Pastel-Charcoal Papers

Pastel and charcoal papers carry a pronounced texture, because both media are powder and the surface is what holds them. They range from lightly ribbed Ingres papers to honeycomb-textured sheets and sanded surfaces, in a wide palette of colours, as pads and single sheets.

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Pastel and charcoal papers are built around texture. Both media are powder with almost no binder, so the grain of the surface is what grips the pigment and holds the finished work.

The textures form a scale. Ingres papers carry fine ribbed lines and a light tooth, suited to charcoal and single-layer pastel work, and the ribbing shows through the stroke as part of the drawing. Honeycomb and dimpled papers hold more, and many come with two usable sides, a patterned face and a finer one. Sanded surfaces sit at the top of the scale: a fine archival grit that grips layer after layer and keeps the colour at full strength, made for finished pastel painting.

Colour is part of the choice. Pastel rarely covers the sheet completely, so the paper shows through and works as the middle value; mid-tone greys, ochres, and blues read truest under colour.

Art & Colour carries pastel and charcoal papers across every texture and colour, in pads and single sheets.