I have never used art foam, so I am not sure what you are talking about. I have used the soft and stable and it gives bags a nice body. I really like it, but it is pricey. An alternative is to go to JoAnn's and get headliner fabric. It doesn't have quite as much body and it doesn't have fabric on both sides, but it works pretty good. It usually runs around $15 a yard, but I always use a coupon.