I wanted to compare both the surface and how the paper reacts to water. I got white in the Pastel Mat and a cream white in the Velvet. It doesn’t have a true white. They both are heavier than most papers and both have a slick back. The PastelMat is thicker: 360# while the Velvet is 264#. It is still nice and firm though. To the touch, the Velvet felt a tiny bit smoother. I did notice that the PastelMat curls a bit on the edges like UART does. The Velvet did not curl at all. This observation was before I added any liquid.

Here is the initial setup. I wanted to do more of an abstract landscape. This photo was taken in Albuquerque in IAPS outside of our rental.

I decided to use Derwent Inktense colors for the underpainting.

I applied the colors and found that the Inktense colors went on differently on the papers as you can see from the photo. This is the only time any I saw any real difference in the papers.

 I think sprayed each one with alcohol and used a brush to liquify the Inktense. The slight variation in the initial application is totally gone at this point. The Velvet seemed to dry just a little faster than the Mat.

I began with the soft pastels, using the same colors for each. I could feel little difference in the application between the papers. The Velvet might be a touch smoother. I did not bother to take pictures during the pastel process. I am just showing the finished pieces.

Here they are cropped.

I did some research online at Dick Blick for colors and price. Both have about 14-15 colors in individual sheets, as well as pads of various sizes. I think the Velvet doesn’t have quite as many colors available in the pads. The Velvet is normally about 25% cheaper than the Mat, so given their similarities, I would go with the cheaper option. For example, a 19.5” x 25.5” sheet of the Mat is $13.60, while the same size for the Velvet is $10.45. A 9” x 12” pad of the Mat is $48 while the Velvet is $34.50.

NOTE: I just got a sale email from Dakota Pastels and they have an even better sale on the Velvet right now. That same size sheet is just $8.95 and same size pad is $29.95. I’m sure those are limited prices. I think their normal prices are the same as Dick Blick. The only problem with Dakota is you have to buy a lot before you get free shipping.

To summarize, the papers are very similar and could be used interchangeably. Given that, I will probably go with the cheaper option (the Velvet), unless there is a special color that is only available in the Mat.