If you’ve ever drawn on Pastelmat, you’ll probably know exactly the stage I’m about to talk about.

You start a drawing. You add the first few layers. And then suddenly you look at it and think:

“Oh my goodness… this looks so grainy.”
“Should I start again?”
“Why does this paper feel so hard to draw on?”

First of all – let me reassure you. This is completely normal.

Even now, when I start a drawing on Pastelmat, I still sometimes have that little moment of doubt.

The key is simply understanding how the surface works and how to build your layers so that that grainy stage gradually turns into something beautiful.

Let’s walk through a few simple things that really help: 

Why Pastelmat Looks Grainy

Pastelmat has quite a toothy surface, which is actually one of its biggest advantages for coloured pencil artists.

That texture is what allows the paper to hold lots of layers of pigment.

Because of this, it’s very normal for the surface to show through during the early stages of a drawing.

Instead of fighting that texture, the trick is to work with it.

Simple Tips If Your Pastelmat Looks Grainy

If your drawing is looking spotty or rough in the early stages, try these:

• Don’t rush the first layers
Use light pressure and gentle strokes to begin building colour.

• Build colour gradually
Pastelmat responds best to layering rather than pressing hard with the pencil.

• Expect the surface to show through early on
That grain will naturally soften and disappear as you add more layers.

• Focus on values before details
Getting the lights and darks in place first makes everything else much easier later.

If Your Drawing Feels Scratchy or Hard to Control

Sometimes the issue isn’t the paper – it’s that the pencil and surface haven’t started working together yet.

Here are a couple of small adjustments that can help:

• Start with slightly harder pencils
They grip the surface nicely and create a good base.

• Begin with harder, drier pencils such as Polychromos or Pablos.

The pigment particles don’t cling to the Pastelmat surface in quite the same way as softer pencils, which means they move more easily and can even be lifted gently with an eraser if you need to adjust things.

• Introduce softer pencils later
These help smooth and blend the layers as the drawing develops.

• Use light pressure
Pressing hard early can flatten the surface and make layering more difficult.

Layering different pencils is one of the easiest ways to build richness and depth in coloured pencil drawings.

What If You Can Still See the Tooth of the Paper?

A lot of artists worry when they can see the little dots of paper showing through the colour.

But actually there are two important things to remember.

• Some artists love a little texture showing – it keeps the drawing feeling lively and painterly.
• If you prefer a smoother look, you simply add more layers gradually.

One small trick that can really help soften the grain is to glaze a lighter colour over a darker layer. After adding a darker tone, you can gently add something like Warm Grey II or even Granite Rose over the top (as long as it won’t disturb your darker values). This helps settle the texture and pull the layers together.

There’s no fixed number of layers in coloured pencil. Sometimes it’s one layer. Sometimes it’s thirty.

It completely depends on the colours and the surface you’re working with.

A Quick Note About Pastelmat Quality

Pastelmat is well known for its velvety surface, but occasionally you may come across a sheet that feels unusually rough or very bumpy. Because of how the paper is manufactured, there can sometimes be variations in quality.

If you do get a sheet that feels overly grainy or unpleasant to work on, my honest advice is to return it. Those very rough pieces don’t behave like good quality Pastelmat and can make drawing far more difficult than it should be.

Watch the Layering Process in Action

Sometimes the easiest way to understand how Pastelmat behaves is to watch the layering happen in real time.

In my short youtube video you can see how the layers gradually build and how the grain of the paper softens as the drawing develops.

▶ Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0kQDbmUfM0

Seeing the process unfold step by step often makes everything suddenly click.

Trust the Process. Almost every drawing on Pastelmat goes through a slightly awkward stage where it feels grainy, rough or unfinished.

That doesn’t mean it’s going wrong.It simply means you’re still building the layers.

And very often, that slightly messy stage is the beginning of something beautiful.