Wow! What a difference the surface makes! Continuing on my journey to discover my new favorite pastel surface, I pulled Uart Dark 400 from my sampler pack. I knew it was going to be dramatic but, this is one of those things you don’t fully understand until you experience it.

Please note that I am NOT saying that any one surface is good or bad. I am just sharing my thoughts about the surfaces that I am experimenting with. Different artists approach their work differently and may like a particular surface more than I do and vice versa.

I was excited when I pulled this from the pack.  I like sandpaper surfaces!  Generally, when working with pastels, we work dark to light.  So, I found this surface fascinating.  Also, I knew that the dark surface was going to make my colors pop and possibly present a challenge due to the vividness of the colors against this background.

One thing that is really surprising is how well Uart holds onto the pastel. When I tapped it, I didn’t notice any dust. Sweet!

About the Surface:

The Specs:  UART Pastel paper is the choice of many professional pastel artists where consistency of surface is needed and variety of surface texture is desired. UART is pH Neutral and Acid Free. UART original in the sand color is available in six grades ranging from 280 grit (coarse) to 800 grit (finest) for a super fine detail pastel surface. It readily accepts multiple applications of soft and hard pastels, as well as watercolor, alcohol and oil washes. Good results have also been achieved using other mediums for wash techniques.

Uart Dark is the same surface except that it is dark, and it comes in 3 different grits: 400, 500 and 800 with 400 being the grittiest. 

I decided not to try different compositions for my tests. After all, I am simply testing the surfaces.

To hear more of what I thought, check out this video. Exploring the Surfaces

“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.”
― Leonardo da Vinci