Over the years I have been experimenting with soft pastel, one of the most important things I have needed to consider is the paper I use. After starting on cheap Ingres papers, which wouldn't allow me to achieve the details I wanted, I discovered Hahnemühle Velour. This paper became my favourite for many years, but for this demonstration I want to show you the benefits of Pastelmat, another paper that is fast overtaking Velour as my preference.
Pastelmat has become one of the most popular surfaces for the pastel artist these days and I can see why. It provides a stepping stone between the softness of Velour and the rough texture of the other sanded or coated papers. The paper comes in sheet or board form. I usually buy the mounted board version as it is better for handling. It is one of the more expensive papers, especially in mounted form, but it's worth it. There is no surface quite like it as, although it feels smooth to the touch, the surface can hold many layers of pastel. I like how the pastel sticks to the surface and, after a few layers are applied, it starts to blend and move around nicely.
Reference photographs
Let's start with the photo reference. I have worked as a portrait artist for over 14 years and in that time I have photographed many animals for their portraits. Sometimes I am given a photo reference by my client, but my favourite jobs are always those when I get to meet and photograph the animal or person. It gives me an extra connection to
