Golden Pastel Ground

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

This material provides a great texture for your acrylic paintings. I've used it on paper, and canvas and it works great by providing a 3D feel

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

I wanted to do an extra long artwork pastel .... no gritty paper was long enough - so I was told about this product. I painted a few coats directly on the board and yay - it worked. Sold the piece quickly too.

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

It's a great product for beginning pastel artists. Simple, easy to use, and cost effective for making your own paper. Works on many different surfaces.

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

We like doing an oil underpainting, putting the pastel ground over it and then working in with pastel to create a finished piece.

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

In a recent pastel workshop, we used this product to make our own "sanded" paper. We applied it with a wide, stiff, cheap brush and it dried quickly for use within about a half-hour. The texture is coarse and creates a quick alternative when running out of paper. My instructor advised us to use archival paper and, if it curls from the moisture, to just do another application on the back (you can use plan gesso for that) to flatten it out. Such a great time-saver and cost-saver too.

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

I apply this over acrylic underpaintings for pastel work. It works well, and you can largely control the amount of tooth you get by applying more or fewer coats. I like that I can make it smooth by applying with a roller or make it directional by applying with a 3" brush. Versatile and interesting!

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

I use this on raw wood and the pastel adheres to the wood much better. I've also tried it on paper, and it works very well. I can also have thicker layers of pastel, and I've found that don't have to use as much spray fixitive. Have recommended this to fellow pastel artists. Will use this for everything in the future.

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

Two coats of this product gives just the right tooth on almost any paper 80# or better (weigh down afterward to get rid of wrinkles). I like it best on 140 & 300# wc paper or mixed media paper but you might be surprised at how well 80# can perform especially when you're experimenting. A coat of white acrylic on the reverse side makes it behave almost like a real piece of pastel paper, floppy but heavy & textured.

I was a little put off by the gray color which did make the paper look a little dingy. So in my second batch I added titanium dioxide pigment. I mixed 2 Tbsp in 1/4 cup of water and added that to 1/2 cup of product making a 33% dilution. The result was a lighter product but still gray.

Acrylic Clear Gesso performs about the same and colors up a lot better (obviously). In my experience the clear gesso is a bit "toothier" than this product and so does not give as smooth a paper when you're done. I might try the fine pumice gel for comparison.
I've used it with Pan Pastels, soft pastels, and pastel pencils. I think 1 coat would be better with pencils. Two coats is pretty tough on the pencils.

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

recently received my order of this product and have tried it on a couple of sheets of watercolor 300 lib paper which now feels like regular pastel paper. Haven't yet applied pastel, but anticipate that it will work just like any good pastel paper. I am pleased and do recommend this product...

Comments about Golden Pastel Ground:

Using it on a gourd to prepare it for colored pencil. Good value since it is meant to be diluted before using.