Comments about Art Spectrum Colourfix Suede Pastel Papers:

Got my Rainbow pack a few weeks ago, rather mixed feelings about it. I'm new to pastels and coloured pencils (both of which I am now completely enthralled with), so hopefully this is just due to my current lack of experience with these media... I found that although the suede surface has a mouthwatering texture and grabs the first layer of pastel or coloured pencil beautifully, that very first layer seems to fill this suede surface to capacity; any subsequent layers are a struggle to apply or get to stick. I started a still nature in pastels, grew frustrated with inability to layer, then decided to do the same image in coloured pencils (see attached photo). Found the same behaviour with both media when working on the "suede"; both drawings now sit abandoned until I grow enough patience to finish.
I would really hate to have to throw out the 3 Rainbow Suede packs, but... Right now I seem to have run into a wall with this particular support. Don't know if I need to copiously spray a fixative like I do with the smoother Bristol board; I use that awesome latest AS Colourfix caseine-based fixative that hardly changes pastel colour at all, but the Colourfix pastel supports are not supposed to even need fixative...
My drawing materials are also from Blick. I used Sennelier and Unison soft pastels, Faber-Castell Polychromous and Prismacolor NuPastel hard pastels for the pastel drawing, and Prismacolor's Premier artist coloured pencils with Prismacolor, Derwent and Caran d'Ache blenders for the pencil drawings. I have not used fixative on either drawing, and toned the white suede support with watercolour.

Comments about Art Spectrum Colourfix Suede Pastel Papers:

I use this paper with a variety of soft pastels and find the paper lovely to work with. I am able to blend, draw and paint with ease. Erasing is easy with no residue marks, unlike a competitors paper. I will be using this paper a lot.

Comments about Art Spectrum Colourfix Suede Pastel Papers:

i have used this product for a pastel landscape, seascape and pet portrait. I love the way it holds the pastel and no sore fingers if I need to blend. I will definitely be using this paper a lot!!

Comments about Art Spectrum Colourfix Suede Pastel Papers:

I love this product for colored pencil artwork. It works particularly well with the softer, wax-based pencils (Prismacolor, Derwent Soft Core and Caran D'Ache Luminous lines). It will also work with the oil-based pencils, but those are better served after you have a nice layer of wax on the surface first. The surface of the paper is such that when multiple layers of pencil are applied, you can manipulate the pigment almost like paint. It is very forgiving, and works very will with an electric eraser to produce bright white highlights (with the white suede color). I also like the weight of the paper...it takes lots of abuse: burnishing, sgraffito, erasing. Definitely a must-buy for colored pencil artists.

Comments about Art Spectrum Colourfix Suede Pastel Papers:

Unlike other suede matboards, this is a sprayed-on flocking material. The surface is inconsistent (some bare spots) and does not take pastel like other suede boards. It is unforgiving and doesn't allow for the nuances of blending and layering. Wanting to give it a try, I bought the rainbow pack, and am now stuck with 9 sheets that I will not use, and it would be unkind to sell it to my peers for the exorbitant price I paid.

Comments about Art Spectrum Colourfix Suede Pastel Papers:

I purchased a 10 sheet package of Art Spectrum Suede since I couldn't get it in the retail stores to try as a single sheet. I expected it to be very similar to a French competitor's pastel paper. I used a watercolor underpainting. Using the same technique and color load on both papers, the competition's paper dries very vibrant without rippling; Art Spectrum Suede also remains very flat but the watercolor loses all vibrancy and dries many times lighter, and required another very thick coat of watercolor. The competition's surface leaves velvety marks that don't require fixative and it seems to allow endless layering or revisions- AS Suede paper has a texture that needs to be overcome to look velvety, yet the tooth fills very readily and won't allow easy revisions. Both brands of papers do not allow the back side to get wet (for a total tub scrub-off) without weakening and warping the paper. I'd like to exchange the unused portion of the paper for the other brand, but 10 sheets were sold as a single unit, so I am probably out of luck. It is almost exactly the same price per square inch as the other brand as well as my favorite sanded paper (which is made in USA), yet because it performs so much worse overall, I feel it is overpriced.