Pastelboards are essential tools for artists working with pastels, providing a stable and often textured surface. Selecting the right pastelboard can significantly impact your creative process and the final outcome of your artwork. This guide will help you navigate the options to find the perfect surface for your pastel creations.
Looking for the best Pastelboard?
Discover now our comparison of the best Pastelboard. It is never easy to choose from the wide range of offers. On the market, you will find an incalculable number of models, all at different prices. And as you will discover, the best Pastelboard are not always the ones at the highest prices! Many criteria are used, and they make the richness and relevance of this comparison.
To help you make the best choice among the hundreds of products available, we have decided to offer you a comparison of the Pastelboard in order to find the best quality/price ratio. In this ranking, you will find products listed according to their price, but also their characteristics and the opinions of other customers. Also discover our comparisons by categories. You won’t have to choose your products at random anymore.
No. 1
Ampersand Art Supply Museum Series Pastelbord | 5" x 7" | Assorted Colors | 1/2" Pastel & Dry Media Painting...
- Holds More Layers Than Pastel Paper: The fine marble-dust tooth grips far more pastel layers than traditional paper—ideal for rich color buildup, smooth gradients, and deep blending. Also excellent for charcoal, colored pencil, graphite, conté, and...
- Versatile for Wet & Dry Applications: Pastelbord’s absorbent clay-and-gesso ground works beautifully with acrylic, watercolor, casein, ink, and mixed media, while the rigid Hardbord backing keeps the surface flat and still during wet work. Thin washes...
- Stronger & Cleaner Than Paper Surfaces: Because Pastelbord is a specialty coated wood panel—not flexible pastel paper, pastel card, or pastel mat glued pads—it stays completely stable without taping or mounting. The solid, non-flexing surface keeps...
- Framing-Ready: Pastelbord’s sturdy 1/8" Hardbord construction gives finished artwork a solid, professional foundation that fits cleanly into standard frames behind glass—no taping, mounting, foamcore, or support boards required. A durable alternative...
- 4 Artist-Preferred Colors: Choose from Grey, Sand, White, and Green to set an immediate tonal base for portrait, landscape, floral, or still-life work. White Pastelbord can also be toned with thin watercolor, ink, or acrylic washes for custom color...
SaleNo. 2
Ampersand Art Supply Museum Series Pastelbord | 8" x 10" | Grey | 1/8" Pastel & Dry Media Painting Panel...
- Holds More Layers Than Pastel Paper: The fine marble-dust tooth grips far more pastel layers than traditional paper—ideal for rich color buildup, smooth gradients, and deep blending. Also excellent for charcoal, colored pencil, graphite, conté, and...
- Versatile for Wet & Dry Applications: Pastelbord’s absorbent clay-and-gesso ground works beautifully with acrylic, watercolor, casein, ink, and mixed media, while the rigid Hardbord backing keeps the surface flat and still during wet work. Thin washes...
- Stronger & Cleaner Than Paper Surfaces: Because Pastelbord is a specialty coated wood panel—not flexible pastel paper, pastel card, or pastel mat glued pads—it stays completely stable without taping or mounting. The solid, non-flexing surface keeps...
- Framing-Ready: Pastelbord’s sturdy 1/8" Hardbord construction gives finished artwork a solid, professional foundation that fits cleanly into standard frames behind glass—no taping, mounting, foamcore, or support boards required. A durable alternative...
- 4 Artist-Preferred Colors: Choose from Grey, Sand, White, and Green to set an immediate tonal base for portrait, landscape, floral, or still-life work. White Pastelbord can also be toned with thin watercolor, ink, or acrylic washes for custom color...
No. 3
Ampersand Art Supply Museum Series Pastelbord | 11" x 14" | Grey | 1/8" Pastel & Dry Media Painting Panel...
- Holds More Layers Than Pastel Paper: The fine marble-dust tooth grips far more pastel layers than traditional paper—ideal for rich color buildup, smooth gradients, and deep blending. Also excellent for charcoal, colored pencil, graphite, conté, and...
- Versatile for Wet & Dry Applications: Pastelbord’s absorbent clay-and-gesso ground works beautifully with acrylic, watercolor, casein, ink, and mixed media, while the rigid Hardbord backing keeps the surface flat and still during wet work. Thin washes...
- Stronger & Cleaner Than Paper Surfaces: Because Pastelbord is a specialty coated wood panel—not flexible pastel paper, pastel card, or pastel mat glued pads—it stays completely stable without taping or mounting. The solid, non-flexing surface keeps...
- Framing-Ready: Pastelbord’s sturdy 1/8" Hardbord construction gives finished artwork a solid, professional foundation that fits cleanly into standard frames behind glass—no taping, mounting, foamcore, or support boards required. A durable alternative...
- 4 Artist-Preferred Colors: Choose from Grey, Sand, White, and Green to set an immediate tonal base for portrait, landscape, floral, or still-life work. White Pastelbord can also be toned with thin watercolor, ink, or acrylic washes for custom color...
No. 4
Ampersand Art Supply Museum Series Pastelbord | 5" x 7" | Green | 2/5" Pastel & Dry Media Painting Panel...
- Holds More Layers Than Pastel Paper: The fine marble-dust tooth grips far more pastel layers than traditional paper—ideal for rich color buildup, smooth gradients, and deep blending. Also excellent for charcoal, colored pencil, graphite, conté, and...
- Versatile for Wet & Dry Applications: Pastelbord’s absorbent clay-and-gesso ground works beautifully with acrylic, watercolor, casein, ink, and mixed media, while the rigid Hardbord backing keeps the surface flat and still during wet work. Thin washes...
- Stronger & Cleaner Than Paper Surfaces: Because Pastelbord is a specialty coated wood panel—not flexible pastel paper, pastel card, or pastel mat glued pads—it stays completely stable without taping or mounting. The solid, non-flexing surface keeps...
- Framing-Ready: Pastelbord’s sturdy 1/8" Hardbord construction gives finished artwork a solid, professional foundation that fits cleanly into standard frames behind glass—no taping, mounting, foamcore, or support boards required. A durable alternative...
- 4 Artist-Preferred Colors: Choose from Grey, Sand, White, and Green to set an immediate tonal base for portrait, landscape, floral, or still-life work. White Pastelbord can also be toned with thin watercolor, ink, or acrylic washes for custom color...
SaleNo. 5
13" x 17" Artist Sketch Board with Handle - Portable Clipboard for Painting and Drawing, Art Supplies for...
- Portable and Versatile Drawing Board - This 13" x 17" drawing board for artists is lightweight and easy to carry, making it ideal for both indoor studio work and outdoor sketching or painting sessions.
- Multi-Functional Art Surface - Works as a drawing board, drafting board, or artist clipboard, offering a sturdy and reliable surface for sketching, painting, and designing without the need for a desk or easel.
- Sturdy Construction with Strong Hold - Made with durable materials, this art board features a smooth surface, built-in metal clip, and elastic band to keep paper secure during use.
- Spacious and Supportive for Watercolor Work - This board securely holds watercolor paper in place, making it ideal for sketching and painting. BUT, please be sure to wipe off any paint or water promptly to prevent stains or moisture absorption.
- Essential for Artists of All Levels - Suitable for beginners, students, and professionals alike. A great gift and valuable addition to any art supply kit. Equipped with corner protectors to prevent damage during transit.
−33%
$9.99
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SaleNo. 6
MUNGYO Professional Pastel Paper Pad A4 Size for Oil Pastel, Dry Pastel 30 Sheets (Soft Assorted)
- Professional Pastel Paper Pad of 160 gsm , 98 lb
- Premium quality paper of Italy origin
- Suitable for pencil, graphite, charcoal, oil pastels, dry pastel etc
- Woven textured finish, High Cotton content, Acid free sheets
No. 7
Clairefontaine Pastelmat Glued Pad - Palette No. 7 - (7 x 9 1/2 Inches) 18 x 24 cm - 360g - 12 Sheets...
- Oganic Velvety Surface: unique strong, velvty surface that has more tooth than traditional ingres paper ut without the abrasive qualities of sanded papers.
- "Painting with Pastel": Pastelmat's unique interaction with pastels allows the artist to create painterly effects with soft, buttery marks.
- Blending and Layering: Pastelmat offers remarkable control, allowing for effortless, precision blending of pigments. Supports building multiplelayers of pgment to control color tone and intensity.
- Lower Consumption Rate of Costly Pastels: Pastelmat's surface consumes pastel sticks at a 30% slower rate than sanded papers. The surface also creates minimal amounts of pastel dust.
- Unique Qualities: Pastelmat is versatile and strong. It holds up to water or solvent-based washes to create underpaintings. Unlike grittier sanded papers, Pastelmat is suitable for fie line artwork. Pastel can be easily erased with magic erasers.
- Pad size is 7 x 9 1/2 Inches (18 x 24 cm)
No. 9
Canson Artist Series Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper, Earth Tones, Foldover Pad, 9x12 inches, 24 Sheets (98lb/160g...
- Recognized world wide as the preferred papers for pastel, drawing, and paper craft
- Gelatin-sized papers
- 50 percent cotton, and resistant to fading
- Dual-surfaced: one side with a heavy texture and the other with a lighter texture
- 9 x 12 inch 98 pound/160 gram paper
$19.91
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SaleNo. 10
Ampersand Art Supply Hardboard Wood Painting Panel: Museum Series Hardbord, 11" x 14", 1/8 Inch Flat Profile
- MUSEUM-QUALITY HARDBORD: The most stable substrate on the market for your artwork. Ampersand’s premium, warp-resistant, FSC-Certified Hardbord will ensure your artwork is supported to prevent damage from warping, bowing or movement
- HIGHLY VERSATILE PAINTING SURFACE: Perfectly suited for all acrylic gessoes, specialty grounds, traditional gesso and oil primers
- SUPPORT FOR MOUNTING: Use as a support to mount watercolor papers, photographs, fabrics, prints and more
- ULTRA-STABLE: Hardbord is the choice substrate for all Ampersand Museum Series coated panels
- MADE IN THE USA: Unparalleled quality and craftsmanship has made Ampersand Art Supply the leader in painting panels for over 25 years
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How to Choose the Best Pastelboard
Understanding Pastelboard Types
Pastelboards come in various forms, each offering unique benefits.- Paper Boards: These are often multi-ply paper sheets, sometimes with a built-in texture like sandpaper or velour. They are generally more affordable and disposable, making them great for practice or quick sketches.
- Canvas Boards: Similar to traditional canvas, these boards have a canvas surface adhered to a rigid backing. They offer a familiar painting feel and can be framed without a separate mat.
- Specialty Boards: Some boards are designed with specific textures or materials to enhance pastel adhesion and blending. These can range from smooth surfaces to highly abrasive ones, catering to different techniques.
Key Features to Consider
When evaluating pastelboards, several features are crucial for optimal performance.- Surface Texture: The tooth of the surface is paramount. A rougher texture (higher grit) holds more pastel, allowing for layering and vibrant colors. Smoother surfaces are better for delicate blending and fine details.
- Rigidity: A sturdy board prevents buckling or warping, especially when applying heavy layers of pastel or using fixatives. Look for boards with a solid core that won't bend easily.
- Size and Format: Consider the typical size of your artwork. Boards come in various dimensions, from small sketching sizes to large exhibition formats. Some are pre-cut, while others can be trimmed to your needs.
- Archival Quality: For professional work or pieces intended for longevity, ensure the board is acid-free and lignin-free to prevent yellowing or degradation over time.
Comparison Tips for Choosing
To make an informed decision, compare options based on your artistic style and project requirements.- For Beginners: Opt for affordable paper boards with a medium grit. These allow for experimentation without a significant investment and are forgiving with layering.
- For Advanced Techniques: Artists who layer heavily or use aggressive blending might prefer high-grit boards or specialty surfaces designed for maximum pastel retention.
- For Mixed Media: If you plan to combine pastels with other mediums, consider a more robust board like canvas or a specialty board that can handle different applications.
- For Framing: If you prefer not to use mats, canvas boards or rigid paper boards that can be framed directly are excellent choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between sandpaper boards and velour boards?
Sandpaper boards have a rough, abrasive surface that grips pastel particles very effectively, allowing for extensive layering and vibrant color. Velour boards, on the other hand, have a soft, fuzzy nap that holds pastel gently, ideal for subtle blending and soft effects.
Can I use any board for pastels?
While you can technically apply pastels to many surfaces, specialized pastelboards are designed to optimize pastel adhesion and longevity. Using a board with appropriate tooth and archival quality will yield better results and ensure your artwork endures.
How does the tooth of a pastelboard affect my work?
The 'tooth' refers to the surface texture that grabs and holds pastel particles. A board with more tooth will allow for more layers of pastel to be applied before saturation occurs, leading to richer colors and deeper values. Less tooth is better for delicate blending and fine details.
Are paper pastelboards suitable for professional artwork?
Yes, many professional artists use high-quality, acid-free paper pastelboards, especially those with excellent tooth. They offer a great balance of performance and affordability, and when properly handled and protected, can be used for professional pieces.
Should I choose a rigid board or a flexible one?
Rigid boards are generally preferred for pastel work as they provide a stable surface that won't warp or bend, especially when applying pressure or multiple layers. Flexible boards might be suitable for quick sketches but can be more challenging for detailed or layered compositions.
What does 'archival quality' mean for a pastelboard?
Archival quality means the board is made from materials that are acid-free and lignin-free, ensuring it won't degrade, yellow, or become brittle over time. This is crucial for the long-term preservation of your artwork.
