Oil pastel fixative should leave a clear and glossy film to protect oil pastels against dust and smearing. I have heard people say that oil pastels are similar to children’s colouring crayons. I think those people must not have used artist quality oil pastels. I’ve been using them lately and drawing/painting with artists oil pastels feels more like using lipstick than crayons. I think they are gorgeous.
Oil Pastel Fixatives
Oil pastel is unlike oil paint in that it never dries. The drawing/painting will always be smudge-able and can attract dust to the surface. Oil pastel drawings are always framed behind glass to protect them. Sennelier make an Oil Pastel Fixative that comes in both an aerosol spray can and liquid in a glass bottle to be decanted into a sprayer or brushed on. It says on the can/bottle that it protects from dust and smudging. I thought I would see how well it worked.
I did a quick test on little sketches using the Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative aerosol and it didn’t work well, it made it more sticky. So I set up some more intensive tests and here are all the things I found out.
Materials
I was looking for protection of oil pastel against smudging and the stickiness that attracts dust. Also paying attention to the gloss/matte finish of final surface. I tested:
- Sennelier Oil Pastel Paper
- Clairefontaine Pastelmat Textured Paper
- Cartridge Paper
- Sennelier Oil Pastels
- Daler Rowney Artist Oil Pastels
- Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative
- Amount of coats applied: 0 to 4.
Test One
I did some quick sketches on cartridge paper and sprayed the right side with the aerosol spray and after it was dried found it had made it more sticky and was still smudgy. It seemed to have failed.
Test Two
I did a larger drawing on Sennelier Oil Pastel Card and sprayed the right half using the bottle version decanted into a pump spray. I waited some time between the 2 coats to be sure it was dry. It did not smudge. It seemed to work. The shine left was speckly because the pump spray left little dots. But I didn’t mind the texture.
I used the other Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative that comes in a glass bottle that needs a sprayer or brush.
I sprayed the right side of the image with two coats of the fixative. They were pretty thick coats – 8 – 10 inches away three full pumps of the sprayer.
I waited an hour between coats to be sure the first coat was dry. It takes a while to dry because the surface is completely non-absorbent.
1. Shown straight on
2. shown at an angle with raking light to show fixative gloss.
3. At an even more extreme angle to show the most gloss of the fixative.
Test Three
Using Daler Rowney on the left and Sennelier on the right I layered and blended a good amount of oil pastel. Then I sprayed parts with different amounts of coats of fixative.
One to two coats were even-looking but didn’t prevent smudging. 3 to 4 coats became more speckled in texture but prevented the smudging. So the key seems to be to get enough oil pastel fixative on. The testing that succeeded was with the glass bottle version decanted into a pump spray so I wanted to see if more coats of the aerosol would also work. After more tests I found that more coats of the aerosol did not improve the matter, but made it worse.
Note: if you have used a thin coat of oil pastel, drawn lightly, it takes less fixative.
Test Four, Five, and Six
All three pastels on three different papers with different amounts of coats of the two oil pastel fixatives and the one soft pastel fixative.
Test Seven
Oil Pastel with the bottle oil pastel fixative used as a solvent (and is automatically a fixative after drying).
Test Eight
Oil Pastel fixative liquid brushed on half the painting. Results: if applied carefully it works well and leaves a smooth gloss finish. The only problem is the staining of the unpainted paper you can see in the right side of the photo. So you would want to avoid blank areas of paper.
Results
Things that I discovered:
Gloss/Matte finish:
- Soft Pastel fixative is matte on paper and on pastels while Oil Pastel fixative is gloss on oil pastels and matte on paper.
- Three coats of SOFT pastel fixative is a medium protection against oil pastel smudging without adding gloss.
Papers:
- Sennelier Oil Pastel Card doesn’t like liquids; it swells badly with solvents and repels water. But it is a lovely surface if used without liquids.
- The Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative in the bottle (not the aerosol) leaves gloss also on the paper when using Pastelmat paper but not when used on Sennelier Oil Pastel card or cartridge paper.
Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative aerosol versus bottle:
- Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative in the aerosol can and the liquid in the bottle are two different products. The aerosol warns of xylene, the aerosol dries quickly while the bottle dries slowly, the aerosol smells like spray paint while the bottle smells like hairspray, the aerosol adds gloss to Sennelier brand pastels but not to Daler-Rowney while the bottle adds gloss to both.
- The Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative in aerosol does not stop smudging and makes the pastel more sticky. It was a complete failure. I have written to Sennelier to inquire what the problem might be and am waiting to hear from them.
- The Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative in the bottle adds a lot of protection if applied thickly, nearly smudge-proof.
- The bottle fixative can be brushed on if you are careful and this gives a much more even coating than the pump spray which leaves a spotty texture.
Solvents:
- The bottle fixative actually makes a fair oil pastel solvent – so it could be used as a solvent and then left on as a gloss varnish, as regular solvents leave the oil pastel with a matte finish.
- Oil Pastel paintings made using solvents don’t need a fixative very much.
Other:
- Sennelier oil pastels are a bit softer than Daler-Rowney.
- Oil pastel fixative does fix soft pastel.
- Our plastic diffuser bottles deteriorate when filled with alcohol based products.
Further Reading
Fixatives Are Not All the Same
Can You Use Oil Pastels and Soft Pastels Together?
How Sennelier Created Abstract Acrylics: Yves-Marie Salanson
Review of Jackson’s Pencil Blending Medium
Shop Fixatives on jacksonsart.com
77 thoughts on “Oil Pastel Fixative Testing”
Thanks for the testing – it helped me decide on the bottle fixative.
That is great to hear, Everette! Glad to help 🙂
many thanks for the information…a very good test report. I use Pentel oil pastels and I have been thinking of purchasing a fixative. I would have been very upset if I had spent over £10.00p for a product not likely to work
Hi Julie
I just found this excellent article!
Did you ever get a reply from Sennelier about the ‘non setting’ issue with the aerosol fixative?
I have some fixed decade old oil pastel paintings which are still perfectly protected and non sticky, but over the last few years the spray fix seems to remain sticky as if it never dries out, which is obviously pretty useless for protecting against dust. The only solution I had to hand was gently rubbing acid free PVA over it with a finger. The PVA dried clear and cured the stickiness. My oldest example with PVA dates back to 2010 and it is still in perfect order, no visible or structural surface issues so far.
Has anyone else used ova to fix?
Thank you for sharing your excellent experiment and review with us. You have saved me a lot of work! Now I know what to buy. Thanks again 🙂
You are very welcome Myah! Glad to be of help.
Hi, having read this and just already purchased Sennelier Oil Pastel fixitive. I decided to do some tests myself.
This is what I found…
1st. try: Purchased Sennelier Oil Pastel Varnish as I use their pastels. Tried it on a painting that was a year old. Big disappointment as the first coat stayed very sticky. Next day tried a second coat and was still very sticky. Sent the sticky picture and the spray back to the shop and received a refund.
2nd try: A portrait artist who uses oil pastel recommended a cheap varnish spray, MTN 94 acrylic matt, made by Montana Colors, (with a low pressure valve that allows for excellent spray control.)
I used this on a year old painting on oil paper with great results. The second coat was even better. Interesting that it didn’t change the colours and there was only a slight presence of varnish on the painting. Was able to rub the painting and press my hand on it. No stickiness.
3rd try: Scribbled with Daler&Rowney and Caran d’Ache Neo pastels, and Sennellier oil pastels on 2 pieces of 300 gm. drawing paper. (60% cotton) Sprayed with the MTN 94 acrylic varnish. This was sprayed on fresh pastel within minutes. Dried perfectly. Note: Didn’t stain the paper. No stickiness.
4th try: On the second piece of 300 gm paper painted 2 coats of half and half Liquitex, gloss and matt, varnish . This worked also. But stained (semi shine) the paper either side of the pastel.
5th try: Painted 3 coats of the Liquitex half and half mixture on a year old oil pastel on canvas board as the pastel was fairly thick. It produced a medium gloss. Enhanced the colours slightly. Dried perfectly. Not sticky.
6th. Try: Thick oil pastel on canvas board. Allowed 2 days to settle. Sprayed 2 coats of MTN 94 acrylic matt varnish. Dried perfectly dry. Slight presence of varnish visible. Rubbed and presses with no stickiness.
RESULTS: I also tried Golden Acrylic Gel. It was shiny and a little sticky. Liquitex Matt acrylic. This worked very well, no shine and not sticky.. Liquitex Gloss was shiny and a little tacky.
And the WINNERS are… MTN 94 Acrylic matt varnish or Liquitex matt (or half and half if you want a semi gloss). These 2 work best for me.
Therefore I would also suggest you try out your own tests to see what works best for you.
Thank for sharing your results Dick!
Which Liquitex varnish did you use?
Hi! Thanks so much for your comment! I
read this and immediately got the
montana varnish spray. I tried semi
gloss and gloss. I didn’t want to believe
that it was going to work but IT DID!
I use sennelier pastels and I use them
thick. I found both types worked even
with one coat (and I did a poor job of it
too! ) I also did find that there was some
pilling but that could be because I use
thick pastel.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi! Thank you for the tips!
I am wondering what your thoughts are
on the adhesion and quality of the
Montana varnish over time. Do you
foresee any issues?
Thanks!
Denise
Liquitex Gloss medium and varnish, and Liquitex matt varnish. Separately and a half and half mix.
Hey guys, thanks so much! I am lucky I found you!
I have a large canvas painting, first layer is acrylics, second layer is all made with rather thick sennelier oil pastels (you are all right about them, they are gorgeous! So it the resulting painting!). Now I really wish to make sure I get this fixative part right and an artist’s shop seller just today sold me a Sennelier spraycan for Oils and Acrylics. He said I would just do better using the same fixative as for oil paintings. Something clicked! Has everybody tried to use standard oil paintings fixatives? With what results? Thank you
Hi Matteo
Oil paintings use Picture Varnish, it isn’t called a fixative as a dried oil painting doesn’t need fixing, because it does not smudge. But a picture varnish might work well, though it usually has a strong solvent so I would be careful about dissolving the oil pastel. A spray might work well so that it doesn’t dissolve the pastel.
But I would test it first, as I have not heard of anyone using this.
If you experiment and try it, please come back and let us know how it works.
Hi Julie, thanks!
Good tips!
I am afraid that oil pastels do smudge because they never really dry, differently than normal oil paintings which instead dry after some time. That’s the reason why I’d like to create a protective film on top of my oil pastels painting!
Hi Matteo here is what I found best after lots of testing others ( see post above). Sprayed 2 coats of MTN 94 acrylic matt varnish. This did not create a gloss finish and also did not change the colours. It is several weeks since I used it and all seems well. This was recommended to me by a portrait artist who works in oil pastel for many years.
Thanks Dick.
So, if matt varnish works then it should be alright.
We don’t do MTN but we do the Montana Matt https://www.jacksonsart.com/montana-gold-400ml-varnish-matte-uk-only
Hi Dick! Thank you very much. I’d like to try the gloss liquid varnish that you apply with a smooth brush. I somehow feel more confident about this solution. Twice I used spray fixatives and they did change the colour. Although, I am quite lucky to have a montana sprays shop near my house, so I can test the product you recommend on a small portion of the artwork and see what happens!
Would go along with that, Dick
Are you in a position to test the Montana Matt Julie? After spending so much on the Sennelier sprays only to find they pretty much consistently make artwork sticky, I’d like to know the product works reliably before purchase! 😀
Hi Sav
Did you try the Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative in the bottle? I found it didn’t make it sticky at all.
I also tested soft pastel fixative and it worked well.
So I would guess that all fixatives and matt varnishes would work fine.
I have an oil pastel that needs fixing so I could give the Montana a test, but I’m not sure that it would be any better than other matt varnishes.
I will let you know.
Hi Julie
Thanks for the reply. I haven’t tried the bottle stuff yet, I don’t think it was in stock last I looked but will try again. You’re probably right about all the varnishes, but still worth trying each. I’ve tried Winsor & Newton Matt Varnish spray for oils, Alkyds and acrylic, but it not only stayed sticky, it appeared not to dry even after a week.
Please don’t feel you have to test the Montana on my account, but then again, what with everyone’s input, this is turning into a very useful resource for oil pastel painters so the more tests the merrier.
On that subject, another combo I’ve had with success is rather more long winded, but doesn’t come with the inhalation hazards of the potent varnishes. I first tried gently applying a coat of Atelier Interactive impasto gel (light rubbing with finger works nicely.) That dried well and clear but slightly tacky. So I then applied a coat of water soluble (or reversible) acid free PVA of the type book conservationists use. That also dried clear and cured the tackiness but is a very glossy finish. I quite liked the gloss, but I like the natural matt of oil pastels better, so I tried adding a third coat, this time Atelier Interactive’s water based matt varnish. I think the water based matt varnish mixes with the water soluble PVA and then dries clear, matt, non tacky and permanent. I guess others would have to report their own findings to confirm this but I like the fact that this solution can be done indoors in my small space without being poisoned! 😀
For Dick Donaghue
Hi Dick! I read with interesting your advice to the fixative for
oil pastel. But what kind of Montana product exactly,
Montana 94 acrylic matt varnish or Montana 94 picture finish
varnish? Thank you for help me!
Acrylic Matt varnish. If the pastel is very thick or heavy
impasto you might need extra coats.
Hi, I tried acrylic satin varnish on oil pastel on canvas, after drying it
bubbled, cracked and peeled off taking the oil pastel with it.
Hi Dick
Acrylic polymer varnish is intended for use on acrylics. An oil painting varnish – called picture varnish – or an acrylic msa varnish (msa means mineral spirit acrylic, not all acrylics are water-based) can be used on oils and waxes. On a water-based acrylic – oil and wax are repellers, they have nothing to stick to and will peel off.
But seeing as this is the case if your acrylic polymer varnish cracked and peeled it seems like it wouldn’t take the oil pastel with it cos it couldn’t stick to it. So I’m not sure what is going on. Partial adhesion maybe?
Most spray varnishes or fixatives are solvent-based as you can tell by the alcohol or spirit smell. Somehow this allows the resin coating to adhere to the surface of oils and waxes, maybe by slightly dissolving them.
Have you tried any other varnishes or fixatives?
I meant to mention here that the reason for the first coat of Atelier impasto
gel is that it sticks to the oil pastel in an even coat whereas the PVA
directly onto oil pastel is repelled in uneven blobs. It’s a hassle but I work in
the spare room of our flat and have no outdoor space for sprays or smelly
noxious substances. Pieces treated like this are still holding up well but I’ll
get back to you in 50 years. 😀
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HI, I have used Montana, MTN 94 acrylic matt varnish, as
mentioned before. I used it on a painting made with Senellier
oil pastels last January on canvasboard.10 months ago. Also
paintings on paper. And it is still the same as when I painted
it. Perhaps the combination of the spray and the pastel used
is important.
Thanks Dick
I will see if we can get that varnish in.
Excellent article! You took so much time and effort to show
these great results! Thank you for doing this.
Thanks Jen! Glad you found it useful.
Hi Julie, how to you store your drawings? I refuse to frame all
my drawings, there are too many but I am scared to pile them
up! Thanks
I I have fixed oil pastels as I mentioned above earlier. (Dick
JJanuary 25, 2016 at 10:13 am) I have so many and they are
stacked. They haven’t stuck together.
Hello , we were taught never to mix medias as the may
react badly in time . Sorry. Also do you need glass
protection for oil pastels if fixed with Sennelier please?
Also are there any low odour oil bars available I wonder.
Many thanks CB
Hi Caroline
Which mixing of medias do you mean?
The reason people try fixing oil pastels is usually when they are keeping them in a sketchbook or similar, to prevent smearing. If you are framing then framing behind glass is always best. If you don’t mind it getting dusty and it is in a protected area it is up to you if you wish to hang it without glass.
Not sure what you mean by low-odour oil bar. Oil bars are oil paint with a small amount of wax. They do not have any solvent, which is the part usually referred to when addressing odour in oil painting. They have a mild smell of linseed oil, which is their main component, is that what you mean?
Thank you Julie, I need to use oil pastels on
canvas without glass (for a gallery ) I found that
acrylic varnish works , but I wonder if I need to
use Sennelier fixative first ? I meant that acrylic
varnish over oil pastels is 2 different mediums and
wonder if they may react in time ? Thanks caroline
Hi Caroline
I don’t know about the longevity as mine are not that old. The spray fix is also resin, so perhaps wouldn’t be any different.
Perhaps the other artists following this thread might have some experience with the longevity issue – can any of you give some advice on this?
Hi Julie, On December 1, 2015 I did a 6
tests as mentioned above at that date.
Since then I have only used the
Montana acrylic matt spray. (on the can
it says Montana 94) It works for me
every time so I have no need to test any
others..
As I mentioned above I have used Montana 94
Acrylic Matt spray for the past few years. I
have a Sennellier oil pastel painting hanging
with that varnish (2 coats) for the past 3 years
with no glass. It’s just as I painted it still. This
is the varnish recommended to me by a
professional portrait oil pastel painter.
Hi Dick
Thanks for your help!
It turns out that we weren’t able to get the MTN paints in stock after all.
The makes of matt acrylic spray varnish that we have are really good and would probably do a similar job. We have Montana Acrylic spray varnish in matt, Golden Archival Mineral Spirit Acrylic spray varnish in matt and Molotow is arriving in the next two weeks so we will have One-For-All waterbased acrylic spray vanish in matt.
Have you tried any of those?
A favourite medium of mine over the last 30 odd years has
been oil pastel. My preferred brands are Caran d’ache,
Sennelier, Holbein and Cray-pas Specialist. Over the same
period I have experimented widely with fixatives and
varnishes. And have sought advice from many
manufacturers.
Sennelier’s fixativ I’ve found sticky and nasty. I have used
various brands of oil paint varnishes (sprayed on to
minimise smudging the pastel) with varying but never
wholly satisfying results. Works on paper I have stabilized
— if not entirely fixed — with a heat gun. I guess the heat
drives the pastel more deeply into the receptive fibres of
the paper, as it doesn’t work to the same extent with oil
pastels on board.
I have used PVA and various other acrylic mediums with
varying degrees of success, but head and shoulders above
every other medium used to stabilise/fix oil pastel is
Lascaux Medium 3. It dries with an attractive satin-matt
finish without the slightest diminishing of the pastels’
colour and unifies varying surface qualities. Surprisingly,
the oiliness of the pastels display little resistance to the
application of a water-based medium. Just occasionally,
though, certain colours of certain brands tend to repel the
medium. A tiny drop or two of glycerine mixed with the
medium will overcome the problem or, at a pinch, a drop of
washing-up liquid. A fellow painter uses ox gall.
The medium creates such a stable surface that for many
years I’ve sold most of my oil pastel works without glass,
with never a problem. The surface can be easily and safely
wiped with a moistened cloth.
I do, though, display a note in the gallery showing my
works and also a note pasted on the back of the paintings
informing buyers that oil pastel (though protected) offers
less resistance to impact damage than unglazed oil and
acrylic paintings.
Another valuable function of a fixative, of course, is to
stabilize thick build-ups of pastel so that further pastel
can be applied on top with ease. White applied over black
can be achieved with ease, for example.
Thanks, Michael, for the reminder about heat setting oil
pastels. Of course! I wonder if you are this Michael
Richardson: http://www.londonart.co.uk/artist.asp?
ArtistID=7563. If so, your work is stunning!
So sorry, should have prefaced my post with my thanks to all
who have given such valuable advice and food for thought.
Particularly Julie Caves’ meticulous research, which I found
extremely interesting
Thanks Michale. Glad it’s been of help!
Holbein Hard Gel makes a nice, hard,
low-tack surface for layering and
protecting Oil Pastels – it’s
difficult to even try to peel the
surface with your fingernail. You can
use one of the recommended Matte
Spray finishes to knock back the gloss.
When layering with a coat of Hard
Gel, lightly sponge it to create a
more toothy, receptive surface for
the next layer. Otherwise, with
acrylic mediums, you can get a slick,
unpleasant surface to work on.
In theory, it could be best to have
the acrylic finish cover an uncovered
surface, or the sides, so it will get
an overall grip.
wonderful information from this blog.
Thank you, Julie and everyone else
for the info. I bought some
Sennelier oil pastels from a friend
that was moving. I pulled them out
after a year and made lots of marks
on a acrylic painting that needed
some help. Everyone went nuts and
wanted to buy it but I didn’t realize
it wouldn’t dry. I’ve frantically
been in search of something to seal
it and order the Sennelier spary
sealer as it got good reviews. I
sprayed 2 pieces last night and they
are tacky in places as everyone has
stated. So here I am…2 days from a
large show and on the hunt for the
perfect sealer. The life and times
of a artist!
Hi Cindy
Yes, the life of an artist is often exciting, but not always for the right reasons!
Tacky varnish is a problem for oil painters sometimes, too. And since varnishing is done at the last minute, it can be very stressful.
I hope the varnishing goes well! And your show! I can share your show on social media if you’d like, to help spread the word. Let me know more info if you’d like.
Do you know what fixatives are workable?
Hi Karen
Workable Fixative is a slightly confusing term. It’s not quite what it sounds like. All fixatives are designed to allow you to fix your work at a certain point and continue working on your artwork or they can be used as a final fix. ‘Workable’ refers to a fixative adding a toothy texture to allow an artist to continue to work on a surface that has become too slick with coloured pencil or graphite. When you try to apply more pencil to your drawing and it is so shiny that no pencil will apply and it feels like you are trying to draw on plastic, then you apply a spray of workable fixative to make the surface workable again. It adds tooth back on top.
The 2 workable fixatives we do are Spectrafix, which is brilliant and recommended by coloured pencil artists (also no fumes) and Winsor & Newton Artists fixative.
I assume by the name that Brush and Pencil Texture Fixative will also work, but I have not tried it.
I have enjoyed reading the posts and viewing your
experiments. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried
hairspray on oil pastels? Just curious. But don’t want to be
curious on my painting because I really love it!
Thanks.
Hi Myra
I haven’t tried it, perhaps other readers have?
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I leave the aerosol days between coats on
oil pastel pictures and it is wonderful. Light
coats work best and at least four coats.
thanks for the great info! it’s hard to find
good stuff on oil pastel.
Glad it was helpful, David.
I generally use cheap hair spray on my
sketch pad and artist quality fixative on
canvas board. Spray the professional
fixative outside as it is stinky. Cheap hair
spray can be used inside and does not
stink up your sketch pad later.
Hi Tim
It sounds like you have a good system.
I wanted to point out that although hairspray can be used as a cheap fixative, there are a few problems with it.
-It is obviously not waterproof as it is designed to be washed out of the hair.
-It often contains conditioners as it is designed for hair – these can leave oil spots on paper. You need to look for the plainest hairspray.
-It is meant to last a couple of days at most, it has never been tested for longevity.
-One main feature of many fixatives is that they do not yellow over time, which isn’t something that hairspray is worried about.
-Hairspray doesn’t smell because it isn’t the same thing as artist fixative which has harder resins so needs a stronger solvent.
It’s probably fine for a sketchbook as it is not work you are selling that a collector will want to know has been made of materials that will last.
It sounds like you are aware of this as you are using the artist fixative on your canvas work.
Some fixatives smell less than others. The Degas Spectrafix doesn’t smell much.
Wow! The article and 7 years of replies
are so valuable that I’ve put this on my
desktop. Thanks everyone for sharing
your experiences with fixing oil pastel.
It’s my new favorite medium
Hi Myah
Glad to hear it was helpful!
Oil pastels are a great medium, and more artists should try them.
Dear Julie,
Have you tried Mod Podge? I first cleared any crumbs that would be loosened easily from the ground and pressed my finished work with an improvised roller in the form of a plastic bottle with the glassine layer above the artwork of course. This would serve as a fixative of sorts and would not cause smears when I brush on a layer or 2 of Mod Podge to fix the oil pastel in place solidly. I did things this way because I hate having to go outdoors hunting for a place to stick my artwork on the walls to spray. I live in a flat and anywhere outside is common property so it would not be so nice to intrude on the spaces of others while fixing my artwork.
Of course this wouldn’t be possible if your work has a lot of impasto as I can’t do the fixing part with a roller. I would like to try the Mod Podge Ultra, which is in hand-pump spray form, for situations like these because it also would not leave brush marks. The brush marks of the Mod Podge sealer looks cool too but if you are trying to emphasize the marks created by the oil pastel sticks themselves, that can be a bit distracting. Hope to try out an impasto piece with the spray form Mod Podge soon. Thanks.
Hi Henry
I haven’t tried Mod Podge as a final finish for oil pastels.
My understanding is that it is PVA, thinned with water and with a small amount of gloss varnish added.
I haven’t tried any PVA or acrylic medium on top of oil pastel. It’s interesting to hear that it works! Thanks for letting us know.
I have requested that we add the pump spray Mod Podge to our shop, so we may be getting it in the future, if our supplier has it. It sounds great, like spray pva!
I did an art piece for my coursework and it
got like, I’m not sure what the technical
term is but basically over the half term I
returned to see it wasn’t in a good state.
I’m not sure whether to just brush over
with my oil pastels again or to if their is
another product I can purchase and apply
to it
Hi Tani
What happened to your oil pastel drawing? How did it change?
Hello all,
Sealing Sennelier Oil Pastel with
‘Marabu Fixative Spray’.
I’ve tried everything. Literally. Gels,
varnishes, the lot.
The very best result I have had so far is
with ‘Marabu Fixative Spray’ designed
specifically for pastel too.
If you don’t mind a glossy finish (which I
personally do, but what the hell) it binds
and seals absolutely perfectly!
Just be sure to use the fixative spray
*outside* or with an appropriate high
end mask. This stuff is LETHAL!
I breathed in just a tiny amount and I
won’t be doing that again.
Hope this helps!
Just be careful not to buy the ‘Marabu
Matte Varnish’ because the tin looks
identical to the fixative. Make sure it
says fixative on the tin
❤️
Hi Jonathan
Thank you for the suggestion. We stock the Marabu Fixative at the best prices on the internet, so that is good to hear!
Hi Jonathan,
Thank you for sharing your experience.
May I ask if you work on paper or
canvas?
I wonder if it would be a solution for me,
as I apply oil pastels (and some
graphite) over acrylic on canvas.
Smiles,
Marija
Hi Julie!
I am trying to avoid graphite pencils as
an under drawing for oil painting as I
know there can be issues with the
carbon rising.
What would be a good alternative that
doesnt require fixing?
Is it wax binders that are to be avoided?
Would a, say, Faber Castell Polychromo
be ok as it is an oil binder in the pencil? I
guess this would have oil paint sat on it
happily enough?
Thank you
Vicki
Hi Vicki
Although the Polychromos has oil in it, it is still primarily a wax pencil.
I like pastel pencils for underdrawings. I know loads of people who use fixatives, though, lots that use charcoal.
Dear Julie,I have been fixing Sennelier oil pastels for some time
now,on paper,canvas, and now on wood.The Sennelier fixatve is
sprayed on ,left for 24 hrs,then another coat .Up to 4 coats might
be needed before it feels dry,24 hrs between each.Hope this is
useful.
Thanks Sheila, that’s really helpful.
I use the Talens varnish for oil pastels,
with a varnish brush, very nice satiny
finish on Sennelier pastel or any other
brand, give it at least 2 or 3 coats, works
very well…I have used it on paper and
canvas. I don’t like the Sennelier Aerosol
Varnish, very tacky, too glossy too.
Thanks Jami
That’s very helpful to know!
I I have been using Sennelier oil pastels on Sennelier oil pastel card
fixed with Sennelier OP spray for several years. I allow the painting
tto harden 7-10 days. Then I spray very lightly outdoors allowing
at least a 24 hour dry time before the next spray. 3-4 sprays has
worked well for me. If the surface feels a bit tacky after the 3 rd
spray , I can run gently with a smooth tshirt to remove stickiness
before final spray. After the final spray , I never stack without
another few weeks of hardening. I’ve never framed oil pastels
under glass asi don’t care for the look. After 5 years the framed
paintings are fine.
Thanks Carol. That’s really useful! It sounds like leaving a longer drying time is key as well as very light coats.
Do you use solvent with your pastels?
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