Let’s see if I remember it right:

“I do not like Canson ground.
I do not like it-
it makes me frown.
There’s all these little holes, you see;
filling them in is killing me.
No- I do not like Canson ground-
I wonder if I’ve some vellum around?”

I’ve messed about with the smooth side of Canson, sanding it lightly first to get rid of that slickery thing that sends your pastels skidding across one and other like a mime on ice, and it works as long as the painting is not supposed to be perfectly detailed; seems raising the nap by sanding leaves a kind of “fuzzy” look to what should be hard lines.

I’ve got to say Senneliers new pastel carte is pretty darned good- your pastel goes where you put it, stays where you put it, and blends remarkably well AT THE SAME TIME! The downside is, even a small painting yields enough wasted dust to make nearly a half-stick of dark gray-shading to whatever hue. Not to mention at nearly $5.00 a pop, it isn’t a surface you “try something on”.

Schoellershammer Translucent Vellum- I’m telling you- give it a try. Good stuff- takes layers and layers, brushes off easily without too much smearing, and erases clean. Plus- it’s inexpensive….

Since being a beginner is so much fun….I usually pulled the paper out and didn’t even realize till I was into the painting

Now I use the rough side for certain things and the smooth side for others

I am dying to try Wallis or Art Spectrum but afraid to spend the money

What Ia m thinking of doing is using paper and coating with gesso/pumice/something or other to add texture and trying that next

I have used both sides of the Canson paper. I do prefer the smoother side. I do like the way I can get more detail. I have purchased Wallis and have not tried it yet. Would also like to give Art Spectrum a try in the near future. In the past I have used Cold Press Watercolor paper and did like that also. I have lots of Canson and Watercolor paper around so……..being frugal..I will use it up slowly…….LOL

Claude

Lol!..SBJ! Very funny! Interesting post so far. I like Canson only because (like a beginner) I have no experience on other paper yet and I’m sure once I try something else, I won’t go back!

I found Canson to have defects in the paper like a crease that is invisible until you work over it and the whole thing becomes obvious. This doesn’t set well with me, so I have to look over a new sheet everytime I buy. I prefer the smooth side. I also prefer a different tooth than all those holes if I want texture. I really enjoy working on brown mailing wrap most, but won’t always use it, because it isn’t archival and I won’t always need “brown” paper if I need a different color.

Stoy

With the energy and looseness I like to use in the early stages of my work, Canson just cannot hold up. I need a paper with tooth, tooth and more tooth.

I started with Canson 20 years ago and almost gave up pastels from frustration. Thankfully I met Handell, who made us use sandpaper–and the rest is history.

I could never figure out which side I liked better on Canson because the rough side had all that odd texture tht I hated for my work, but the smooth side held even less pastel!

I have to say that some of the artists whose work I admire use that stuff, and I just cannot figure out how they do it! Check out Fred Somers work, all on Canson I think. He won a big prize last year in the PJ100 and I interviewed him. Great work, many, many layers. Amazing…
http://www.fredericksomers.com[/URL%5D

Deborah

I use Canson smooth side. Why? because it’s almost the only paper I can get around here, although just recently I have found some Unison paper but it only comes in white. I haven’t tried it yet but I will soon. I can also get Schminke paper but I find it too rough, (I like to use my fingers to blend, it takes the skin off). I find the rough side of canson too hard to cover with soft pastels, although it does seem to work better with oils.
Val