Lux Archival Professional Sanded Art Paper Alyona Nickelsen
Lux Archival Professional Sanded Art Paper Alyona Nickelsen
Quite a while back when I first started out reviewing art products, I became acquainted with Alyona through our love of the colored pencil medium, but I was incredibly fortunate to find that our relationship turned into a friendship which I will always treasure.
for those of you that may not be aware of Alyona Nickelsen, and I can only imagine that those of who don’t know her or of her, have just arrived to the colored pencil world, but let me explain a Little bit about Alyona. Alyona in her own right is a phenomenal colored pencil artist and in particular portraiture colored pencil art. Alyona faced all the normal frustrations that colored pencil artists face and rather than sit about complaining as I do, or waiting for some company to do something about the problems, she decided to rectify the issues herself.
First Alyona published her first book, The Colored Pencil Painting Bible, a book I would consider an absolute must for all colored pencil artists. The Colored Pencil Painting Bible covers just about all there is to know about the precision medium. However, lots of excellent artists have published wonderful books, so Alyona went one step further and completely revolutionised the colored pencil world with her next gift to us artists.
Alyona then came out with the Brush and Pencil Kit, this kit comprises of two spray tins, a Texture Fixative and Final Fixative. The kit also came with a Colored Pencil Powder Blender, Colored Pencil Touch Up Texture and Colored Pencil Titanium White. Obviously this review is not about this kit, but essentially this kit allowed colored pencil artists so much more freedom with their art, bringing back to life the tooth of the paper, allowing for more layers and archival white for highlights and perhaps most magical, phenomenal blending with what looked like talcum powder, but this powder blends beautifully without streaks or damaging the tooth of the paper through heavy pressure from a pencil. .
Not long after this supernatural gift to the colored pencil community, Alyona shared with the community her techniques in creating outstanding colored pencil portraits with another book called The Colored Pencil Painting Portraits.
One of the essential ingredients for the Brush and Pencil kit was that sanded paper had to be used in order to get the best results. Many artists used papers such as UART or Pastlemat, which for the most part worked, However, again with Alyona being a perfectionist and all round amazing person, created her very own paper. Alyona wanted a one stop shop to accompany the Brush and Pencil kit and so was born the Lux Archival Professional Sanded Art Paper. I like to refer to Alyona as the Hermione Granger of the Colored Pencil world, like the illusive alchemists of medieval times constantly working on riches, only Alyona has succeeded were so many before her failed.
Lux Archival Professional Sanded Art Paper Properties
According to the blurb on the packaging, the Lux Archival paper is excellent for all dry mediums, which I test in this review in the form of written and photographic evidence however you can watch the testing on my YouTube channel.
The Lux Archival paper is obviously archival and is compliant with ISO 11108, which is basically a list of requirements that the paper had to meet to be credited with the Archival claim. Because of this, the paper will not deteriorate or yellow and the paper itself will last for 100 plus years, meaning the art work will be safe for the same period.
With the Lux Archival paper, liquids can be applied in the case of watercolours or Odourless Mineral Spirits, also given the papers sturdy composition of 140lb / 300 gsm, Acid plus Lignin free and 100% Cotton, buckling is highly unlikely.
I personally feel that calling the Lux Archival paper, “sanded” does the paper a disservice, it feels and performs a lot more complex, special and unique than just sanded paper. The best and only way that I have been able to describe the surface of the Lux Archival is “ Sanded Velvet Paper ”. For those of you that have used UART or Pastelmat in the past, you may be able to understand my bizarre description. even if we take the finest of the UART paper which I believe is graded 800, the Lux Archival has a softness to the touch yet you can clearly feel the sanded nature of the paper.
With pure sanded paper or even Pastelmat, when gliding the pencil across the surface, on occasions it feels like particles or grit from the surface gets caught between the pencil core and paper surface, which causes minor scratches. Of all the testing I completed with the Lux Archival, nothing at all like that happened and I am not in any way putting down the other papers, they all have their own wonderful qualities and places in the art world, but the Lux Archival is really special.
Lux Archival Testing
With the Brush and Pencil Kit, in order to get the very best results, a few things were needed or recommended would be a better description. So called oil based pencils were considered a better pencil and the reasons for this was the harder core as you would be using it on a rough surface, also the powder blender reacted with a so called oil based pencil better. So when testing the Lux Archival paper, I wanted to test as many dry and wet mediums as I could and demonstrate the outcomes as best as I could.
I also completed my own botanical art piece on the Lux Archival paper using Derwent Lightfast pencils and in the name of testing, Faber Castell Polychromos, Derwent Artist and Caran d’Ache Pablos. To see this speed drawing you can follow the link and watch it at your own leisure.
As well as the art work I completed so independent tests which you can also check out my YouTube video review to help visually back up what I have discussed on this post. The first test that I tried was simply trying different pencils on the surface and the results were really surprising. the results of my finding I think will help to illustrate my dislike for branding pencils oil or wax. This branding automatically pigeonholes pencils into soft and hard core pencils, which as you will see is not always the case.
Colored Pencil Testing
My first test was the obvious, Faber Castell Polychromos and as you would expect they reacted beautifully on this paper. The first thing that really shocked me was just how light of a touch you need, the pigment just jumps onto the paper and I found this a bit off a learning curve as even the lightest touch on conventional paper is too hard.
Hello, World!
I next tested the Caran d’Ache Pablos, generally considered the Caran d’Ache version to the Polychromos, and they also performed beautifully. There was a little bit of dusting from the core when heavier applications were applied but nothing too drastic.
As I tested the pencils, one pencil came to mind as a perfect suit for the paper, but you will have to wait and find out which pencil it was. So next on my list was the Derwent Lightfast, again considered an oil based pencil, however there is no doubting that the core of the Lightfast is considerably softer than the Polychromos. The only downside this presented was the constant sharpening simply due to the rough texture of the paper.
I tested the Derwent ProColour which due to its slightly harder core faired really well on the Lux Archival paper, including holding a point and minimising the sharpening.
Next came my secret weapon pencil, the Derwent Artist, now I know that a lot of you don’t particularly like this pencil due to its incredibly hard core and lack of pigment, Iknow not all of you are as enamoured about this pencil as I am. I have heard from so many people telling me that they purchased a set of the artists, didn’t like them and have almost a full set sat doing nothing. Well prepare to get that old set back out, for once you purchase this wonderful Lux Archival paper, your Derwent Artists pencils will be given the kiss of life. I was really impressed with the Derwent Artists performance on this paper and of all the pencils I tested, the Derwent Artist maintained its point the best and needed the least sharpening and again, illustrating my wax and oil debate.
On the same piece of Lux Archival paper, I conducted a few other tests. I applied a heavy application of dark greed Faber Castell Polychromos and due to the heavy pressure of the pencil, a considerable amount of dust formed on the paper, but as I previously stated, when using this paper on an art piece you would normally be using a very light hand. However, the purpose of this test was to see the real power of the Lux Archival paper and that is creating highlights. For colored pencil artists, creating highlights has been notoriously tedious and difficult, but with the Lux Archival we can now create highlights as an oil painter or acrylic artist would, by simply applying a white opaque pencil on top of dark colored pencil. The paper simply allows for this process, holding the underpainting firm while allowing for the white pigment to float on top.
The next test was erasability, on this particular test I used three erasers, a putty or kneeded eraser, ordinary vinyl eraser and the Derwent Battery eraser. From the image, you can see that the kneeded eraser lifted the Derwent Lightfast pigment much better than the other two. Due to the friction of rubbing, the corse consistency of the paper removed a lot of eraser particles, creating a mess, as opposed the the putty erasers gentle dabbing action.
Colored Pencil Blending Techniques
I tried four different blending techniques with different pencils, I created two boxes and filled them with four yellow tones of Derwent ProColour, the third box was filled with four green tones using Faber Castell Polychromos and the fourth box used four Derwent Lightfast Magenta tones.
With he first box I used Odourless Mineral Spirits, blending the yellow Derwent ProColour pencils into a seamless gradient. The next box sported the greens of the Faber Castell Polychromos and in this box I used the Colored Pencil Powder Blender to blend. The third box was again filled with the Derwent ProColour yellows however in this version I used a white pencil to blend. this is a popular blending technique with a lot of colored pencil artists, to use a much lighter toned pigment, however, due to the properties of the Lux Archival which I have already spoke about in terms of applying bright white highlights on top of dark tones, this method didn’t work that well.
Finally I used the magentas of the Derwent Lightfast blend and in this particular blending test I used a paper blending stump. Now I personally would not use a paper blending stump on conventional paper like bristol smooth, velum or watercolor paper, simply because the paper to paper friction does not in my opinion work that well. On the Lux Archival paper however the result are very different and a paper blending stump is an excellent blending method on this paper.
Pastel Testing
Next I wanted to test a few different pastels, but before going on, I have to say that with one or two of the colored pencils, when using them on larger pieces, it was actually very reminiscent of using pastel pencils. I tested first the Unison Color Soft Pastel and the harder Faber Castell Pastel Block. The second the Unison touched the surface of the Lux Archival, the gorgeous deep red pigment danced all over the paper, which was to be expected after testing the harder colored pencils. But even the considerably hard Faber Castell yellow pastel block blew me away with the ease of applying pigment. I instantly wanted to create my own pastel painting, but I am just going to have to wait a while and get the review done, otherwise after every medium testing I will paint.
Next I tested a variation of Pastel Pencils, starting with the Faber Castell Pitt Pastel, then the Derwent Pastel Pencil, Koh-I-Noor Pastel Pencil, the reliable Stabilo CarbOthello and finally the Conte a Paris Pastel Pencil. With all pastel pencils, there was various levels of hardness from the cores, but regardless, they all performed beautifully and it was really difficult to select the best performing pencil. With each pastel mark I made I used a paper blending stump to blend the pigment into the paper and the results were incredibly satisfying which I feel was down to the velvety sandpaper texture.
Graphite and Watercolor Pencils
In this next and final group of tests, I tried some hard and soft grade graphite pencils, at first I just lay down some light layers, demonstrating the appearance and ease of applying graphite to the Lux Archival paper. The first pencil I used was the Derwent H grade, then the Derwent 9H really light and hard cored graphite, which on this paper performed really well. Next I tested the Derwent 6B grade which is a very soft core and in the interest of balance I also tested a Staedtler Mars Lumograph 6B.
One of the really interesting things I discovered with graphite on the Lux Archival paper is that there is very little to no sheen. Ordinarily when you apply a lot of layers of graphite on Bristol Velum or Smooth paper, you will eventually develop a sheen from the graphite, however the Lux Archival seemed to eradicate this.
Next I tried a Charcoal pencil and at first I just lay it raw on the paper and followed that test by blending the charcoal out with a soft pad. As you can see from the image provided, Lux Archival, despite its rougher texture, will allow for the artist to blend effortlessly.
Finally, I tested some watercolor pencils, or in this case the Derwent Inktense pencils. Again I lay the Inktense pencil down and let it dry on the Lux Archival for you to see how the paper holds such a core and then I applied a heavy application to activate with water.
You can clearly see from the test just how well the paper took the water whilst still maintaining such a vibrant color on the paper. I allowed the Inktense to dray and then came back over it with colored pencils from white pencils to darker pigments such as Chrome Oxide Green Faber Castell Polychromos and again, as you can see, the Lux Archival took this test incredibly well.
Lux Archival Paper Sizes Available
As is the case with all good paper and Lux Archival falls very much into that group in my opinion, it comes in different sizes.
the smallest pack in terms of the size is the 8 x 10 inches which is the pack I received and this pack comes with 10 sheets
Next is the 16 x 20 inch paper and that comes in a pack of 5 sheets. After this is the 24 x 36 size and again this is a pack of 5 sheets.
Finally you can purchase a 48 inch x 5 yard roll of this gorgeous paper. As you can see there are sizes to suit all your art projects and especially with the roll, you can of course cut your own sizes and use as and when needed.
Lux Archival Professional Sanded Art Paper Prices
I have not personally seen Lux Archival paper in Amazon stores, however it is early days and this might well be a plan of Alyona’s to get into. However, the paper has been placed in certain art stores across the world and if you live close to any of these stores you can contact them regarding shipping cost. Alternatively you can of course head directly to Alyona’s own website and purchase direct from her.
Here in the UK you can purchase the Lux Archival paper in Jacksons Art Store. In the US you can purchase it from Dick Blicks, in Canada you can purchase it from Delta Art and Drafting Stores. If you live in Australia you can purchase the paper from either Art House Direct or The Art Shop. Finally if you live in New Zealand you can purchase the paper in a store called Magic Pencil.
With regards to pricing. on Alyona’s own web site you can expect to pay the following for the Lux Archival Paper
For the smaller pack of 8 x 10 inch with 10 sheets of Lux Archival costs $29.95. For 5 sheets of 16 x 20 Inches you can expect to pay $59.95. For 5 sheets of 24 x 36 Inches you will pay $139.95 and finally for the roll of Lux Archival you can expect to pay $259.95
I am sure some of you may think this is quite costly, however, if you compare it with other papers in the same category, it is all pretty much the same. Also it is important to take into consideration the most important part of this paper and that for me is the actual Archival properties.
Lux Archival Conclusion
I think if you have read the review you will already guess my conclusion and what I thought of this paper, I absolutely loved it. At first I was shocked at just how incredibly light I had to be with the pencil, the lightest touch created ample pigment and of course there are times when building up layers on paper like velum, a light touch is required, but with the Lux Archival, the pigment just jumps on to the paper. It did take a short while for me to get used to this however for those of you that are used to sanded type papers you may pick it up quicker.
The Lux Archival is not really like the other sanded papers or pastel mat’s out there on the market, I really struggled to describe my experience with the Lux Archival, however I continually come back to my first description in that the paper is more like velvet sanded paper. To the touch it is clear that a sanded texture is present, but there is just something so unique about this paper that in my opinion sets it aside from the other sanded papers.
I hope this written review helps you understand what I am trying to convey about Alyona’s Lux Archival paper, but if not, you can check out my detailed YouTube video review which is quite lengthy, however I wanted to make sure I covered as much information as I possibly could. Also if you would like to watch my speed drawing of the botanical artwork you can do so by following the link.
Thank you all so very much for your support guys, I know I say it often but I am truly so thankful to you all for the wonderful well wishes and comforting emails I am constantly receiving and I love them all. I always reply to emails but it might just take a few days for me to get back to you.
