Dry mounting using archival double tack film is, with a little practice, easier than you might expect and you can choose the support of your choice, such as foam core or mat board, to create custom sizes to suit your compositions.
The support to which a sanded pastel paper is dry mounted makes a difference in the responsiveness of the paper itself.
My favorite support for pastel paper is archival foam core which provides a touch more give and softness as compared to the more durable but rather hard surface of a paper mounted onto board. A pastel dry mounted onto foam core can be framed with a backing board to protect it from possible punctures.
Supplies you will need: In addition to the pastel paper and double tack film you will need archival foam core, a metal ruler & a cutting board surface. I recommend that you begin with a small size of paper to get a feel for the process. The pastel paper shown here is Pastel Premier Sanded Pastel Paper, 320 grit, color: Italian Clay.
The Grafix Double Tack Acid Free Mounting Film I demonstrate here is available from any of the big retailers such as Blick Art https://www.dickblick.com/products/grafix-double-tack-mounting-film/ https://www.dickblick.com/products/grafix-double-tack-mounting-film/& Jerry’s https://www.jerrysartarama.com/grafix-double-tack-acid-free-mounting-film.
Archival Foam Core is a bit harder to come by online and is one of the reasons that I have purchased it locally for years. For those of you who cannot find it locally an online retailer named LODIMA appears reliable and there are no minimum orders LODIMA https://www.lodima.org/archival-materials .
Supplies you will need..
Sanded pastel paper, metal ruler (non slip is best, one with a foam or cork backing), heavy duty cutting tool (I use an OLFA mat knife), archival foam core, archival double tack mounting film
Draw placement guideline on foam core..
Cut the pastel paper to desired size
If you will be matting your finished work: The size of the foam core will be larger than the pastel paper. Measure the foam core to accomodate the size of the pastel and the width of its mat border.
If you will not be matting your finished work: cut the pastel paper, foam core support and double tack film all the same size.
Cut Archival Double Tack Film…
Measure and cut the double tack film the same size as the pastel paper.
Adhering double tack film to a support…
The double tack film has a glossy protective paper on both its front and backsides. Begin by pulling off only an inch or two along the shorter side of the film.
Holding the film at its corners place along the pencil line edge you’ve drawn, matching the short side of the film to the shorter guideline edge.
Gently press with your hand to tap paper down against the support. Once down - its down for good, so go slowly.
Removing top covering of film…
Once the film has been smoothly attached to the foam core support you’re ready to remove the protective top layer.
Proceed slowly by removing only a few inches, folding it down upon itself and then position the pastel paper holding it by its corners, along the short side.
Continue to tug at and pull the top protective paper from the film while gently tapping down the pastel paper as you go.
Work slowly until the full sheet of protective paper is removed and the pastel paper is adhered.
Adhered pastel paper
The heavy, non floppy, weight of the sanded paper aids in the process of laying it down smoothly.
In the case of the art shown at left I lightly drew my composition onto the paper in Nupastel before it was dry mounted.
Once dry mounted I overlaid the drawing with newsprint for the final pressing and smoothing out of the paper onto the foam core underneath. This also protects your skin from the abrasive surface of the sanded paper.
Practice with smaller sheets or cards…
Before I attached a larger sheet of pastel paper to a foam core support I practiced by printing out and then adhering 4”x6” photocopies of my work onto cardstock.
Follow up mini tutorial: Keeping the support clean and mark free while you work…
The completed pastel with a clean, ready to mat surrounding support.