Pastel paper differs from regular drawing paper in that it has a tooth, or textured surface, for the pastels to hold on to. The more tooth the surface has, the more layers of pastels it can hold. These papers are available in a wide range of colors, from white to soft blues and yellows to dark brown and black.

As with all types of art media, the support (drawing surface) that you choose will affect the final look of your work, so experiment with different papers to find the one you like the best. Here are some to try:

Traditional Papers: Many companies make papers specifically for pastels. You can purchase them in spiral pads, tape-bound pads, blocks, or single sheets. Charcoal and watercolor papers can be used for pastels, too.

Pastel panels or pastel boards: These are papers mounted to rigid boards about 1/8″ thick.

Sanded Paper – You can purchase these papers in different grades, from moderate to super fine.

Velour Paper: This paper has a soft velvet-like surface that pastels adhere to well, and it  can be purchased in a pad or as single sheets. I first read about this paper in Leslie Harrison’s book, Painting Animals That Touch the Heart. It’s the type of paper she used for many of her pieces. I loved her work, so I went online to see if I could find it. Turns out it’s available from one of my favorite discount art supply sites!

Pastelmat: After seeing the amazing pastel work by artist Nathan Bye, I did a little digging to see what type of paper he used. But it wasn’t hard — he mentions it right on his Facebook page. For many of his pieces, he used Pastelmat by ClaireFontaine. I tried this paper when creating the illustrations for The Perfect Pet, and I really liked it! You can find it online at art supply stores and even on Amazon.
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What’s your favorite type of pastel paper?