The Results Are Finally In!!!

I've been trying out different paper and pastels and wanted to give you my opinions on them all.

PAPER
Uart paper in the 500 grit is too smooth a surface for me. It seems too regular. I like the slightly irregular texture of the Wallis paper more. The Uart paper also seemed to eat up pastels faster. Now, that being said, I do have a lot more experience with Wallis paper and I am very used to it, so maybe this is just a case of not being able to teach an old dog a new trick. I also really like the color of the Wallis Belgium Mist. The white Uart paper is difficult for me to deal with, so I will stick to the Wallis paper. In fact, I am going to trade my white Uart for some Belgium Mist Wallis with an artist who has problems dealing with the gray Wallis paper. It really is a matter of sticking with what works best for you.

PASTELS
I also had the chance to try the variety of different pastels which I bought .

To me, Unisons are about the same as the Mt. Visions that I love so much. As a result, I will stick with the Mt. Visions. I like the colors and texture (a little gritty from pumice in the pastel) of the Mt. Visions and the price is great.

Although I have tried them in the past, I just don't like Giraults. They feel too small and don't seem soft enough for me, (probably because I use a lot of Mt. Visions).

Rembrandts and Windsor Newtons are kind of unspectacular and chalky in the way they feel when I use them. They seem a bit hard.

I still like Senneliers for their softness. Unfortunately I have gotten some Senneliers that were inconsistent in texture in the past.

I also had the chance to try Terry Ludwigs for the first time. Although the colors were really nice, I don't care for the texture of them. They seemed to drag across the paper, rather than glide smoothly.

I didn't try the Henri Roches. The colors which I had (reds) are something I'd probably never use and will sell them instead.

However, the pastels that impressed me the most were the Great American Art Works. They are beautifully soft with amazing coverage and color saturation -truly buttery in feel. I really liked them and would love to get my hands on more of them if I can. They tend to be a bit pricey, but I usually buy only a couple at a time so I'll hope to add more of them to my collection over time.