Recently when I was buying supplies in my local art supply store (Bijan’s, in London, Ontario), the owner/artist persuaded me to try pastel painting on suede matboard–maybe because he had a big box of it on sale at the time? 
I’d had one or two experiences with it previously, but decided to give it another try–what’s $10 for some experimentation, right?
I chose a dark brown sheet, and cut it into two sections: a square and thin rectangle. The surface is extremely soft and deep, and I found that the use of a pencil to sketch in the initial layout of the scene left indentations that never did fill in–so don’t use pencil or any other sharp-pointed implement! I suggest laying out the scene with the blunt end of a pastel instead.
I loved the ease with which I could spread the colour over the surface of the board, but it sure wouldn’t take many layers, and tight or fine detail was out of the question.
So, I ended up with two nice little pieces that are uncharacteristically “Impressionaistic” and even a bit abstract. Fun, but ultimately the experience didn’t persuade me to rush out to buy more of the suede matboard–sorry, Bijan!
Some viewers LOVE these pieces, and others are lukewarm–it just goes to show that tastes differ. In the end, the artist must be true to what pleases her or him self.
