Recientemente emprendí un proyecto muy especial: un retrato familiar al pastel que incluía cuatro figuras completas —una madre con sus hijos—. La composición requería mucho espacio, mucho más que el que me ofrece el papel Canson grande que suelo usar (74 × 110 cm).
Portraits in Pastel - Portraits in Oil - Portrait from Photo - Hand-drawn Portraits - Children Portraits

My Experience with UART Pastel Paper, part 1

A New Adventure with Large-Scale Pastel Work

Recently, I embarked on a very special project: a family pastel portrait featuring four full figures together — a mother with her sons.
The composition required a lot of space — much more than the large Canson paper I usually work with (29 × 43 inches). Since that wasn’t big enough, I decided to finally try the famous 
UART Pastel Paper in a roll.

What Makes UART Pastel Paper Unique?

If you’re not familiar with it, UART Pastel Paper is a unique, high-quality surface made in England.
One of its standout features is that it can be purchased in a roll, allowing you to cut it to your desired size — even for very large formats.
I ordered a roll from 
Jackson’s Art Supplies (UK), and after about two weeks, a massive, carefully packed roll of heavy paper arrived at my door.

Unrolling the UART Pastel Paper, UART sand paper for Big size portrait painting, ©Photo Bogra Art Studio

First Impressions: Texture and a Touch of Nostalgia

The first thing I noticed was its distinctive sanded surface and… the smell!
It instantly transported me back to my early art school days, when we learned to prepare traditional gesso for priming linen canvases. That old gesso recipe contained glue extracted from animal bones — and UART Pastel Paper carries the same authentic, slightly nostalgic scent.
Something about it feels raw, real — almost like a connection to the past.

Choosing the Right Texture: Grade 600

UART Pastel Paper comes in different textures, from very smooth to more pronounced.
I chose 
Grade Type 600, which struck the perfect balance — delicate yet full of character, giving the work a fine surface to hold the pastel layers beautifully.

For this work I choose UART Pastel Paper,Grade Type 600 ©Photo Bogra Art Studio

Preparing the Surface: A Small Challenge

Cutting and stretching the paper onto a large wooden board turned out to be quite the task!
The paper is heavy, and after being tightly rolled for so long, it resisted lying flat.
I had to use multiple strong iron clamps to stretch it properly and left it for 
24 hours.

 

After that, I finally had the perfect surface: firm, smooth, and ready to work on!

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