Clairefontaine Pastelmat - Tip #1 How to get rid of that grainy look - Part 2

[@christinewilson9884]

Your finished piece is just gorgeous! I loved your technique with the knife.Beautiful dog.

[@annihilator45]

Thanks for the lovely tips! Thanks for sharing this video.

[@susanpattenden5212]

Hi thanks for video .to solve this problem I use zest it.it works a treat

[@AnimalArtbyLAW]

Thanks Susan. I sometimes use Zest It bit rarely. It helps to spread the pigment nicely but I would still be building the same amount of layers as I do with the dry pencils. It often just depends on the finished effect I am after though.

[@emilyerdbeere9210]

Thank you, wonderful informative 😍 I use babyoil to fight the grain. You can blend coloured pencils so nicely. But it doesn’t dry... Zest it is not good for health...

[@AnimalArtbyLAW]

Using baby oil is not something I would recommend if you are wanting to sell your work as it is not archival. It will yellow over time. Watercolour pecils are a better option if you prefer to blend out using a liquid. Personally I prefer to blend sing just the pencils. So many different options though! :)

[@emilyerdbeere9210]

@@AnimalArtbyLAW thank you for your answer! Can I also draw with Albrecht Dürer on pastelmat covered with water first? Because it’s less dust than drawing directly on Pastelmat. Or doesn’t it work? I bought some cheap Faber Castel Grip watercolour pencils, but they gave no pigment on water, it did not work :-(

[@debrayoung7728]

Beautiful work

[@AnimalArtbyLAW]

Thank you so much Debra :)

[@sylvianblue]

The sharpness of your pencils is enviable ! I use a craft knife but it looks like you might use a sharpener?

[@AnimalArtbyLAW]

Yes, I use a Jakar 5160. So robust & never lets me down :)

[@electronicbagatelle]

Do you ever use a fixative if the pencils get clogged up, to create a new 'paper surface'? I have seen some artists do it but I'm not sure if they are using pastel matt.

[@AnimalArtbyLAW]

Hi, no, I very rarely have used a fixative. Te only time I have used a touch of the brush on Touch up texture fixative was where there was fault in a small area of the pastelmat & it allowed me to get a few more layers down in that area. Keeping your layers super light in pressure means that you can carry on putting them down seemingly indefinitely

[@electronicbagatelle]

@@AnimalArtbyLAW thank you :) :) :)