Real‑world examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing

Everyday examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing

Let’s skip the abstract talk and go straight into real, practical situations. These examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing will sound familiar if you’ve ever sat down with pastels and thought, “Why does this look so… flat?”

Example of soft, painterly landscapes: sanded paper vs. regular pastel paper

Imagine you want to create a soft, misty landscape with lots of layering in the sky and trees. You reach for your soft pastels and start working on a smooth sketch pad. After a few layers, the color stops sticking. Everything turns grayish and chalky.

Now compare that to using a sanded paper like UART or Pastelmat. These surfaces have a fine, gritty tooth that grabs pastel and lets you build many layers. In this example of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing, the sanded paper:

• Holds many more layers of color for clouds and foliage.
• Lets you blend with fingers or tools without the paper falling apart.
• Gives you richer, deeper color because the pigment sits on the tooth instead of sliding around.

For highly layered landscapes, the best examples of paper choices are usually sanded or heavily textured pastel papers. Artists often describe these surfaces as “forgiving” because you can brush off or lift color and rework areas. If you like a painterly look that almost mimics oils, this is a strong example of why paper choice matters more than the brand of pastel.

Example of quick sketching: inexpensive student pastel paper

Now flip the situation. You’re at a life drawing session or sketching at a café. You don’t want to pull out your expensive sanded sheets. You just need something that takes a few layers, erases reasonably well, and doesn’t cost a fortune.

This is where lighter‑weight, student‑grade pastel paper comes in. Think of papers with a light texture (often with a honeycomb or laid pattern) that come in pads. In this example of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing, the paper:

• Is thin but textured enough for 2–3 layers.
• Takes hard pastels and pastel pencils nicely.
• Is cheap enough that you’re not afraid to experiment.

These are real examples of how you might use different paper for different purposes: premium sanded paper for finished work, and budget pastel pads for practice and gesture drawing.

Example of portraits: smooth but toothy paper for skin and details

Portraits are their own beast. You want smooth transitions in skin tones, but you also need enough tooth to hold subtle layers of color. If the paper is too rough, every pore looks exaggerated. If it’s too smooth, your shading streaks and won’t blend.

A mid‑tone, fine‑tooth pastel paper (or a vellum‑surface drawing paper with enough texture) often shines here. In this example of examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing, a portrait artist might choose:

• A toned paper in light gray, warm beige, or soft blue.
• A surface with a fine tooth that takes both pastel pencils and soft sticks.
• A weight heavy enough that you can blend without tearing (often 90 lb / 160 gsm or heavier).

The mid‑tone paper lets you work both darker and lighter, using the paper color as a middle value. Many portrait artists use this approach because it cuts working time and creates a natural sense of depth. This is one of the best examples of how paper color and texture directly affect the mood of a pastel portrait.

Example of mixed media: watercolor underpainting + sanded pastel paper

A lot of contemporary pastel artists (especially in 2024–2025) are combining wet underpaintings with dry pastel on top. You might see someone lay down a loose watercolor wash or diluted ink first, then apply pastel once it’s dry.

Here’s a real example: you want to block in a dramatic sky with watercolor, then refine clouds and light with soft pastels. If you try this on regular pastel paper, the water will buckle the sheet and may destroy the surface.

On the other hand, sanded papers and some heavyweight mixed‑media papers can handle light wet media. In this example of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing, you’d pick:

• A sanded paper rated for light wet use, or a heavyweight mixed‑media paper you’ve tested.
• A heavier weight (often 140 lb / 300 gsm) to resist warping.
• A surface that still has tooth after the underpainting dries.

This trend toward mixed media is widely discussed in art education resources; for general information on paper weights and mixed‑media behavior, sites like University of North Carolina’s art materials guides and other academic art departments often publish helpful basics.

Example of pastel pencils: slightly smoother paper for fine detail

Pastel pencils are drier and harder than soft pastels. They shine when you need eyelashes, hair, tree branches, or lettering. But if the paper is too rough, the pencil point crumbles and skips. If it’s too slick, you can’t build depth.

In this example of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing, you might:

• Use a fine‑tooth drawing paper or a smoother pastel paper.
• Choose a surface that’s easy to erase and correct.
• Layer pastel pencil over a light base of soft pastel.

The best examples here are papers that sit between traditional drawing paper and full sanded pastel boards. Many artists use them for illustrations, botanical studies, and detailed animal portraits.

Example of large, expressive work: heavyweight sanded boards

Let’s say you’re working big—poster‑sized or larger—and you love bold, sweeping strokes. Regular paper might buckle, wrinkle, or feel too fragile when you’re scrubbing in color with the side of a pastel.

In this real example of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing, a large expressive piece works better on:

• Mounted sanded boards or heavyweight sanded sheets.
• Surfaces that can handle vigorous blending and reworking.
• A sturdy backing that doesn’t need taping to survive.

This is a good example of how scale affects your paper choice. The bigger you go, the more you need stability and durability. Professional art schools and museums often discuss archival supports and mounting methods; for broader conservation principles, organizations like the Smithsonian Institution share best practices for works on paper.

Example of travel and sketchbooks: toned drawing paper with light tooth

Travel sketching with pastels is tricky because loose pigment goes everywhere. Many artists now use:

• Spiral‑bound sketchbooks with toned, medium‑weight drawing paper.
• A few hard pastels or pastel pencils instead of a full soft pastel set.

In this example of examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing, the paper doesn’t need to be perfect for finished work. It just needs:

• Enough tooth to grab a couple of layers.
• A tone that gives instant atmosphere—tan for urban scenes, gray for moody weather, etc.
• A weight that can handle light blending without ghosting onto the next page.

These real examples show that “right paper” is not one thing; it’s about matching paper to purpose.

How to read these examples and apply them to your own work

Looking at these examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing, you can start to build a simple decision pattern for yourself.

If you love:

• Many layers, painterly style, or mixed media → lean toward sanded or heavily textured papers.
• Quick studies, life drawing, and practice → student‑grade pastel pads or toned sketchbooks.
• Fine detail, portraits, or illustration → smoother but still toothy pastel or drawing papers.

Instead of memorizing brands, think in terms of:

• Tooth: How rough is the surface? More tooth = more layers, but also more texture.
• Weight: Heavier papers handle more abuse, blending, and sometimes light wet media.
• Color: White gives maximum brightness; mid‑tones make portraits and landscapes faster; darker tones create drama.

Art schools and museums often emphasize testing surfaces before committing to a big project. This mirrors advice from broader educational sources like Harvard University’s art and design programs that encourage experimentation and material studies as part of learning.

Best examples of matching paper to pastel type

Because the phrase “right paper” can feel vague, here are best examples of pairings that tend to work well. Think of these as starting points, not rigid rules.

• Soft pastels often shine on sanded papers or heavyweight pastel papers with strong tooth. These surfaces show off their intense color and layering potential.
• Hard pastels and pastel pencils usually behave better on slightly smoother papers, where they can create crisp lines without crumbling.
• Oil pastels (a different medium, but often confused with soft pastels) need sturdier, less absorbent paper or boards, since they never fully dry.

Using these examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing as a guide, you can test small swatches of each pastel type on different surfaces before committing to a full piece.

2024–2025 trends that affect your paper choices

Pastel artists in 2024–2025 are leaning into a few clear trends that influence which paper they reach for:

• Mixed media underpainting: More artists are starting with watercolor, ink, or alcohol washes, then finishing in pastel. That pushes them toward sanded or mixed‑media papers that can take a bit of moisture.
• Eco‑conscious materials: There’s growing interest in recycled or sustainably sourced papers. When you’re evaluating these, treat them like any other surface—test tooth, weight, and how they respond to blending.
• Online classes and demos: Many instructors now recommend specific paper types in their course materials. While it’s tempting to copy exactly, use those as examples of what works for that teacher’s style, then adapt for your own.

If you’re concerned about long‑term stability or working safely with pastel dust, organizations like the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provide general guidance on safe studio practices, ventilation, and dust exposure. While they don’t talk about pastel paper directly, understanding dust behavior might nudge you toward sturdier surfaces that shed less pigment.

Simple testing routine based on real examples

Instead of trying to guess the perfect paper, borrow a strategy from professional studios: create your own mini library of examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing.

Here’s a low‑stress way to do it:

• Cut several small pieces of different papers—sanded, pastel pad, toned drawing paper, and a heavier watercolor or mixed‑media sheet.
• On each piece, test a few strokes of soft pastel, hard pastel, and pastel pencil.
• Try layering, blending with your finger, and erasing.

Very quickly, you’ll see your own best examples of what works for your hand pressure, your preferred blending style, and your favorite subjects. Those tiny tests will teach you more than any product description.

FAQ: examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing

Q: Can you give an example of a good beginner paper for pastel drawing?
A: A good beginner example of pastel paper is a mid‑tone, student‑grade pastel pad with a light texture. It’s affordable, takes a few layers, and lets you practice without worrying about wasting expensive surfaces. Once you understand how your pastels behave, you can move up to sanded papers for more advanced work.

Q: What are some examples of paper that work for both pastel and watercolor underpainting?
A: Heavyweight sanded papers that are rated for light wet media and 140 lb (300 gsm) watercolor or mixed‑media papers are good examples of surfaces that can handle a wash plus pastel on top. Always test a small area first to be sure the tooth doesn’t vanish after the wash dries.

Q: Are there examples of when smooth paper is actually better for pastel?
A: Yes. Smoother, fine‑tooth papers can be better for pastel pencils, detailed illustration, and light sketching where you don’t need many layers. These are examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing when control and detail matter more than heavy layering.

Q: What are the best examples of paper choices for dusty, soft pastels if I’m worried about mess?
A: Sanded papers and heavier pastel boards are often the best examples because they grab pigment more firmly, which can reduce how much dust falls off. Pair that with good studio hygiene—like working vertically and tapping dust into a tray—and you’ll have a cleaner setup overall.

Q: How do I know if a paper is archival enough for a finished pastel piece?
A: Look for acid‑free, lignin‑free papers from reputable art brands, and when possible, check whether they’re marketed for fine art or museum use. For general guidance on archival materials and preservation standards, major institutions like the Library of Congress share information about what makes papers more stable over time. Use those guidelines as broader examples of what to look for when you want your pastel work to last.

By studying these examples of choosing the right paper for pastel drawing, you’re not just memorizing product names—you’re training your eye and hand to recognize what each surface can do for you. That’s when pastel drawing starts to feel less like fighting the page and more like collaborating with it.