Fixatives
Are used to prevent smudging and other damage to artworks,
particularly drawings in soft pastel, pencil and charcoal. Some fixatives are
also suitable to protect oil pastel, watercolour and acrylic works. Fixative is
normally sprayed on from an aerosol or pump spray container. It forms a thin
colourless coating.
Fixatives are flammable and should be applied in a
well-ventilated area, with the nozzle 12 inches or so from the work, which
should be propped at a slight angle. The spray should be kept moving in broad
strokes to avoid excess causing runs. It is better to apply two or three thin
coats than one heavy one.
The commonest use of fixatives is for soft pastel work.
Because pastel is dry it is not absorbed by the support and is vulnerable to
smudging or falling off. Some artists thinly fix the layers of colour as they
go or simply shake off excess pigment. Unfortunately using fixative has a
disadvantage - it tends to darken pastel and cause subtle tonal variations to
be lost. Some consider this too high a price to pay, but most feel that the
protection provided by fixatives is worth slight changes in tone, which can be
minimised by thin application.
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