Artists in Italy: Paper review

This summer I have bought two packs of ten pieces each of different types of pastel paper. It seems that Wallis may continue to be impossible to buy and I am looking for a viable alternative. So far I have used four different types. One was Wallis and so far I still like that best.   First I used Richeson Premium in a terra cotta color. I did not like it at all before I sprayed. I felt it was hard to make a definite line. The paper has a lot of tooth, but also some texture and the bumps make it hard to create a firm edge. After I sprayed it that problem went away and I was able to finish it with out any trouble.

Next I tried Colourfix Suede in a ochre color. It was fine. I have just sprayed it and will work on it a second day when it is not raining in the morning. There was no problem covering up the lighter color of paper. The paper had tooth, but no texture and the pastel went down easy.

My last start is on Pastelmat paper: also a light ochre color. I liked this paper a lot and thought the pastel went down very well. I could make a hard edge with the pastels and it was no problem to draw in charcoal, although you really cannot erase it at all. My concern is that after I sprayed, I worked a little longer and I didn’t think it felt as good as before it was sprayed. The paper was a lighter color than I usually use, but the pastel covered it easily.

Before lunch I did this watercolor on the terrace in the book Deborah made for Jim, that I stole. It was too nice or possibly she had mislabeled it with his name on it. Either way it is a beautiful book and can only contain beautiful things.

The weather today is weird. It is super windy and cloudy. The colors are unusual, because of sand from Africa. It is dark in the house. We are still recovering from lunch yesterday. I got up at 10:00 a.m. Jim would like to pretend he was up at 6, but I did hear him snoring before I got up. We did drag ourselves up to the piazza and then I was able to make a hair cut appointment for 6pm tonight. Finally I will be able to see.