3 Common Myths About Pastelmat | Materials Guide

When it comes to Pastelmat there are a few common myths that can put people off trying it, but Pastelmat is a definite favourite of mine, so I have decided to shed some light on these myths and see if I can get you to try and fall in love with the surface!

1: Pastelmat is Only for Pastels

It's true that Pastelmat was originally created for pastels and of course, it works amazingly for that, but it's also an excellent surface for coloured pencil artists. The reason for this is it allows you to use lots of layers which means you can create really beautiful and soft fur by adding gentle layers of different colours and building them up gradually.

2: Pastelmat Eats Your Pencils

Now this is the biggest myth that I hear all the time and it's that Pastelmat is going to eat your pencils because it's an abrasive paper. This just simply isn't true because the main thing that will do that is sharpening your pencils. With smoother, non-abrasive surfaces such as hot press paper, I use much sharper pencils than on Pastelmat so, because I'm always sharpening them, they actually go down a lot faster.

3: You Can’t Get Sharp Details on Pastelmat

The idea that you can't get sharp details when working on Pastelmat is definitely not true, you just need to use a different technique and put layers down first and then add your details in on top. The more layers you have, the easier it's going to be to get the finer details into your artwork. This is also the exception to using dull pencils because, for a lot of the fur and softer elements on Pastelmat, I will use pencils that really aren't very sharp at all to build soft light layers, but if you want to get sharp details in areas such as the eyes, you're going to need a sharp pencil like any other surface.

Pastelmat is a surface that’s different from the rest, but when you know the facts about it and the techniques to use with it, you’ll realise that these differences make it the fabulous surface that it is! And those myths don’t need to be a worry anymore! I talk more in detail about these myths in the video above.