Tips and Facts about Clairefontaine Pastelmat

This video will talk you through all things Pastelmat, including teaching you the difference between Pastelmat sheet and board, explaining what type of surface it is, how to cut your Pastelmat and why it’s my favourite surface for my coloured pencil drawings.
Watch the video to improve your Pastelmat knowledge…
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[@tamraquinn7804]

You are absolutely remarkable. Your work is just stunning.

[@BonnySnowdonAcademy]

Ah thank you 🥰

[@connieebinger6343]

Oh my gosh! This is the first time I’ve seen your work, and it is absolutely stunning. I am partway through the video, and the portrait of the little girl with the blue hat, and the wolf are absolutely gorgeous. Wow!

[@BonnySnowdonAcademy]

Ah thank you so much 🥰

[@michella24_artmuskiet34]

thank you @bonnysnowdon for this explanation🤩. i didn't even know there was that much difference! and pastelmat is now one of my favorite😍

[@grannysmithart]

thank you for this introduction to Pastelmat. I have a tablet of the white, but just can't seem to master it. So many problems, i couldn't list them all. A video on actual techniques would be very welcome

[@BonnySnowdonAcademy]

I have quite a few videos on my youtube, from getting rid of grain to actual live draw alongs on pastelmat :) Do have a look through the videos :)

[@MaryNewnham]

Wow. Your artwork is amazing

[@CarlinneT]

I have unfortunately ran into a batch of pastelmat that has multiple lines running through it an inch wide and only were found once the picture had begun. Extremely frustrating for a beginner when a picture is coming along so good then cannot be fixed.

[@kathleen6431]

I just purchased a 9.5 x 12 sheet pad and noticed today being very humid...that the paper is bowing quite a bit from the first day I took off the cellophane wrapper it shipped in.

[@lyndakowalke8858]

Hi Bonnie, I love your tips & info, always so helpful. I have brought myself a nr 2 in small size pad, it really is small, but so expensive! I actually brought it for soft oil pastels, as I find that just as intreaging, then I heard that it is also great for coloured pencils, which interests me just as much. I havnt opend it yet, I am just looking for the perfect picture to start with, which is silly. So your tips & info always comes at the right moment and a wonderful help! Can the 2 mediums be mixed, or are the pencils just used for more defination?I love the colours and vibrancy of the pastels, but the intricate details of the pencils lol - What a problem lol. I love to hear you talk, you are so interesting, especially how you started up a bit later in life. I think that happens to many of us. I will be 68 soon and am only just starting, its probably far too late, but who knows.I cant freehand for peanuts, but I am not going to that or medical issues hinder me from trying. You have given me a lot of courage, bless you dear. Take care🙏💕

[@Broadway789]

Could,you show a sample of how you use pastel mat or other surface , showing how you can use a white color pencil OVER a darker background/color? Thank you. 🙂

[@BonnySnowdonAcademy]

Yes I’ve got a few videos - have a look in my video tab 🥰

[@ibrahimsalag8428]

Nice work

[@BonnySnowdonAcademy]

Thank you 🥰

[@GitanaAndalucia]

What are the ways to tackle the areas that won’t layer? I thought it was something I did but I don’t have many layers and there’s a area that is smooth. Im about to throw it out and start over. I’m glad to know it’s an actual problem.

[@BonnySnowdonAcademy]

Are you working on pastelmat? You can actually use a workable fixative in areas which can help if you have a piece that isn't taking any layers :)

[@fuzzydragons]

a moisture difference could def explain the bowing, as well as shipping problems or its both at once 😑

[@queenria7]

Do you ever have 'smudging problems' on Pastelmat? I recently tried it for the first time using Polychromos and I was surprised at how easily I would accidentally smudge the pigment. I had to use a fixative after I was finished because the pigment seemed to come off so easily.

[@BonnySnowdonAcademy]

No never have problems but I’m careful and work on sections. Don’t use fixative it will ruin your work. Just be very careful with it 🥰

[@queenria7]

@@BonnySnowdonAcademy Thank you for the reply Bonny! 💚 Ok, I'm going to have to improve my technique then so I don't get so much smudginess. How do you protect your drawings without fixative so the pigment doesn't come off, for example when you sell them? I thought fixative was the only way. Thankfully it didn't destroy my little test drawing....

[@brendamilstein1062]

I use Pastelmat board and love it but often find a few very hard black dots appearing usually slap in the middle of an area that's so inconvenient lol... I try working around it and if need be use a small dot of Brush and Pencil touch-up texture. I too sometimes find the pencils smudge a lot more than other times not sure why maybe it doesn't grip to the Pastelmat as well so on those pieces I spray a couple of light layers of a Pastel Workable Fixative Spray and have found that hasn't effected the pencils at all.

[@queenria7]

@@brendamilstein1062 Ah, so you are using the workable fixative during the drawing process? I had thought of doing that but wasn't sure, I understand some pastel artists work that way though.

[@katearmstrong5565]

​@@queenria7 I only recently bought some Polychromos, and I like them a lot, but, they definitely don't act the same on Pastelmat as some of the softer pencils. I've been using a lot of Derwent Drawing and Luminance and then going in with Polys for finer details--I guess I'm thinking, if they're the only pencil you're using, maybe add a soft brand too and see if it helps a bit 🤷‍♀️