The Best Surfaces for Pastel Art: Paper, Board, and Beyond

When you first start working with soft pastels, it’s easy to focus all your attention on the pastels themselves—what brand to buy, how many colors you need, what tools to use. But there’s one part of the process that’s just as important and often overlooked: the surface you draw on.

The right surface can make your colors sing, help your layers build beautifully, and completely change the feel of your final piece. The wrong one? It might leave your pastels dusty, muddy, or frustratingly short-lived.

In this guide, we’ll explore the most popular surfaces for pastel art—paper, board, and beyond—so you can choose the right one for your style, budget, and creative goals.

Why Surface Matters in Pastel Art

Soft pastels don’t soak into paper like watercolor or acrylics. Instead, they sit on the surface, held in place by friction and tooth (the texture of the paper). That means your choice of surface directly affects:

• How many layers you can apply

• How well colors blend and stick

• The overall texture and finish of your piece

• How the artwork holds up over time

  
  

Choosing the right surface is about more than technical results—it’s also about feel. Some artists love the smooth drag of PastelMat, while others crave the gritty grip of a sanded paper. Let’s break down the main options.

1. Canson Mi-Teintes (Paper)

Type: Machine-made textured pastel paper

Tooth: Medium (laid texture on one side, smoother on the other)

Available colors: Wide range, from neutral to vibrant

Pros:

• Affordable and widely available

• Great for beginners

• Colored paper can enhance or shift your palette

• Comes in pads or individual sheets

Cons:

• Limited layering ability (2–4 layers max)

• Texture pattern can be too obvious in detailed work

• Can’t handle heavy or aggressive blending

Best For:

• Practice studies

• Sketches and gesture drawings

• Light layering or single-layer work

Tip: Use the textured side for more grip or the smooth side for tighter detail work. Either works—just pick what feels best for your technique.

2. Clairefontaine PastelMat

Type: Premium, velvety coated paper

Tooth: High (but soft, almost suede-like)

Available colors: Muted earth tones and darks

Pros:

• Holds many layers without fixative

• Allows for soft, creamy blending

• Archival quality

• Doesn’t shed dust as easily as others

Cons:

• More expensive than entry-level papers

• Not always available in local stores

• Colors can darken slightly with fixative

Best For:

• Professional work

• Detailed realism or fine layering

• Artists who blend with fingers or tools

Tip: If you’re ready to level up your surface game, PastelMat is a game-changer. Many pastel artists describe it as their “forever favorite.”

3. Sanded Papers

(Examples: UART, Sennelier La Carte, Art Spectrum Colourfix)

Type: Heavily textured paper with a sandpaper-like surface

Tooth: Very high

Available colors: Varies by brand—UART is neutral; Colourfix and La Carte offer more options

Pros:

• Holds tons of pigment and layers

• Excellent for vivid color and bold mark-making

• Adds beautiful texture and drama to finished pieces

• Great for underpainting techniques (some are water-resistant)

Cons:

• Wears down soft pastels (and your fingertips!) quickly

• Can be too aggressive for delicate strokes

• Dustier than PastelMat

• Pricier and harder to find in small quantities

Best For:

• Expressive or textured work

• Realism that requires high layering

• Artists who enjoy dramatic contrast and mark-making

Tip: Start with UART 400 grit for a smoother experience, or La Carte for a softer feel (but avoid water—it dissolves!).

4. Wood Panels and Boards (Primed with Pastel Ground)

Type: Rigid supports treated with a special acrylic “pastel ground”

Tooth: Customizable based on primer used

Available colors: Usually white or neutral, but you can tint your ground

Pros:

• Extremely sturdy—won’t buckle or bend

• Can be framed without glass if sealed properly

• Allows for mixed media layering (watercolor, collage, etc.)

• Great for large-scale or experimental work

Cons:

• Requires prep time (priming surface)

• Heavier and less portable

• Harder to store or ship

• More expensive overall

Best For:

• Artists who want to skip traditional framing

• Mixed media pastels (with acrylics, inks, or texture gels)

• Advanced or professional-level presentation

Tip: Try using Golden Pastel Ground over gessoed wood panels. You can control the texture and even create a custom surface feel.

Bonus Option: DIY Your Own Surfaces

If you're adventurous (or on a budget), you can experiment by adding pastel ground to watercolor paper, mat board, or even canvas panels. This gives you full control over your surface’s color and texture—and opens the door for mixed media creativity.

Just remember to test new surfaces before committing to a full piece. Not every combo plays nicely with pastels.

So, Which Surface Should You Use?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer—it depends on your preferences and purpose. Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

Surface	Best For	Skill Level
Canson Mi-Teintes	Sketches, studies, light layering	Beginner
PastelMat	Smooth blending, realism, fine detail	Intermediate–Pro
Sanded Papers	Texture, layering, drama	Intermediate–Pro
Boards & Panels	Mixed media, presentation	Advanced

If you’re just getting started, pick up a few sheets of Canson and maybe a single sheet of PastelMat or UART to compare. The feel under your fingers will tell you more than a product description ever could.

Final Thoughts: Let the Surface Inspire You

Pastel isn’t just a visual medium—it’s tactile. The surface you choose influences not just the look, but the experience of creating. Try different papers. Run your fingers across them. Smudge a little color. Let your materials guide you.

When in doubt, choose the surface that makes you want to pick up your pastels again tomorrow. That’s the one that will help your art grow.