the perfect surface for your work does not have to be a challenge. The capabilities of this paper are vast and this makes it ideal for the pastel artist. In this article we explore the features of this popular surface and how it can work well for you. ​Pastelmat is a universal paper that can also be successfully used with other mediums like; coloured pencils, watercolours, oil pastels, charcoal, acrylics and mixed media. 

Asiatic Lion on Anthracite pastelmat. Soft & hard pastels on a black acrylic background

​These are the performance features as stated by the company on their website:

• Grit:   Pastelmat® is a truly unique product with a strong, velvety surface that has more tooth than traditional Ingres papers but is not abrasive like sanded papers. Pastelmat®'s tough surface is organic. Its powerful grit is derived from cellulose plant fibers. In comparison, sanded papers use chemicals such as aluminum oxide to create their gritty surface.
• Vibrant Color:   Pastelmat®'s texture grabs onto the pastel, breaking up the pigment and pulls it deep into the surface for exceptionally vibrant color.
• "Painting with Pastel":   Pastelmat® has a unique interaction with pastels, allowing the artist to create painterly effects with soft, buttery marks.
• Blending:   Pastelmat® offers remarkable control, allowing for effortless, precision blending of pigments.
• Washes:   Holds up to water or solvent-based washes. This allows pastelists to create underpaintings with solutions of denatured alcohol or other solvents and to build layers on top.
• No need for fixatives:   Because Pastelmat®'s surface pulls and holds pigment so deeply, fixatives are not needed to keep the color stable.
• Mixed Media Surface:   Pastelmat®  is so versatile that, in addition to pastel and pastel pencils, it will support most dry and wet media including: oil pastels, charcoal, colored pencils, acrylics, watercolors and gouache.
• Fine linework:   Unlike grittier sanded papers, Pastelmat®'s velvety surface is suitable for fine line artwork.
• Acid-free / Neutral pH

Below we explore each one, with artwork examples by artist John Graham. We also provide lots of useful information to help you get the best out of this paper. 

Grit

" Pastelmat® is a truly unique product with a strong, velvety surface that has more tooth than traditional Ingres papers but is not abrasive like sanded papers. Pastelmat®'s tough surface is organic. Its powerful grit is derived from cellulose plant fibers. In comparison, sanded papers, use chemicals such as aluminum oxide to create their gritty surface. "

When comparing Pastelmat with other pastel papers, you can see how smooth the surface appears next to the Art Spectrum Colourfix and the Hahnemuhle velour. The tooth is barely noticeable on the Pastelmat compared to the other two papers. It may look very smooth, but the tooth is capable of holding many layers and does not require a fixative to secure your artwork. This fine surface is remarkably suited to wax-based mediums such as coloured pencils and oil pastels. ​ Pastelmat is one of the most revered papers of pastel artists. Although its versatility varies with the pastel brand used and the amount of layers you apply, it is one of the best papers available.

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'Lexi' - Staffordshire Bull Terrier by John Graham

Vibrant colour

Pastelmat®'s texture grabs onto the pastel, breaking up the pigment and pulls it deep into the surface for exceptionally vibrant color.

Colour grips well on Pastelmat paper, regardless of the quality of pastel you are using. Highly pigmented, soft pastel brands like Unison and Schmincke, are particularly effective on this paper. With 14 shades to choose from, the base colour you select for your subject, can make a notable difference to the end results.  This Staffordshire Bull Terrier was created on the dark grey paper. This neutral tone is suited to any subject and a favourite choice in the collection. It enhances dominant accents for high and enables efficient applications.

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Painterly effects

"Painting with Pastel":   Pastelmat® has a unique interaction with pastels, allowing the artist to create painterly effects with soft, buttery marks.

Creating portraits where a notable divergence between the background and the main subject is desired, can be made easier when working with a fine grit paper like the Pastelmat. As it makes applications effortless, it can easily be softened to create a painterly feel in your backdrop. Ideal if you do not wish to detract from the main subject. This Border Terrier portrait was created with this very concept in mind, which limits any distractions from the subject.

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'Pixie' - Border Terrier by John Graham | Soft & Hard pastels on Dark grey Pastelmat

Blendibility

Pastelmat® offers remarkable control, allowing for effortless, precision blending of pigments.

A fine grit surface acts as the perfect base to achieve an extremely smooth finish after blending. The background in this Border Terrier portrait was produced with Unison pastels. With less binder than most other pastels, this makes them soft, and easier to apply and blend. More abrasive papers may not blend as smoothly, due to the grain being more distinct even when treated with layers of pastel. When mixing a background, apply a minimum of three colours before you begin the blending process. The reason we recommend this is even though the surface appears smooth, you will meet some resistance without a certain amount of pastel to move around the paper and mix together.

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Sumatran Tiger by John Graham | Soft & Hard pastels on Anthracite pastelmat with black acrylic paint background

Washes

Holds up to water or solvent-based washes. This allows pastellists to create underpaintings with solutions of denatured alcohol or other solvents and to build layers on top. 

Although this paper is not suitable for really heavy washes, it can be used for both solvent-based washes and water based mediums such as acrylics. If one of the base colours do not suit your requirements, maybe you are working with mixed media, then why not devise your own. The deepest colour available is a dark, mottled grey tone called Anthracite, but a strong black background was preferred for this subject as it made the colours look more vibrant and striking. He also included the black background for his Asiatic Lion (seen at the top of the page)

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No need for Fixatives

​Because Pastelmat®'s surface pulls and holds pigment so deeply, fixatives are not needed to keep the color stable.

Using a fixative on your artwork is a personal choice but it isn't really needed on Pastelmat, due to the depth of the surface. However, some artists may prefer that extra layer of protection, so we explain how fixative can affect your pastel portrait if applied too heavily. Spraying too close will add a heavy layer of fixative over your drawing. The effects of this can be seen in our photo where the image on the right appears more speckled after the application of fixative. We also recommend that you trial your aerosol can on a separate piece of paper before using it on your art as the nozzle can become blocked, causing 'spitting' This will vary dependant on the amount of layers you apply as well as the quality of the pastels you use. In our sample, the layers were minimal and we used student quality pastels (INSCRIBE).

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solvent applications on pastelmat

Can you use Zest-it pencil blend on Clairfontaine Pastelmat paper?
You can, but there are negative outcomes, which makes it better to avoid. The solvent breaks down the pigment extremely well, but it turns any tonal gradations into one solid colour, which is not ideal. As Pastelmat is water-resistant, the Zest-it solvent, simply sits on the surface of the paper, leaving a greasy layer behind, meaning the pigment can be smudged. It does eventually dry and the grease marks do disappear, but it takes some time.

HINT: Search for abrasive papers which have a watercolour surface. Papers like Canson Mi-tientes 'Touch' and Art Spectrum Colourfix, are good examples. 

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Other related articles that may be of interest
​

View our other papers and canvases.

New to pastels? Need some help deciding where to start?

Unison pastels - probably THE best, handmade pastel available

Why not try our pastel tutorial on Pastelmat paper

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Mixed Media surfaces

" Pastelmat®'s is so versatile that, in addition to pastel and pastel pencils, it will support most dry and wet media including: oil pastels, charcoal, colored pencils, acrylics, watercolors and gouache. "

Coloured pencils

Although the tooth of Pastelmat paper is less abrasive than other coarser papers, it still holds many layers. For coloured pencil artists, this fine tooth is what makes it great to work on. The concentration of pigment is evident and as the surface grabs the colour instantly, you can create pencil art with less effort. Due to the tooth, it is inadequate for achieving a smooth finish that is attained with pastels. The effects of this can be seen in the photo of the dog's eye, where up close, the effects appear quite grainy. This is regardless of any amount of pressure and application. You may like this characteristic in your artwork, but for those who may prefer a smoother outcome, you could use a solvent such as Zest-it to achieve this.

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Watercolour mediums

As the paper 'holds up to washes', watercolour artists may find this paper a joy to use. Watercolour pencils are the ideal medium for this paper too. Brands like Derwent Graphitint or the Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle both work extremely well on this paper. When using the Derwent Graphitint pencils, the colours can look quite dull during the initial application, but once mixed with water, the colour becomes more vibrant and the results can be impressive. Like watercolour, it is easy to lift colour from the surface and create the highlights you require. Dry applications will provide darker pigmentation and allow you to achieve the finest detail. The tooth of this paper is better placed to grab the pigments than a smooth paper can and will help to improve the strength of application in your work.
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Acrylic paint

Acrylic paints can also be used on Pastelmat paper. We suggest a 50/50 mixture of paint and water  to avoid creating any uneven layers. A dry brush will drag along the tooth, making it difficult to achieve proportional applications. It makes it easier to lift colour from the paper too when there is more water to soften and lift the paint. By spraying a light layer of water onto your paper before applying your paint can help achieve an outcome that looks like an oil painting but without the prolonged drying time. You can also apply coloured pencils over the top of your painting once the paint has dried, so you can create the very fine detail. We did notice a little bit of bleeding (check the edges of the petals where this occured), however, we did note that it was minimal. 

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Oil pastels

Possibly the best paper for oil pastel artists. As oil pastels are soft, they will wear down faster on abrasive papers, more so on higher grit papers, so Pastelmat provides a smooth surface which decreases this. There is enough grip for the pigment to adhere, but smooth enough for easy blending. A paper blending tool is recommended to achieve this, but keep the tip clean during colour changes to avoid accidentally muddying colours. The pigments are vibrant and the pastels themselves are easy to apply, layer and blend. As the paper is durable, it can withstand the use of a craft knife wherever you need to lift pastel and add in any fine detail effects. 

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Additional Information:

Fine linework
​" ​Unlike grittier sanded papers, Pastelmat®'s velvety surface is suitable for fine line artwork. "

Archival quality: Acid free / Neutral pH

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What about durability?

One feature they have not included in their performance list is Durability.
An important attribute of this paper. Having done a little research online, we found a comment on an art forum by a pastel tutor, who scrubs their pastelmat paper after demonstrations so they can re-use it at their next workshop! Although they did not state how many times it was possible to do this before the paper began to deteriorate, this makes the paper both cost-effective and 'green'. We haven't tried it personally but it certainly proves its robustness. That said, we would not recommend using a pre-used sheet of paper for a private commission.

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Final thoughts on our findings

This paper is a great 'all round' surface suitable for various mediums. For artists that are looking for grip without the abrasiveness of some papers, that can feel too rough if you use fingers or a soft sponge to blend your pastels. Even though the surface feels smooth to the touch, it holds colour effortlessly and pigments are vibrant. The standard thickness of each sheet is 1.8mm but if you prefer something far more sturdy, it is also available in a mountboard format where the paper is secured on top of a 3mm mountboard. Below we provide you with a list of available colours and formats you can purchase the sheets in.

CHARACTERISTICS

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GSM: ​360gsm

ARCHIVAL: NO

ACID FREE:  YES

NEUTRAL pH:  YES

LIGHTFAST: YES

 costs: RRP From: £5.25 (full sheet)

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ADVANTAGES

​* Can be used for both dry and wet mediums (not suitable for oil paints)
* Acid free, archival, lightfast & water-resistant
* Smoother surface is better for finger blending
* Minimal dust
* It is durable and doesn't buckle when using with wet media
​* Easily accessible online
* Also available as a 3mm thickness board 
​* Great pigment adherence
* Easily lifts colour for mediums mixed with water

 DISADVANTAGES

* Fine grain paper holds less layers than heavy grain papers
​* It can be expensive
* It might not be accesible in your country and ordering overseas may be highly          excessive.
​* No black available (We recommend the Colourfix smooth instead)
* Easily marked, but light marks can be removed with a dust free eraser
​* Blending individual applications are a challenge, wax-based coloured pencils wear down quicker on gritty paper
* Acrylic paint applications can drag so mix more water for a smoother layer

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Colours palette

Pastelmat come in 14 different colours.
The warm tones are: Sand, Maize, Buttercup, Burgundy, Sienna and Brown
The cool tones are: Light blue, dark blue, Light green and dark green.
The achromatic tones are: White, Light grey, dark grey and Anthracite
The most widely used colours tend to be; White, Dark grey, Anthracite and Sienna. Tonal surfaces provide an immediate contrast of colour when applying your pigments.
The Pastelmat range began with just 8 colours. The greens were introduced later (year unknown) and extended to 14 (year unknown) The 4 NEW additions were Burgundy, Dark Blue, Maize & Sable.
The latest addition to the collection is the Pastelmat mountboard. It is a 360gsm sheet and has a mountboard format where the paper is sealed on top of a 3mm mountboard for added support. Available in 12 colours (Not the green tones), it provides additional strength and due to the foam inner, impossible to bend without exerting intentional pressure. When it comes to the lightfastness of the surface, we read someone's comment on the Internet about how they had hung a small piece of Pastelmat Anthracite in a window for a year, with no colour change whatsoever.

White

Light Grey

Dark Grey

Anthracite

Burgundy

Light Blue

Dark Blue

Light Green

Dark Green

Sand

Maize

Buttercup

Sienna

Brown

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Sizes and formats available:

1.8mm thick

Single sheets -14 colours

​​Single sheets
25cm x 35cm (¼ size)
35cm x 50cm (½ size)
50cm x 70cm (Full Size)
70cm x 100cm (Extra Large)

3mm thick

Single boards - 12 colours (No green)

​Pastelmat boards

50cm x 70cm (Full Size)
70cm x 100cm (Extra Large)

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Pads

Sizes available: 
7" x 9" (​18cm x 24cm), ​  9" x 12" (24cm x 30cm)  &  12" x 15" (30cm x 40cm)

Buttercup, Maize, Dark Grey & Light Grey

Anthracite sheets only

Dark Green, Light Green, Dark Blue, White

White, Sienna, Brown & Anthracite

Burgundy, Dark Blue, Light Blue & Sand

White sheets only

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Looking for additional colours? The Art Spectrum Colourfix smooth paper mirrors the Pastelmat in grit
and there is also a pure black available. Read our blog here...

​Article updated: February 2022