Clairefontaine
Pastelmat Pads

Pastelmat offers pastel artists new opportunities with a unique surface that grabs pastels more effectively than Ingres papers but is less abrasive than sanded papers. Pastelmat pads containe 12 sheets and have glassine sheet protectors between each page.

• Organic velvety surface: Pastelmat is truly unique in offering a strong, velvety surface that has tooth without being abrasive. The powerful texture is derived from cellulose plant fibers.
• Vibrant color: Pastelmat's texture grabs onto the pastel by breaking up the pigment and pulling it deep into the surface for exceptionally vibrant color.
• Blending and Layering: Pastelmat offers remarkable control, allowing for effortless, precision blending of pigments and supporting the build up of multiple layers to control tone and intensity.
• No pastel dust: The extreme abrasiveness of sanded papers generates large amounts of dust. Inhaled or absorbed over a long period, this can cause serious health problems. Pastelists are therefore are recommended to wear masks and to work over a tray to catch dust, minimizing the amount of dust that gets on clothing, on the floor, or gets blown through the house by the heating or A/C system. In comparison, Pastelmat's velvety surface produces relatively little dust so that such precautions are not necessary
• Erasability: Pastel can be easily and completely erased from the surface with the use of melamine foam sponges or by spraying compressed air to remove the pastel.
• Fine-line Artwork: Unlike grittier sanded papers, Pastelmat's velvety surface is suitable for fine line artwork and consumes pastel sticks at a 30% slower rate than sanded papers, while also being gentle on artist's skin.
• Non-toxic Surface: Pastelmat's non-toxic surface is created with natural cellulose particles and is acid-free with a neutral pH.
• Versatility: Pastelmat's surface is so versatile that it also supports most other dry and wet media including oil pastels, charcoal, colored pencils, acrylics, watercolors, and gouache. It holds up to water or solvent-based washes as well, allowing for the creation of underpaintings with solutions of denatured alcohol or other solvents to build layers.
• No need for fixatives: Because Pastelmat's surface pulls and holds pigment so deeply, fixatives are not needed to keep the color stable. It also supports all pastel types including soft, medium, and hard pastels, as well as oil pastels, PanPastel colors and pastel pencils.