Fixatives are clear liquids made with resin or casein and a fast-evaporating solvent, like alcohol. They’re typically sprayed onto dry media artworks to stabilise pigment or graphite on the surface and protect the finished piece from dust. In many ways, they function similarly to varnish.
A Comparison of Brands of Fixatives
At Jackson’s, we stock 10 brands of fixative plus some varnishes that might be used as fixatives. I wanted to know how they differed.
The two main things you want to know about a fixative are:
1. How well does it fix the dry media onto the surface to prevent smudging?
2. How much does it alter the appearance of the artwork?
Some artists don’t use fixative because of the negative colour changes, especially to pastels and coloured papers. These artists frame the un-fixed artwork behind glass. Other artists use a fixative but then afterwards add back the ruined highlights to the artwork. Is there a fixative that secures the pigment to the surface without changing the colour?
Jump straight to the conclusions at the end.
Tests I Set Up to Judge the Fixatives
I tested 10 spray fixatives and 4 spray varnishes.
Fixatives
- Sennelier Latour Spray Fixative for Pastels
- Lascaux Fixative
- Winsor & Newton Professional Fixative
- SpectraFix Spray Fixative
- Sennelier Delacroix Spray Fixative for Pencils and Charcoal
- Royal Talens Concentrated Fixative Spray
- Daler Rowney Perfix Colourless Spray
- Loxley Soft Pastel Fixative
- Jackson’s Pastel Fixative
- Sennelier HC10 Universal Fixative
Varnishes
All the varnishes contain UV protection to prevent fading.
- Golden Archival MSA Spray Varnish (matt)
- Liquitex Spray Varnish (gloss)
- Winsor & Newton Professional Varnish (matt)
- Lascaux UV (matt)
Smudging
Does it reduce smudging?
How many applications does it take to do so?
Does it vary between pastel, charcoal and graphite?
Is it affected by moisture (for humidity or mixed-media uses)?
To clearly see the smudging I set up black on white charts for each of the 12 brands with a light and a heavy application of black pastel, a light and a heavy application of charcoal, and a band of graphite. I also included a light band of black pastel at the bottom that was for testing the reaction to a wet finger.
I then applied the fixatives in 3 columns: 1, 2, and 3 coats, plus a column un-fixed. I applied it from a short distance, so the application was fairly heavy. After everything was well dried I did smudge tests with my fingers to see how well the fixative worked.
Results
I describe the characteristics of each fixative and the results of the smudge tests.
Each card has 4 columns.
l-r: no fix, 1, 2, 3, coats.
top-bottom: light and heavy applications of pastel, light and heavy applications of charcoal, graphite and light application of pastel for testing with wet finger.
Sennelier Latour Spray Fixative for Pastels
Quick dry. Low odour.
Not much smudge protection until 3 coats.
Not water-resistant.
Lascaux Fixative
Quick dry. Strong odour.
Fair smudge protection after 2 coats, except on thick pastels and thick charcoal.
Good water-resistance.
Winsor & Newton Professional Fixative
Medium quick dry. Medium strong odour.
Good smudge protection after 1 coat, better after 2 coats.
Good water-resistance after 2 coats.
SpectraFix Spray Fixative
The only water-based fix, it is very slow-drying and wets the paper so unless you are using heavy card it might buckle. It is the only pump spray tested as well. You should be careful of spraying too close as the burst blows any loose pigment all over.
Low odour.
Good smudge protection after 3 coats for all but heavy charcoal.
Moderately poor water-resistance.
Sennelier Delacroix Spray Fixative for Pencils and Charcoal
Fast Drying. Low odour.
Moderately good smudge protection after 3 coats.
Moderately poor water-resistance.
Royal Talens Concentrated Fixative Spray
Medium quick drying. Very strong odour but perfumed to smell of something like washing up liquid.
Good smudge protection after 1 coat.
Not water-resistant.
Daler Rowney Perfix Colourless Spray
Slow drying. Strong odour.
Perfect (best) smudge protection after 1 coat.
Very water-resistant.
Loxley Soft Pastel Fixative
Slow dry. Stong odour.
Good smudge protection after 1 coat for graphite and light application of pastel. Good smudge protection after 2 coats for all else.
Water-resistant after 2 coats.
Golden Archival MSA Spray Varnish (matt)
Slow drying. Very strong odour.
Good smudge protection after 1 coat for graphite. Good smudge protection after 2 coats for all else except heavy charcoal which took 3 coats.
Water-resistant after 1 coat.
Easy to over saturate the paper and the oily nature of this spray creates a transparency to the paper like chip fat on kitchen roll.
Liquitex Spray Varnish (gloss)
Fast dry. Medium odour.
Poor smudge protection even after 3 coats except moderately on graphite after 3 coats.
No oily saturation like above, at all.
Not water-resistant.
Winsor & Newton Professional Varnish (matt)
Medium fast dry. Strong odour.
Good smudge protection after 2 coats.
Water-resistant after 2 coats.
Easy to over saturate the paper and the oily nature of this spray creates a transparency to the paper like chip fat on kitchen roll.
Lascaux UV (matt)
Quick dry. Strong odour.
Moderate smudge protection of graphite and light charcoal after 2 coats.
Moderately poor on the rest even after 3 coats.
Generally good water resistance after 2 coats.
Like the Liquitex this was ok on paper, did not leave an oily saturation.
What I Learned
These 4 gave the best smudge protection after 1 or 2 coats – in order:
1. Daler Perfix
2. Winsor Fixative
3. Talens
4. Loxely
5. Lascaux Fixative
The strong smell of the paper for days afterwards makes me rule out the Talens and the Golden.
Drying time
Drying time was based on white paper slightly yellow-ish while wet and lightening back to white when dry – so then I could apply the next coat.
Fast drying = 10 minutes
Varnishes
When applying the fixatives I used my bare hand to hold the masking card and washed any over-spray of the fix off my hand each time with no residue. The varnishes were different – they felt oily and left a bad smell on my skin so I used gloves after the first one.
Colour Change
For most artists colour change is bad. You have created your artwork with consideration for lights and darks and if you simply want to protect your drawing or painting from smudging damage, colour changes to your artwork can be frustrating. Artists often have to add back the highlights as the whites are ruined by fixatives. Colours can be dulled. Dark papers can become darker as well.
If you use fixative as part of your creating process and will continue working on the drawing, any colour change may not be a factor.
To make the colour change very apparent I set up a medium-dark paper with black pastel, white pastel and black layered with white plus a band of charcoal. The most important thing was the white pastel on top of the black – if this area turned black the white on top had been ruined.
I then applied the fixatives in alternating columns: un-fixed, 1 coat, un-fixed, 2 coats for each brand of fixative. I applied it from a short distance, so the application was fairly heavy (a back-and-forth spray at 25 cm).
Results
What I Learned
Saturation of the pastel with fixative dulls it.
But that is also what fixes it.
The brands that did the best in the smudge test were among the worst in the colour change test and visa-versa.
Lascaux fixative changes the colour the least.
Testing for a Balance of Both
After I saw the results of the colour tests and the smudge tests I tried a few more things with the winners of each to try to get a balance between smudge protection and least colour change.
I tried spraying the brand most successful at reducing smudging, Daler-Rowney Perfix, from a far distance (a puff at 50cm) to allow a very light layer to fall. But 20 very light layers did not fix as well as one fairly heavy layer (a back-and-forth spray at 25cm). So I tried a saturated spraying with the make that did the best in the colour change test, Lascaux Fixative, which did quite well, though I never was able to make it completely smudge-proof.
After trying different possibilities I came to the conclusion that it is a fine line to walk – until it is saturated the pastel is not fully fixed but a partial saturation will provide some protection from smudging while changing the appearance the least. So in the end it depends on which is more important to you – the smudge protection or the colour appearance and you need to decide to go for more saturation or less saturation depending on which is more important.
Distance from the artwork will control the amount of spray to not soak the paper but to get a good even coat. Too far and it won’t coat well enough.
It is possible to get a moderately-fixed pastel drawing that does not lose the white highlights.
Conclusions
For my work I will probably usually choose to be balanced somewhere in the middle to get some smudge protection, though not perfect and some colour change, though not much. To do that I will apply a somewhat lighter application of Daler Perfix or Winsor Fixative or a somewhat heavier application of the Lascaux Fixative.
Further Reading
Watercolour Varnish: Can You Make Watercolour Waterproof?
Hyun Yoon: Patience and Harmony
How to Prepare for Your First Life Drawing Class
Shop Pastel Fixatives on jacksonsart.com
222 thoughts on “Fixatives Are Not All the Same”
On behalf of all us coloured pencil artists out there that use fixative, could you tell us more about the workable side of fixatives? Can these fixatives be worked on and if so to what extent?
Hi Judith.
I am planning on doing separate testing about workable fixatives.
Since using a workable fixative is for a completely different reason than the ones I was testing I need to set up different testing, so I am doing it separately. As I don’t use coloured pencils in my work I could use your input.
This is what I understand:
1. Like oil pastels, coloured pencils do not benefit from fixative to reduce smearing as they are made of oil or wax.
2. Workable fixative is used to give a tooth to coloured pencil work that has built up many layers and become so shiny and slick that it will not accept any more colour.
So I was going to test fixatives for a change in the surface quality from slick to toothy, while not changing anything else about the drawing. Testing both wax and oil-based pencils.
Dose that sound like a good plan to you, as a coloured pencil artist?
Hi Julie – working with fineliner felt tip
markers/pens (like stabilo 88) and need to make
my drawings archival – can you recommend a
solution/ fixative – thanks, scott
Hi Scott
A common definition of ‘archival’ is work that doesn’t fade or change colour in 100 years, something that collectors want to be sure of when purchasing an artwork.
The three things you will need to use to create a work that doesn’t fade or change colour in 100 years are:
1. Acid-free paper without optical brighteners, both of these cause yellowing over time (like old newspaper). Look for ‘wood-free’, cotton and ‘acid-free’ for the paper and realise that the very white papers with optical brightners that look very white now will turn yellow faster than the papers without them added.
2. Pigment ink in your fineliner, not a dye. Your marker pen should say lightfast. (If you ever use fluorescent colours (or called neon), they by their nature can never be lightfast.)
3. A UV protective spray like Lascaux or Hahnemuhle.
Then your buyer should use good sense when displaying the work and not display it in direct sunlight.
We sell the point 88 because artists want a watersoluble marker pen and like this one a lot. Work done with ‘office’ pens is often sketches, notes or work intended for reproduction by scanning or photography so the longevity of the original is not of great importance.
Stabilo’s website says:
“Is STABILO point 88 ink permanent?
There is no ISO standard for permanent fineliners in general and therefore none especially for our point 88 either. However, the inks are more than sufficient for office use as they can neither be erased with ink-eraser nor easily oxidised with chlorine solution. In addition, in a test of archived documents kept in folders for 10 years the point 88 ink was still legible. ”
The Stabilo point 88 are not a tested lightfast product. There may be some colours in their range that are lightfast but others might not be. It is hard to do much to correct artwork that used this. One thing would be to scan the artwork and print it on archival digital paper with pigment inkjet inks (original pigment inks, not refills or dye inks).
Spraying it with a UV spray should help, but I cannot find any information about how much.
You really need to use fixative when you work with wax based colored pencils
like Prismacolor. Otherwise the drawing will develop “wax bloom” which is
when wax from the pencil rises to the top of the drawing and covers it with a
cloudy, white appearance.
Hi Suzanne,
Yes, this is a good point! If your drawing *does* develop a wax bloom it can be removed with gentle rubbing using a clean cloth.
Many thanks
Lisa
Have you made this comparison? I need a good
workable fixative for both oil based and wax pencils.
hi Ceil
We recommend Sennelier Oil Pastel Fixative for oil based media.
https://www.jacksonsart.com/sennelier-oil-pastel-aerosol-fixative-400ml-by-road-parcel-only?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1MXpBRDjARIsAHtdN-2BxLK4f5JzBHfnaJlcXzmtClp4DHre8mMRoQllKX0fHw8Puu0tA7AaAuroEALw_wcB
Many thanks
Lisa
Dear Julie,
after reading your fantastic test
results and all the comments I still
have some questions which I hope
you will answer if you still monitor
this thread.
I’m working on Arches Acquarelle
cold pressed 350 gm paper with Mars
Lumograph Black pencils, normal
Mars Lumograph pencils, Conte
Pierre Noire and graphite powder. I
need a workable fixative to help me to
build up the layers and then a final
fixative, also considering that part of
the paper has been printed with an
ink jet printer and I will draw over
some of the inkjet print perhaps also
using white charcoal or Conte sticks.
As I draw with fine detail and the final
image will not be under glass I
wonder if you could help. I’m really
concerned about offering an archival
grade product.
Thank you,
Micha
Hi Micha
A graphite and charcoal drawing displayed without framing sounds like a real challenge.
A workable fixative like Brush and Pencil or Winsor & Newton Pastel, will help you build up the layers. But I don’t think there is a fixative that will be sufficient to protect a work on paper that is not framed behind glass. You would need to seal it completely somehow with a varnish or acrylic gel. Some of these would change the look of the work completely. I can’t recommend anything in particular, it will be a case of experimentation.
If you don’t want the work to be behind glass because glass is reflective then you might consider Museum glass. It is much more expensive but it is invisible, it really looks like it isn’t there. They often have UV protection as well so that would add more archival quality to the piece. It is an option at most framers.
Hi, I’m obviously not the auth of the
original question, but I’m on here
looking for workable fixative for soft
pastels. You’re correct in what you
say about coloured pencil work; there
are now some workable fixative
products available (stocked by
Jackson’s) which perform the
function you’ve described above.
However, I’m looking for a workable
fixative which will enable me to add
layers of soft pastel, particularly
when using unsanded paper. There is
a version produced by Blair, which is
low-odour and popular with pastel
artists in other countries. It doesn’t
seem to be available in the UK. So I
would like to know if there is a direct
substitute for this which I can buy in
this country. Thanks.
Hi Helen
A good fixative for adding tooth to a drawing is the Brush and Pencil Texture Fixative.
Do not be put off by it saying it is for coloured pencil – the method of coloured pencil drawing used by the Brush and Pencil system uses a powdered ground applied first then coloured pencils on top, which in a way is quite similar to soft pastel.
Hi Julie,
I’m preserving some 1940’s chalk
drawings done on plywood. Which
fixative would you recommend? Thank
you.
Hi Eric
I would be too afraid of hurting them to give you any definite advice.
The best I can say is that the Lascaux is the most gentle, it will do the least damage to the whites.
Definitely frame the drawings behind glass.
I hope it goes well!
You refer mostly to the effects on pastel work but I am a colored pencil artist and I notice that a lot of the fixatives seem to leave a trail of minute granules on the paper even though I follow the directions carefully. These granules do affect the photography of the artwork as the granules cause the light to reflect off in various directions. The brand I use as I have never heard of any of these brands you mention is Krylon and I notice you did not test this brand.
Hi Terry
I tested all the brands we stock at Jackson’s and we don’t do Krylon. We have tried to as we know it is a popular brand in the States. But we can’t seem to get it over here in the UK, yet.
It’s true that I didn’t include coloured pencil in the testing. I thought that as it is wax or oil based, fixative wasn’t as essential to the smudge protection as for powdered media.
About the granules- I have seen them in a make of inkjet fix that we stock, the surface gets pebbly, and it also doesn’t affect the photography of the work. I don’t know what causes it, I might write them and ask, now you’ve mentioned it.
An interesting test result on everything and very thorough and somewhat useful. i have to say, it’s a good job we are all different as artists.
Colour Change
Colour change is bad.
Sorry, I cannot agree. My own technique with fixative is to DELIBERATELY darken the colours, often in several coats to deepen the colours – especially in my darks which i find very useful indeed and use the fix in that respect like a toner aid. It is very effective and keeps the darks from being overworked since first applications and expressive marks are evident still.
Fixative is fantastic for layering and to give creative differences with smudge resist to areas applied compared with passages not in any given expressive painting.
One thing not mentioned (you cannot list everything) is clogging of the aerosol nozzle. Some listed here are bad performers. Believe me, I have tried many.
My own test results prove that the Royal Talens fix (great on price too) and the Lascaux are among the better ones for non clogging and spatter.
Finally, Unison pastels. I personally find that Jacksons own EQUAL them in quality and when broken, de labeled and mixed with my Unison pastels, picking them up to use you cannot tell the difference.
Robert
Hi Robert.
Thanks for your comment.
You are right of course and I had second thoughts at the time about saying so firmly that colour change is bad, but I thought it would be good to not be hesitant!
But you have made me rethink that part and I should have gone with my original plan of saying: for most artists. I will edit that in now, for clarity.
About nozzles: I did notice that some had the standard instructions of turning the can updside down and spraying until nozzle was empty, to prevent clogging.
Thanks for your input about the ones that work best for you.
Thanks also for your kind opinion of our own handmade pastels.
Hi Julie,
I have a very faded charcoal drawing
that I would like to restore and
wondered if any of the fixatives might
darken the faded charcoal.
Hi Patrick
The charcoal will only darken when sprayed with fixative if it is loose. I assume the drawing already is sealed with a fixative or it would have been smeared over the years.
I’m surprised that the charcoal faded that much as it is a very stable colourant. Was it in direct sunlight for many years or is it maybe a pastel drawing?
Hello,
I was checking this site for any problem’s like I was having. Then I noticed your last name, DeSilva. My family is
related to the DeSilva’s. that was my grandmother’s maiden name. Her father came from Portugal(sp)to Corning, NY.
Martha
Hi Julie
Do you know which of the fixatives is best for fixing a drawing, and then working on top of with acrylic inks ?
thanks
Mark
Hi Mark
It sounds like you will want a strong fixative to be able to work on top with water. The strongest in the test was Daler Perfix.
Or you could do it in two stages – use a fixative to give light protection to movement of the marks that allows you to then carefully paint a layer of acrylic medium on top to create a more stable layer of protection that you can then work on freely.
The fixative you choose will depend on how much it matters if the colours darken.
As always, it is good to try a few things to see what will work best for your particular situation.
I hope this helps.
Can an artist draw in graphite on
canvas then spray with a fixative like
Winsor & Newton Professional Fixative
to keep the drawing steadfast, then
paint acrylics over the top of it?
Hi Lisa
Yes, artists use this method all the time.
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I have noticed many US graphite artists praising Krylon Workable Fixative for dulling down, almost eliminating, graphite sheen. Do any of those available to us in the UK do that? I’ve tried the W&N, Daler Rowney Perfix and the Conte A Paris and none of them made the slightest difference. Any suggestions?
Hi Penny
I have not tried to use fixative for reducing graphite shine. I would assume a matte varnish would help, have you tried that yet?
We are looking into importing the Krylon fixative, but it will be a little while still.
Matt clear acrylic removes graphite shine with just one coat.
I use Plasti-kote Matt Clear Sealer. Works brilliantly. I have
no idea about long term effects though.
Hi, i do some sketches on acid free 160g/m2 sketchbook using graphite pencils, which of these can i use to fix them (mainly for smudging issues). do matte varnishes also fix the drawings from smudging?
Hi Mimi
They all work to fix graphite and prevent smudging. It is the easiest to fix because you don’t have to worry about the fixative changing the colour. Yes, a varnish will work also.
Hi, I really appreciate taking the time to analyze all these fixatives. I’m a new charcoal artist and becoming frustrated at how fixative can ruin the highlights of a work. Would you recommend the same Lascuex? Thanks.
Hi Brad.
I’m glad you found it helpful.
Yes Lascaux is the best choice for preserving highlights.
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I’d like use a fixative for pastel that will not make my drawings too grainy. Perhaps I’ll steer clear of workable fixatives and just try Lascaux after I’m done.
Dear Julie,
Thank you for such a comprehensive overview of fixatives
and which ones work better with different media. It has
helped me a lot in deciding which to buy.
Thanks Vincent, glad to be of help.
I have a question , I have a art work that has holi powder all
around it , what kind of spray fix should I use , in order to let
the runny powder stay on the painting ?
Hi Roy
Holi Powder is not pigment, it is rice flour dyed with food colouring, less than 1%, which ensures that the ink does not adhere permanently to clothes.
If you wet it with fixative I am guessing it will become invisible like flour would. I would test a corner. I have never tried this or heard of anyone doing it so I can’t tell you for sure.
Fixative is usually used on top to hold a bit of loose material on, but not as the glue from underneath. But you can soak it to get good adherence but in this case soaking might lose the colour. So start as lightly as you can.
It will be an experiment. But any fixative should work the same for this, a strong one like Perfix or a weak one like Lascaux.
Good luck with the project.
In any case since it is dye, and so little of it, it will probably not be lightfast, it will fade like sugar paper does, so I would keep the artwork out of the sunlight. And it may need to be framed behind glass for protection of the surface.
Hi, very interesting review. I have a
related question – I want to frame a
corn dolly, but am concerned about
detachment of bits of straw or wheat
grains falling to the bottom and
spoiling the appearance.
Would any of the fixatives or matt
varnishes help stabilise the corn
dolly do you think?
Many thanks!
Hi Andrew
I would think a spray varnish should help stabilise the crumbly bits. Lots of light coats so it dries properly. Probably a matt finish so it didn’t become shiny.
Hope that helps.
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for all your work.
I draw on Bristol Board card with Pitt pens and thin acrylic
inks.
I have problems to buy frames that fit my size on
drawings, long and thin, so I thought of preparing wood,
so it can take the pitt pens and acrylic inks and then
spray it with something to protect it from the outside
world, My drawings often hang in restaurants so would
like to be able to wipe the drawings from to time to keep
them clean. Do you have any suggestion what varnish ? I
could use?Many thanks for reading this,
Ingrid
Hi,
I have a white conte pencil drawing on black Strathmore
Artagain paper. I applied 3 coats of the Lascaux Acrylic
fixative to prevent smearing, however, the opacity of the
white changed. I lost the contrast of white on top of black as
the conte crayon was absorbed a little into the paper. Is there
a particular fixative preferred for conte crayon?
Hi Shaye
White pastel (soft or conte) is the most challenging to fix without destroying the white-ness.
From my tests the best thing I can advise is more coats of lighter sprays, build it up slowly and you will keep more opacity.
I find that a final addition of a bit of white on top in a few spots may still be necessary.
Any test done with Sennelier
Universal Spray Fixative HC10
Hi Marta
No, we haven’t had that varnish before.
But we have added it to our stock list and will get it in with our next order.
Please let us know how it works if you try it. Thanks!
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Thank you, this post was very
helpful! After some internet research
I had bought a workable fixative for
my charcoal drawings, but am not
happy with the results. Now I feel
more confident in choosing a
permanent fixative to try. Thank you!
Thanks Julie! Glad to hear it was helpful.
Nice experiment Julie! This may sound stupid, but
comparing the fixatives, you did testing on colored paper.
For me, I am still left wondering what is the best fixative
for strictly charcoal on 64lb white charcoal paper (no
colors – strictly black on white paper)
Please let me know. I want to prevent value change in
the blends I have made in charcoal drawings.
Hi Shaun
I did some recent tests of black pastels on white paper and grey paper and found it easiest on white paper. Some fixatives darken coloured paper and with white paper you don’t need to worry about the paper looking like it’s wet (even though it’s not anymore).
Some people like that the charcoal can get darker with fixative and they soak it with fixative.
To prevent value change with fixatives the best thing I can advise is more coats of lighter sprays, build it up slowly and the fix protects the colour from the rest of the fix. The Lascaux brand is lighter so seems to work best for the light-handed approach.
Hi Julie,
A very well done, comprehensive test
on fixatives. I assume the tests were
carried out on a paper surface.
I have recently completed a pencil
(4H) drawing on drafting film. Could
you please recommend a suitable
fixative for this combination.
Hi Alan
Glad you found it helpful.
Since I didn’t do it on film I’m not sure.
It will be different, most fixatives will still probably work fine for reducing smudging, but there may be a difference in how each fixative will show on the parts of the film that are bare. My experience is that even gloss varnish spray will create a matt fog on plastics.
I can only suggest that you test a sample before you apply it to your drawing. The tooth on draughting film should work in your favour and you may be able to get away with using very little fixative, you may even be able to skip fixative if you frame your drawing under glass.
Thanks Julie,
Believe it or not, after some
experimenting, I found the best
results were obtained using the
cheapest hairspray!! No fogging and
crisp, non-smudge outlines. Would
advise others to test first.
Hi Alan
I have also used hairspray in a pinch, but it definitely needs to be the cheapest so there are no perfumes and oil conditioners added.
I wonder why is worked so well for your film drawings? Hairspray does often have a very fine mist.
My worry is that the lacquer in hairspray is designed to be temporary so no one cares if it yellows over time. It’s also meant to wash out with water. It also has no UV protection.
So to test it I would want to do an ageing test – spray a drawing and wait a year to see if it yellows.
Do you have any drawings that you used hairspray on a while ago, how has it lasted?
It is annoying that art materials manufacturers don’t need to disclose what is in their products, that would help us a lot.
Hi Julie,
Don’t have any old drawings on film –
will have to wait a while to see if
my current one yellows!!
Was surprised how quickly the
hairspray dried on the film and how
effective it was – no “sticky”
residue and I could not smudge the
pencil lines.
Watch this space!
I apologize if this question has already been asked, but I am hesitant to apply fixative over
my black and white pencil sketch, as I”m concerned it will darken it and I’ll lose some of the
delicate nuance of the drawing. I’m in Canada and not sure if I will have access to the same
fixatives you mention.
Hi Karen
I’m not sure what you have access to. Shipping aerosols is difficult these days.
Lots of graphite pencil artists use fixative to reduce smudging of their drawings. You could make another drawing to use as a test and see how a fixative looks. Graphite is usually not affected as much as a powdery material like charcoal of pastel. As with any new materials, it’s best to experiment to learn about how you can work with them.
Hi Julie,
Many thanks for your experiments and insight.
I had some questionable results with a “workable fixative”
made by Blair. I applied 2 light coats to my mixed-media
work, and let it dry for 5 hours. Then I applied what’s known
as an “isolation coat”.
The isolation coat is made by Golden — a soft gloss gel,
mixed with water, using a brush. This is used to give an
even finish to the work and to protect it, before applying the
varnish. The polymer varnish can be removed at a later
point, for conservation purposes.
Perhaps I did not use enough fixative?
The “fixed” pieces felt smudge-proof to the touch, but when I
used a brush to apply the isolation coat, the watercolour
pencils smeared and were totally removed.
Maybe I’ll try Daler-Rowney.
As an alternative, I guess I could skip the isolation coat, and
apply a fixative, and then a final spray varnish.
If I have luck with the D-R fixative, I’ll try to post an update.
If anyone here works with mixed-media and has some
advice, please share.
Thank you!
I have read all of these posts with
interest and appreciate Jacksons
taking the time and effort on this
subject.
I’m left with just one thought ::
What would be the outcome if the
fixative giving the least colour
change was oversprayed with that
which gives best smudge protection ?
Hi Bill
That does sound like a possibility.
If the first one sealed it enough so the second wouldn’t saturate it. The trouble is the ones that don’t affect are the least sealing.
But it is definitely worth a try.
I need to update the article with 2 new fixatives anyway so I will try it.
Thanks for the idea!
Hi Julie,
I have been using watercolours, oil pastels and soft
pastels. Since I normally frame my paintings, I haven’t
had the need to use fixatives. However, off late, staying
in a coastal area, my paintings have developed molds
inside their frames. Will using a fixative help, once I
have cleaned off the mold?
Is there anything I can do to prevent similar incidents in
my future paintings?
Thanks,
Bavicca
Hi Bavicca
I don’t have any experience with this problem, I’m afraid.
But I found a blog post from someone who does.
It sounds like a clear spray for athlete’s foot will kill the fungus/mould without disturbing the painting. She says scraping to remove the mould makes it worse.
She also recommends a UV light wand, I’m not familiar with these and I would be aware of the lightfastness of your pigments.
http://www.kitgentry.com/methods_pastel.html
Your idea that fixative would help prevent mould sounds sensible to me, as anything that seals away moisture or oxygen should deter mould. But it is just a guess.
Good luck with your efforts, it sounds like a challenging environment!
Lately I’ve been using Chroma’s Atelier Interactive Acrylic
Matte Varnish thinned down with a little water and
sprayed from one of those small travel spray diffusers –
https://www.jacksonsart.com/atelier-acrylic-medium-
250ml-varnish-matte
The spray drops are inevitably bigger/less even than from
a spray can, but very very lightly wiping the surface with
the edge of a paper towel evens the coat out without
disturbing the surface. This is an extra step but for me is
worth it because I have no outdoor space to use toxic
sprays, and it means I can just stay at my work desk while
spraying.
I tried this varnish as a fixative because varnishes are
made to seal and protect, but also the instructions say it
is additionally useful as a glue for collage work, toughens
the layer and can even be overpainted. Anything which is
archival, dries completely transparent and can be used as
a glue will surely seal a surface. It also dries quickly.
So far I’ve experienced no smudging on pencil and soft
pastel drawings after a couple of light coats. I haven’t
noticed any discernable dulling of whites so far but I
guess a more robust test such as this one would be
necessary. In any case it is certainly not noticeable
enough for me to go back to toxic sprays.
Hi Sav
Sound like a good way to get exactly what you want!
Thanks for sharing your technique.
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I’m considering getting into pastel pencils but like to do most
of my work in sketchbooks. I’ve used fixative without
problem on graphite but if I used pastels with fixative (say
Lascaux which seems to do well with colour preservation at
the expense of some “bonding” qualities), would I still need
to put some sort of tissue/glassine between pages to keep it
from smearing onto the other pages? Or just relegate myself
to one side of the sheets? [Thanks again for this blog post,
really useful!]
Hi Jen
The best practice would probably be to spray with Lascaux, use glassine on top of the drawing and only use one side of the paper.
Hope that helps.
Hi Robert,
I am a photographer and am doing work
with photos from burned sites along
with found objects from fires. I
would like to find a fixative that I
can use affix ash to glass and other
metal objects. It’s probably an
unusual question but can you give me
a suggestion?
Thanks!
Debi
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Thinking of using coloured melted crayons on canvass
for my daughter’s party. Someone suggested fixing
with spray to prevent cracks. Can you offer any
advice? If unsure could hairspray work?
We are in UK and may only do this once for 6 children!
Many Thanks
Hi Marianne
Melted crayons artworks are usually considered a form of encaustic painting. Encaustic is painting with melted wax using a heat gun or a clothes iron. These are never done on stretched canvas because it is flexible and the flexing is what cracks it. They are done on card, wood, paper glued fully onto wood or canvas glued fully onto wood. If you choose a rigid surface you will not need to use fixative which is used to prevent smearing of loose particles, not to prevent cracking.
Jackson’s stock a range of wood panels, canvas panels and encaustic card that would be suitable.
I hope that helps.
I used a fixative on a coloring book I finished for my
grandchild. It’s the first time I have used a fixative. I
liked the overall appearance, but it smells horribly
strong, even after leaving the book outside in an open
garage for three weeks. Any suggestions to take away
the odor? I will use the informative information above
the next time I need a fixative.
Hi Cathie
We couldn’t think of anything to do about the smell if 3 weeks in the garage hasn’t worked. Sorry we couldn’t help.
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Hi
I’ve started working with alcohol ink, however based in
the UK and cannot get Krylon Lamar as all recommend
I’m the US. Is there an alternative that will not activate
the alcohol? Do I need a water based varnish spray?
Please advise.
Hi,
Having done a little research it looks like a water based varnish or sealer would do the job, but the key is to use a very soft brush (perhaps one of our acrylic Mottler brushes) and apply an acrylic varnish very lightly, only going over the work with a single stroke and not ‘working’ the varnish in too much as that is likely to cause the ink to move around. As always, we strongly advise doing a trial; apply a little ink on to a surface and see what happens when you apply varnish to it, so you get an idea of how much pressure to apply and how thickly to put the varnish on. It is especially crucial to apply several thin layers as opposed to one thick layer to get the best results. Do NOT use any of the MSA/Solvent based acrylic varnishes as these are likely to rewet your inks!
Hope this helps.
Lisa
Hi Julie – great research here – thanks. I have a painting that is fairly thin
oils but also some charcoal … ummm … what do you reckon? Is there a
spray varnish that would also fix that charcoal? Or would one of these
fixatives be OK on top of well-dried oil paint? Thanks again … Fraser
Hi Fraser
If the oil is well-dried, 6 months for thin, then the oil will probably be ok, same as varnishing. You just don’t want to create a seal where the oil can no longer accept oxygen to finish hardening (drying/oxidising).
What many artists do is fix the charcoal before they start adding oil, then varnish the whole thing when they are done.
Hope that helps.
Thanks Julie – that’s really useful. Yes – should have
fixed the charcoal first! Sorry – another question …
given that I didn’t do that, and so as to not brush the
charcoal, I guess I could (in many months time) use
spray varnish? I’m thinking here of ROYAL TALENS :
VARNISH MATT SPRAY. Thanks again – Fraser
Hi Fraser!
Yes, that sounds like the best choice.
Dear Julie,
strange thing. I need to fix a
lithographic print that was done on
an usuitable non-absorbent paper,
because the ink used, after 70 years
still leaves the finger black when
you touch it. I would like a very
matt effect but also water resistance.
What kind of fixative would you use
on this print?
Thank you
kind regards
Hi Dario
I’m afraid to advise you on this because I don’t know very much about printers inks. It looks like there are two kinds of inks, those that dry by absorption and those that dry by oxidation.
If your’s will never dry perhaps a varnish will protect it and you could try a matte varnish spray. But you should test it first and I don’t know how you could do that with the original.
I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.
Hi Julie, the lithographic print is
dated 1954. The ink is dry. But like
for charcoal, if you do not use a
fixative, it leaves your fingers
black when you touch it.
The original problem was a non
suitable paper that did not absorb
the lithographic ink. So I need a
fixative to solve the problem. But it
shoul be matt.
thank you for your time
dario
Hi Dario
This really sounds like a case for a professional art restorer. Without knowing or looking at the paper you are referring to in the flesh it is impossible to assist.
Very sorry not to be able to assist further.
Many thanks
Lisa
Just using pastel velour paper for the first time. Do I use a
fixative as the slightest tap causes a fall of dust or is it no
good with velour paper?
hi Mary
Light applications of fixative work well on Velour Paper.
Many thanks
Lisa
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I am working in watercolour on canvas
and need a workable fixative as the
layers of pigment lift so easily. So
it needs to fix the layers, but not
be water soluble and it must not
repel the next wash. Krylon Workable
Fixative is meant to be the bees
knees but as you note, you can’t get
it in the UK. I tried using Perfix
from DR and it had no impact. Any
suggestions? Using Schmincke Aquafix
in washes certainly helps. If the
worst comes to the worst I can use a
coating of transparent aqua ground,
but a spray would be best. Hoping you
might help. Thanks, Liz
Hi Liz
Are you using an absorbent ground on the canvas? If you are using an absorbent ground then watercolour should stick to it and watercolour is designed to allow layers to be applied on top of each other. After each layer has dried the next doesn’t disturb the first unless you agitate it too much. I have spoken to artists who prefer Cotman paints because they find they are quite strong at resisting being moved after they dry.
If you like the Aquafix I wonder if you’d like to use liquid acrylic which sounds perfect for what you are describing. Used fluidly, transparent acrylics act and look just like watercolour (and are accepted as watercolours in most competitions). Except that each layer is water resistant and acrylics stick to most surfaces.
I spoke with Krylon about the Workable Fixative. They think it might not repell watercolour but advise testing. All fixatives are designed for powdery media. ‘Workable’ means it is designed to add a toothy texture so more layers of pencil can be added to a surface slick with graphite or wax, it adds workability to drawings. We do a couple of workable fixatives, but it doesn’t sound like the right product for what you need.
Hope that helps.
Hi just wondering if any of the fixatives dis colour
after time . My uncle is currently working on a project
with pencils/led blacks and greys with shading and
wanting to roll up and store . The problem is that he is
concerned that over time the fixative any of them will
discolour and ruin his drawings. Each drawing is quite
big and to be left out is not possible so just looking at
options weather to place tissue paper or to spray it .
Hi Chuntelle
The fixatives won’t discolour because they are all acid free or pH neutral at the very least. If any discolouring occurs it will be a deterioration caused by UV rays or atmospheric impurities or humidity. If the drawings are stored away from light, and wrapped in tissue, in a dry place with constant temperature, there in no reason why the drawings will discolour UNLESS the materials used are not archival.
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi Julie,
Really need your help here.
My boss has a drawing (water color on carton) of his late
father.
He wanted to preserve it. Can we use fixative spray or
clear PILOX to coat the drawing?
Is it okay? remembering the drawing used water color and
only drawn on regular carton.
If yes, do you have suggestion on what brand and type we
shall use to coat the drawing?
Really appreciate your help on this.
Hi Chika
The best product for your needs would be this fixative, which is especially designed for making watercolour work water-resistant.
https://www.jacksonsart.com/schmincke-aqua-watercolour-fixative-60ml
Many thanks
Lisa
Please could you recommend a workable fixative for pastels?
No too fussed about the potential for any solution to darken
colours as I need something to add tooth to pastel already
laid onto a surface. (I was recommended Blair Workable
Fixative but can’t seem to find in the UK)
Hi Valentine
I would check out Julie’s findings on smudge-ability in the post above and go with the one that you feel suits your needs best. If you don’t mind applying multiple coats and low odour is of importance then perhaps the Spectrafix would be a good one to try. Otherwise if you don’t mind some odour but you want good protection from smudging maybe the Winsor and Newton Fixative is the one for you.
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi, Julie
I don’t have a smudging problem but
the whole article and comments have
been interesting. I have a different
possible use for fixative. What I am
trying to work out is how to use UV
protection on a stack of old paper
for collage.
It seems that for UV protection I
should use a UV varnish but this
causes a loss of colour on this old
paper. I was interested in Bill’s
suggestion on 6 July 2018 to first
use one fixative good for colour and
then a different fixative good for
smudging. I was reaching a similar
conclusion – is it likely that a
first coat of the water-proofing
Lascaux fixative would seal the
colour of the paper without changing
it, so protecting it from the
colour-changing effect of the varnish?
This may well be a question of trial
and error but your opinion would be
very useful.
Hi Dan,
I’m afraid Julie is away so I will attempt to assist you in her absence! Is the paper you are referring to being saved to be used, rather than part of a finished collage? If so is it possible to wrap it in tissue paper and store it in a cupboard or between boards so that you can prevent any light getting to it? For that would offer the maximum protection against UV. If however you feel that storing away from sunlight is not an option then using the Lascaux fixative looks like the best alternative.
Many thanks
Lisa
I assume the pastels you are discussing are NOT oil pastels.
Do you have any information on what fixatives would work
best with oil pastels? It would be great to use them on
canvas and then just apply a fixative. Any ideas?
Hi Nancy,
You assume correctly. And yes – Sennelier do a great oil pastel fixative. Check it out here – https://www.jacksonsart.com/sennelier-oil-pastel-aerosol-fixative-400ml-by-road-parcel-only
Very best wishes
Lisa
I just want to know how archival is
the Daler Rowney Perfix fixative
spray (used for charcoal on paper and
even on canvas). Thanks.
Hi Nick
The Perfix fixative is acid free, so as archival as they come in fixative terms!
Many thanks
Lisa
Do you have any recommendations for a
good fixative when using alcohol inks
on non porous surfaces? I work mainly
on glass or ceramic tiles. Thanks
Hi Teresa
Are you fixing as you work? I’m just wondering whether you actually need a final varnish, rather than a fixative?
Many thanks
Lisa
Have you tested the Schmincke fixative for charcoals and pencil? The catalogue
number is 310 but there is a “universal fixative” version number 401. What do you
thinking them in terms of their archival quality and ability to stop smudging etc?
regards,
Nick
hi Nick
I’m afraid we haven’t as we don’t stock this product.
Many thanks
Lisa
Hello,
I have some conte drawings on plywood that I am wanting to
protect so that they don’t smudge.
Do you know what the best fixative to use is?
Many thanks,
Will
Hi William
I would suggest Daler Rowney Perfix, or if you want something a bit heavier duty then the MSA spray varnish.
Many thanks
Lisa
I have read through the comments, and I don’t believe my
particular situation was addressed. If it was, I am sorry to
repeat. I have used Stabilo All pencil for drawing and then
acrylic paint and then back again with the Stabilo. My plan
is to use a workable fixative spray. Can I also varnish over
that? If so, what would be advised? Thank you very much!
Hi Laurelle,
If you need to fix while you are working with Stabilo All pencils then I suggest using oil pastel fixative – https://www.jacksonsart.com/sennelier-oil-pastel-aerosol-fixative-400ml-by-road-parcel-only
Then when the work is finished I would then apply an isolation coat (2 parts soft gel gloss to 1 part water), allow that to dry and then apply MSA varnish.
Many thanks
Lisa
Hello
could anyone tell me if there is preferred fixative to fix a
charcoal drawing onto an acrylic primed canvas which is to
be over painted in layers of oil paint.
Hi Sarah
I would advise applying a couple of layers of spray varnish, allowing to dry and then working over the top with the oil paint. Acrylic spray varnish or solvent based retouching varnish would work – just steer clear of picture varnish as this would not be suitable. https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=spray+varnish
Many thanks
Lisa
So it’s okay to use an acrylic spray
varnish on top of charcoal or soft
pastel and then oil paint on top of the
“fixed” charcoal or pastel surface?
From reading product descriptions
varnishes seem to be best for paints
and not charcoal/pastel mediums.
Can I use the Winsor & Newton
Professional Fixative to seal the
charcoal/pastel and oil paint on top
when dried?
I appreciate your help!
Hi,
Thanks for your question. I would be worried about the amount of pressure what you be needed to apply the paint on to the fixed surface. Fixative protects from light abrasion and there is no guarantee it will stay in place if you painted over the top. It may well be fine if you use a soft brush and not too much pressure, but I would advise a quick test on a separate surface if you can.
Many thanks
Lisa
Prior to oil painting on site I will
take 10-15 minutes to make a 3″X4″
sketch in a 5″X8″ Moleskin Sketchbook
using 2B lead. Color is not going to
help if I can’t make a sketch work.
The sketchbook is receives a lot of
handling and certain drawings were
becoming obliterated to the point of
needing touch ups.
Per Ms. Caves exhaustive testing I
purchased the Daler Perfix on Amazon.
I made two 12″ distant Z passes in
opposing directions for each page.
Upon application the pages darkened
20-30% and became semi-transparent.
Yup, I panicked, but after 2-3
minutes the page color and opacity
returned to original. The drawings do
not now smudge under normal handling.
IMO, drying time and odor are
relative. It doesn’t dry instantly or
smell like magnolia blossoms, but I
found it to be well within in normal
ranges of acceptability.
Ms. Caves I cannot thank you enough
for sharing your exhaustive research.
Thank you again!
Dear Mark
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. Julie is away currently but I’ll make sure she sees your comment!
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi
Could you help me out with choosing a fixative spray to
use with
lead pencil,
graphite
coloured pencils Spectrum noir
and water colour pencils
And would the same fixative be okay to use with pastels?
Regards Cheryl
hi Cheryl
Fixatives for charcoal and pencil are usually too strong for soft pastels. You might be able to use several layers of soft pastel fixative on other drawing media but it probably is more cost effective to get a suitable spray fixative for each.
You need to consider whether smudge resistance is of more or less importance than colours appearing as close to how they appear when they are first applied.
This is a great fixative for coloured pencils – https://www.jacksonsart.com/brush-and-pencil-advanced-coloured-pencil-texture-fixative-255g-by-road-parcel-only
This is recommended for pencil and charcoal – https://www.jacksonsart.com/sennelier-delacroix-aerosol-charcoal-pencil-fixative-400ml-by-road-parcel-only
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi Julie, I’m a quilter who has made a small seascape wall
hanging with pastels on a cotton panel for a present. I
sprayed it with hair lacquer to set it before I quilted it.
Needless to say, I should have put on a mask as the
vibrations of the sewing machine caused a fine dust
everywhere! I did manage to blend the colours again before
respraying it, and a year later, it’s still being enjoyed.
However, I’d be grateful if you could suggest a product
which would allow me to combine the two different media
more effectively as I had such fun doing the first one.
Hi Lois
I want to make sure I definitely understand your question before I attempt to answer it.
You are looking for a way to secure soft pastels on to cotton fabric before you quilt it?
Many thanks
Lisa
Not sure if this thread is still active,
dut I believe this follows Lois’s
question. At a fundraiser I purchased
a chalk pastel. When I went to pick it
up it turns out it was done on what
appears to be a bed sheet. Any ideas
what the best way to try to fix the
chalk onto a fabric sheet would be?
Hi Todd
Woven cotton fabric should have a good amount of tooth to hold pastel. You can get it framed without using any fixative and that may have been the artist’s intention. Many pastels are sold framed to protect the surface. Many artists do not use any fixative because if you frame it properly you don’t need it and it may change the pastel alot to use fixative.
If the muslin in attached to a rigid surface like a mountboard or panel then it is an excellent surface. If the cotton is loose, then that needs to be solved first. One way of mounting canvas, paper, or muslin which already has an artwork on it is to put a sheet of sticky film the full size of the artwork, on your mounting substrate and press them together carefully. A thin layer of PVA glue is used to mount cotton sheeting (muslin) or canvas to a panel, before painting, but if you go this way be careful not to stretch the artwork out of shape or touch the front (you can lay it facedown on a sheet of glassine paper while you work on the back but don’t slide it around).
Then you can use any normal fixative. Using a fixative on an artwork you have not created can be a problem because if the whites go transparent you can’t correct them like the artist could.
You could find the artists details and contact them to ask if the artwork is already fixed.
When it is on a rigid surface then take it to a framer familiar with framing pastels, they require a few special things like real glass, not plastic glazing and a trough spacer inside to catch the few bits of dust that will fall off over the years, so they don’t show on the front of the mount.
I don’t know if you still monitor and reply to
this thread but if you do…I am a beginner
pastel artist (soft pastels) and was looking
for info on how to get white to show as
brightly as I want on top of dark colours.
Fixing the darker colours and building the
whites on top seems to make sense but I
don’t know what I should be looking for. I
will be putting it in a deep glass frame so
do not need it to be smudge proof other
than not causing damage to the layer I want
to fix. Equally, I would be putting at least
one layer on top so that would counter
some colour change. Is that right? I am
doing a picture for a friend with little time
before I have to get it finished but this is
only my second ever drawing so no more
time to mess it up and start again. Any and
all advice much appreciated!
I just want to add, having looked up the
Lascaux UV matte, I am not a pro but a
disabled hobbyist. I couldn’t begin to
consider buying things that expensive.
Please can my maximum budget of £20 and
preferably less than £10 be considered in
any reply to my previous post. Thank you.
hi Sarita
My apologies in the delay in replying to your question…but to answer it for future the best combination of price and quality is the Daler Perfix soft pastel fixative – https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=daler+perfix
A light application won’t cause a massive colour shift and will offer protection – enough for a work that will be displayed behind glass.
Many thanks
Lisa
I am drawing with graphite/lead pencil over
acrylic paint and gesso on linen and canvas.
Any experience or insight you could share
with fixing or varnishing over graphite that
has been drawn over paint? Thank you.
Hi Alan
Because acrylic paint is not as absorbent as paper I would suggest a light varnish over your work rather than fixative. You could apply an isolation coat of 2 part Acrylic Soft Gel Gloss and 1 part water over the work (using a soft mottler brush), allow that to dry fully then apply an acrylic picture varnish over the top. That is a very thorough way of protecting your work, because if the varnish got dirty you could remove it and apply a fresh layer. A lighter method could be a couple of layers of spray varnish, which would give protection, but is a permeable layer so may need reapplication in the future.
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi Julie,
Thanks for the great information
generally. I have a wooden ceiling in my
old house with graffiti which I want to
preserve. Perfix seals the chalk well to a
sample piece of wood, but before I
saturate my house I am wondering what
material is being deposited. I hope to
avoid anything flammable or which
releases toxic fumes on burning.
hi Richard
Thanks for your question. Before I answer can you just clarify what medium the graffiti is in – is it all chalk based? or some spray paints?
Many thanks
Lisa
I used Lascaux Fixative (2070) on a pastel
work of mine and got tiny spots. They are
passably indistinct from a distance but I am
disappointed. Have you had this problem
with this or other fixatives. This piece is due
to be framed for an auction and the gallery
wanted it smudge resistant
Hi John,
That sounds really disappointing…spots like this tend to happen if the nozzle is at all clogged and the fixative is not being evenly distributed, or if the fixative hasn’t be shaken for long enough. The best way to avoid this is to ensure the nozzle is clear and the fixative is really well shaken, and always text the fixative on a separate piece of paper before you fix any finished works for exhibition. A light application 30cm away from the work or so is best, and then do this 2 or 3 times. Hopefully this advice will help avoid this problem in the future.
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi Julie,
I’m working on stonehenge stoned paper
(pearl grey) and using densely applied
compressed charcoal and white pastel in
high contrast drawings. I’m concerned
about losing the highlights. Do you think
the Daler Prefix would be the best
option?
I’d like to ideally apply fewer layers, and
as the works will be glazed, smudge
protection isn’t my priority. It’s more for
preventing losses of charcoal within the
frame, whilst maintaining the original
tonal range.
Many thanks,
Hi James
As the work will be under glass and you are concerned about losing the highlights I would suggest using Lascaux as this offers the least colour change, although the protection isn’t as good as Daler. If you don’t mind the whites dulling a little bit then Daler would offer a bit more protection. I’m sure in time a fixative will appear on the market that performs better on both fronts, but unfortunately for now it seems you have to consider what your biggest priority is!
Many thanks
Lisa (Julie is presently away)
Hi Julie or Lisa,
I need a workable fixative for charcoal
on canvas that I’ll be painting over. Are
used to use WEBER workable fixative
and it was perfect yet it’s no longer
available as far as I know. What other
would you recommend? I don’t want a
permanent because as I work I want to
remove the charcoal as I see fit. Also,
are there any workable or non workable
fixative’s that are non-toxic? Thank you.
Hi Marie,
Spectrafix is the safest of all the fixatives to use and it is made from natural milk-casein. https://www.jacksonsart.com/spectrafix-continuous-fine-mist-sprayer-set
As for recommendations of workable fixatives – please read the post above to show how our workable fixatives compared with one another and choose the one that suits your needs best.
Thanks!
Lisa
Hi Julie or Lisa
Thanks for your valuable information. I have
a piece where I used copic markers to design
over acrylic paint. There’s a lot of white
negative space so I want to protect it with a
gloss varnish. When I tried to do that with
my usual varnish (Liquitex high gloss
varnish), the copic markers bled into the
white paint. Can you please recommend a
sealant or varnish which will prevent that?
Hi Johanna
I’m not familiar with Copic markers but have had good results in similar situations with spraying on the first layer of varnish or fixative to set the ink without disturbing it, and when that has dried you can brush on your regular varnish. So as not to damage your finished work I would make a small work in the same way and test a few sprays on it.
Hope that helps.
I’ve done some pastel on loose canvas (not
stretched or nailed/stapled). Is there a
fixative that will work on this situation where
the canvas will be rolled up for transport?
Hi Remy
You will need to experiment to see what works. It sounds like rough handling for a fragile medium.
Lots of light coats of a strong fixative like Jackson’s https://www.jacksonsart.com/jacksons-pastel-fixative-500ml-uk-only.
Then probably a final varnish to seal it completely. But too much varnish may crack when you roll it. So trying it out first is best – make a similar small sample and try how many coats of fixative and how much it alters the appearance of the artwork. Then do your protective layers on the artwork based on what you have learned from your testing.
Hope it goes well!
Thank you for your very thorough testing! I read this blog and do not see anything on the best fixative for Caran d’Ache Classic Neocolor II Water-Soluble Wax Pastels (used on Stonehenge drawing paper and other brands of watercolor paper). What would you suggest?
Hi CJ
I use Neocolor II sometimes in the early stages of a painting and I seal it with acrylic medium. That wouldn’t work for a finished painting on paper though. Since they act a lot like watercolour I wonder if the Schmincke Watercolour Fixative would work. I have added it to our list of things to test and write an article about, but it will be a little while before we are able to get to it.
If you decide to try it out before then, do let me know how it works.
Thanks for this information!
Glad you found it helpful!
Hello,
Thank you for all this – I wonder if you can
help – apologies if you’ve already covered it
in the comments above!
I have a series of drawings on painted wood
(household paint on plywood). The drawing
incorporates posca pen, graphite and
coloured pencil.
Do you have any idea what the best product
to fit them with is please?
Many thanks,
Will
Hi Will
The posca and coloured pencil won’t need much in the way of fixing if the drawings are on the wall, you may want a varnish if they are being handled. I think the graphite is the thing to focus on and any of the fixatives work well on graphite. Some require a couple of light coats, you can gently touch the drawing to see if it has sealed the graphite from smudging.
Fantastic thank you very much for this –
much appreciated.
Will
Hi Will
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks so much for doing all this work
and so very logically. I’m looking for a
fixative for some watercolor bookmarks I
hand made. Any suggestions? Or should I
laminate them? Thanks
Hi Michelle
Any of the solvent-based spray fixatives should work fine (not water-based) if applied in many thin coats. Be sure to test it out on one first, to see how it goes.
Hi Julie,
I was so thrilled to see your post and look
how long it’s been attracting questions, a
sure sign of it’s significance to the art
world, thank you!
I have a strange question, I actually do
some burned imagery and the little carbon
bits are part of the final image. I wonder if
you might have some advice on how to
keep these bits fixed to the paper. I’ve tried
with several fixatives, they work for the
charcoal effect, but not the slightly larger
crumbles. I might need to convert to
something more lacquer like?
Hi Patricia
Yes, it has been good to see that this topic has been useful to people!
I find that large particles are not affixed well with a spray. You might be able to do a lot of coats with a spray to get temporary adhesion and then gently apply a few thin coats of brush-on varnish to seal it fully. If it’s too glossy you can use matt or satin varnish, which can be nearly invisible. It sounds like a bit of experimenting will be necessary. I’m not sure of your surface but would it be possible to burn on your surface if it is sticky with glue, as when they land the bits might be stuck down from beneath?
Hope that helps.
Hi Julie,
Yes that is very helpful, thank you! My
surface is usually litho-paper. I like your
idea of trying glue, that will be a good
experiment. Which spray might you
suggest and which varnish (def. needs to
be matt) and is there a varnish spray?
Thanks again!
Hi Patricia
We do a range of Matt Spray Varnishes. I like the Schmincke because it has a very fine mist. But many of the others should work. Please test first on a plain piece of your paper to see what you think of how the spray looks on the paper, on some surfaces you can see dots of varnish depending on the brand of varnish you use, though most should be fine on paper.
Two things to remember with matt varnish – building up lots of layers of matt varnish will usually create a cloudy semi-opaque coating because of the particles used to make the gloss varnish matt – super finely ground sand or wax. So whether it’s spray-on or brush-on varnish, it is best to apply all your layers but the last one, using gloss varnish and then use matt for the last coat to cut the gloss.
The other thing is since all varnish is gloss varnish, it’s just that matt varnish has added matting particles, you need to distribute those particles in the container, so shake (or stir if it’s brush-on) for a long time. In some brands it settles out more than others, but if the dried varnish looks glossy, then your matting particles are still sitting in the bottom of the can.
I hope that helps.
Dear Julie, I am attempting an acrylic
painting over an image that has been printed
onto a canvas in inkjet. In order to create a
barrier between canvas and acrylic paint can
you recommend a varnish that would seal
the image?
Hi Raymond
There are two concerns – will the ink smear when you wet it with acrylic and are the inks made with pigments or dyes, as dyes will fade quickly.
Pigment inks usually say they are lightfast from 50 to 100 years behind glass, on an interior wall, out of direct sunlight. If your ink cartridge doesn’t say ‘pigment’ then it is a dye and you should read more on the manufacturer’s website.
An inkjet fixative will seal the ink so you can paint over it without smearing it. Some also have UV protection but it will only help a little with lightfastness if the print has been done with dyes.
I have tried all of these and they prevent the ink smearing:
Hahnemuhle : Protective Spray
Ghiant Digital Spray Fixative
Winsor & Newton Spray Soft Pastel Fixative
Test spray over another surface first to make sure you are getting an even and fine spray and not large spots of fixative. Then you will probably want to give it a few coats.
Lots of thorough testing. I’m wanting to
paint watercolour on canvas treated with
watercolour ground and read elsewhere to
use fixative followed by matt varnish for
UV protection. The above don’t seem to be
for watercolour. Are there 2 products you
would recommend to protect watercolour
paintings, please.
Hi Synders
An alcohol-based spray fixative applied first should seal the paint enough to apply a varnish. I think all aerosol cans will work for this, just not a pump spray as they are water-based and it can wet the paint.
I’ve been doing some tests (which have been interrupted by working in isolation at the moment) to see the best combination. I will write a post about it as soon as we are back at work.
So far I’ve found that it takes a lot of coats of fixative to make a watercolour safe for painting a water-based varnish on. Even after 3 coats it still easily smears. But if you use an alcohol-based varnish it doesn’t affect the paint at all. The one we have is very glossy, but when it is thinned it is more matt and doesn’t change the watercolour look as much. I am trying to see how thin I can get it and have it still work. I also want to test other solvent-based varnishes, both spray-on and brush-on. A matt solvent-based spray varnish might work, we’ll see. Look for a post soon-ish.
Hi Julie. Let me say it is refreshing to see
someone so diligent about answering so
many questions about fixatives. I am
working on a book that contains many
graphite drawings, so a fixative is
necessary. I am concerned that when the
book is shelved for (likely years) that the
fixative might chemically bond somehow
and make the pages stick together : 0
…What do you think? Do you know of any
protection that guarantees this wouldn’t
happen. Thank you and sorry if someone
asked this already..
Hi Thomas
Thank you!
I hadn’t thought about it before, but I have never heard of the resin in fixative changing over time. I have sketchbooks with drawings that were fixed decades ago and when I open them years later they have never been sticky. I would think all artist-grade fixatives should be fine for long-term storage.
I hope your book goes well.
Can it be used on watercolors? Fixative
Hi Jany
Yes, there are two fixatives especially for watercolour.
Schmincke Watercolour Fixative
Daler-Rowney Watercolour Varnish
Check back in a few weeks when we will have a blog article about watercolour fixatives.
Hi Julie, I made incredibly delicate ‘drawings’
using inky Cap mushroom spores. I would
like to use a fixative but need one that will
make absolutely NO CHANGE to the
appearance of the drawings. I don’t care
about change in color of the paper. Any
suggestions? Or should I just carefully frame
them behind glass without using any
fixative? Thanks.
Hi Linda
The gentlest fixative we do is Lascaux. But I don’t know if the solvent or propellant will affect a fungal spore. My best suggestion is to make a small spore drawing as you normally would and try a few coats of the Lascuax fixative and see how the spores react. You will probably need to also frame it behind glass as it will still be fragile.
How are you attaching the spores to the paper?
Hi Julie,
Wondering if you can advise because my
mind is boggled with fixative.
I created stippling/dotwork drawings
using mainly copic Multiliner’s and a few
other technical pens with archival
quality ink and occasionally use graphite
alongside the ink. Most of my drawings
are drawn on Strathmore 400 series
Mixed media paper or Bristol.
I’m looking for a fixative that:
• doesn’t alter the artwork
• lightfast/archival qualities
• doesn’t gloss the drawings
… basically I’m after a fixative that you
wouldn’t know I’ve sprayed on the
drawing but will protect it from fading,
yellowing over time etc.
Would you have one in mind based on
your knowledge that would be ideal?
Thank you.
Ryan Litster.
Hi Ryan
I didn’t test the fixatives on ink drawings as they usually don’t need fixing like dry media does.
UV spray will offer some protection to the Copic inks but if you have used one of the colours that fades, the UV spray will only help somewhat.
Lascaux UV spray in matt should not make visible changes to the work if you spray 2 or 3 light coats. Too many coats might make the matting agent visible as a cloudy coating.
Lascaux Fixative is matt like all fixatives and very gentle, it is the fixative that changes the appearance of dry media the least, but it will need a few coats to stop your graphite from smudging.
My concern would be that if the markers are alcohol-based they might dissolve in speckles if the spray is alcohol-based. I think the low-odour sprays might be alcohol and the smellier ones might be another solvent. But I have not been able to find out.
I have seen Krylon Kamar and Krylon UV Resist varnishes recommended for alcohol inks, so they might work for you. I did not test these as we didn’t stock them until recently.
As with any material new to you, I would recommend that you make a simple test drawing and spray a few coats and make sure it looks how you want afterwards.
Since I haven’t tried fixative on Copic pens lets ask our readers, maybe someone has done this. Does anyone have experience with fixative on Copic Markers?
Hi Julie,
Thanks for answering my question in
such detail.
It’s my mistake and I should clarify
that it’s not so much Copic Markers
I’m using but the Multiliner pens,
which are said to have ink which is
pigmented, lightfast and waterproof.
This said the alcohol based fixatives
may have the effect you have
described regarding speckles.
I have used a very low budget fixative
years ago on Copic markers and the
artwork (6 years on) still looks like it
did upon completion, but I’d be
inclined not to use it again.
My worry with the fixatives on my ink
drawings was more if they glossed
over the drawing and changed the
appearance. Because they are black &
white grayscale artworks, any
alteration to the appearance would be
unwelcome.
However, I’m leaning towards the
Lascaux fixative and have ordered
some from the website. I’ll try a test
piece first and be sure to let you know
the results.
Thank you for taking the time to reply
to my question in such detail. I
appreciate it’s a difficult busy time for
everyone so thank you.
Hi Ryan
That sounds like a good choice.
I hope it works well for you. If you have a minute please come back and let me know how it goes.
Hi Julie,
Next week or so I’ll have the
current project complete so I’ll
let you know how i get on with
the Lascaux.
Thanks again.
Ryan.
Great! Thanks Ryan.
I am interested in knowing if Winsor would
be good to use for chalk pavement art at all?
Chalk pastels are used, so I am thinking it
should? Thanks!
Hi Vicki
A chalk pastel fixative like the Winsor & Newton Pastel Fixative or any of the pastel fixatives we stock, would give a bit of longer life to a pavement drawing, but since it is not intended to be an outdoor varnish it will not make the drawing permanent. If you wish to make the drawing more permanent then a hard varnish that is waterproof and good for outdoor murals would be a good choice. The best choice for that would be Golden MSA varnish. If you wish it to retain the matt appearance that the pavement and chalk originally had, then a matt varnish would be best, a gloss varnish will make it shiny.
I’m looking for a working fixative that leaves
some tooth for the next layer of pastel. Can
you rate the Jackson’s fixatives on a scale of
‘toothyness’? Some fixatives leave no grip
for subsequent layers. Thanks
Hi again Henry
In addition to the Texture Fixative I mentioned in my last reply, the Winsor & Newton Pastel Fixative and the Spectrafix are workable fixatives, to add some tooth back to a coloured pencil or graphite drawing that has become too slick with layers of application.
P.S. – I dream of someone developing a
fixative that has some fine pumice powder in
its mix.
Hi Henry
That may be what is in the texture fixative from Brush and Pencil. Have you tried it?
I like to sketch (scribble) initially on large
canvas before incorporating in my acrylic
paintings. To. preserve these underlying
guidelines can I apply a fixative then
archivally paint over the fixative without
adverse overall effect? Would appreciate
hearing your expertise, thank you.
Hi Andrea
Fixative in a synthetic resin and is like a very thin coat of varnish.
There should be no problems painting acrylic over the fixative.
Hi I am so sorry if you already address
this situation. I have my initial drawing
with pencil on a canvas. I will be painting
over top of it with oils in a lighter
spectrum of colors and don’t want the lead
to smear and darken the canvas. I was
told to use Sennelier Workable Fixative to
seal the drawing and then paint over it in
oils. Is this the best choice and which
fixative is it as they seem to have so
many. I am also 2 hours from a major city,
so is this product that can be shipped.
Thank you.
Hi Sharon
That is a normal procedure.
Any spray fixative will do the job you are after.
Most fixatives cannot be shipped by air, they need to go by road, so we probably can’t supply you if you are in the States.
Hello Julie,
I do multi media paintings … which are usually begun with a base
wash in acrylic or oil … after which I use oils for the primary
rendering … with charcoal accents … since these are not put under
glass, which finishing spray would you recommend to protect them
… does the base wash make a difference in choosing a spray if it
is not fully covered by oil paint … ?
Oil and acrylic paintings are usually varnished because any exposed part of acrylic is soft and vulnerable to dust becoming embedded in the surface and any exposed part of oil is vulnerable to scratching or it may become brittle if left unvarnished. A spray or brush-on varnish is fine. An oil painting varnish is a good choice as it will work for both oil and acrylic.
The charcoal will be more difficult. I haven’t heard of many artists using charcoal on top of dried oil paint because it doesn’t adhere well. Any pastel fixative will fix charcoal. If you are using charcoal while the paint is wet, then it sort of mixes with the paint therefore it can be treated as oil paint.
I was looking fixative for my colored
pencil art. I like the fact that a solid
company like Windsor & Newton makes a
fixative. I use this fixative on my colored
pencil pictures. The fixative works very
well on colored pencil.
Hi Zelda
That’s great to hear! Thanks for sharing your experience of using the fixative.
Hi, just wanted to say that this is an
impressively detailed post and well
maintained comments section.
I have been using W&N Prof Fixative for
graphite work and found it works very
well, however I am just starting
experimenting with pastel pencils (both on
strathmore papers and clairefontaine
pastelmat).
While most online pastel advice I see is
related to commissioned work (which I
would be less concerned about as I would
advise framing), I am actually more
curious about preserving my own personal
work, as I tend to do these to a similar
level of finish but leave them in
sketchpads.
For these I will probably not be too fussy
about minor colour/texture changes, but
am more interested in preventing
smudging.
While the strathmore is good quality
‘normal’ paper, I understand pastelmat in
particular is quite ‘grippy’ and also has
interleaved glassine – if pieces on either of
these were moderately sprayed could I be
fairly confident of leaving them in the
pads long term without much risk, and
also being able to work on new pieces in a
pad without disturbing the previous ones?
How about if a 3/4 pads had to be stacked
atop each other for storage? Very specific
questions, I’m sure, but I have learnt to be
wary of unfixed graphite in certain
circumstances and get the impression
that pastel work can be much more
delicate if not treated with caution.
Thanks for any advice!
Hi Terry
The Pastelmat paper in pads with interleaved glassine works well for long term storage.
The paper is nice and grippy and the glassine is great in between.
Could you advise me what to use to fix a
carbon tracing on canvas – I have used Frisk
Tracedown Wax Free Tracing Down Paper
Hi Linda
Any fixative will work well for that.
Jackson’s Fixative is good and a good value.
Hi,
I am working with India ink on watercolor
paper and would like to use a fixative that
will allow other pieces of torn paper to
adhere to the artwork. Any suggestions for
me?
Hi Pamela
A fixative will not prevent an adhesive from being used to glue paper onto paper.
You don’t need a fixative for ink, fixative is usually used for dry media to prevent it being rubbed.
Hi I have a pastel and oil pastel drawings
that I have done and I need a fixative to stop
them smudging. They will be displayed in a
frame behind glass/per specs.
Thanks
A few coats of the Lascaux sprayed on and then framed behind glass sound like they would work for you.
Hi there! This is an impressively thorough
test. Thank you!
Thanks Fred, glad it was useful!
Hi there!
I’ve been using rust effect paint (link below)
for a little project and I’d like to fix it such
that the rust doesn’t smudge on to other
things in my house.
Smudge resistance is probably the top
priority here. I’m thinking the Daler Perfix is
the best option. What do you think?
https://www.craigandrose.com/artisan-rust-
effect
I’d appreciate any guidance you might be
able to provide!
Happy New Year 🙂
Hi Eddie
I think you will need a varnish rather than a fixative.
If you choose a matt varnish then the matt effect of the rust should be preserved, a gloss varnish would change the look.
A spray varnish might be best for not disturbing the rust finish.
This Krylon matt would be a good one.
This is on their website:
CLEANING UP AND CARING FOR YOUR EFFECT
On exterior surfaces the rust effect will continue to develop over time.
Rust residue may rub off when touched.
Rust run-off may stain adjacent surfaces. To avoid rub-off and run-off, apply a clear sealer. Note that a clear coat will change the appearance of the rust effect.
Hi Julie!
Thanks so much for getting back to me
with some advice. I was a bit impatient
and ploughed on with the fixative but…
if that doesn’t work, I’ll try the varnish
you recommended.
Thank you 🙂
I hope it goes well!
Hi
I am wanting to coat hand marbled paper
with a bee wax formula I have but it causes
the colours to bleed. Do you have any
suggestions, would a fixative be the
solution?
Hi Donna
You can apply a solvent-based beeswax medium to a watercolour without causing the paint to run.
I assume your beeswax formula is solvent-based. So I am guessing that means your marbelling inks are solvent-based. The solvent from the beeswax is activating the inks.
It sounds like you need to seal the inks. Fixative can be used this way, though it is most commonly used to seal dry media like graphite, charcoal or pastel. Varnish is another option, a stronger fixative basically.
Most fixatives are alcohol based so they could leave spots of dissolved area on your iks.
It usually works to use something that won’t dissolve it so a water-based fixative or varnish might work, but you’d have to give it a test.
Spectrafix is a water-based fixative that might work for you. Or the Liquitex water-based spray varnish.
Hi Julie,
I have a (6B)graphite detailed
drawing on Ampersand claybord and
would like to put an acrylic or water
based oils, paint wash over the top.
Can I apply DR perfix fixative first
to the drawing on this kind of
surface to stop smudging then add the
paint?
A separate issue
I have used waterbased oils on
aliminium some of the colours have
sunk so I’ve applied a small amount
of medium (oiled out the areas)which
has helped with problem but it has
become quite tacky. Can i apply a
varnish over the top of this?
Hi Allison
Yes, artists regularly use fixatives for preliminary drawings they will paint on. Apply it in a thin layer. After it’s dry, if the graphite smears with your finger then apply another layer.
Some oil colours are more prone to sinking, the earth colours because of particle size lose oil to the layer underneath, perhaps because the oil and pigment aren’t as closely bound as the paints with fine powdery particles. So using a bit of extra fat as you paint with your earth colours usually solves the problem.
Is it our aluminium panels and have you added a ground?
Oiling out is a tricky one. Best practice is not to do it because a layer of just oil doesn’t dry properly. But if you have to – do it only in areas that you will subsequently put paint on top of, and apply the paint there before the oiled area is dry. It is not advisable to apply a layer of oil over the whole painting because if it is anything but poppy oil, it will later yellow and darken, it can also take months to dry, can wrinkle, and might cause cracking problems. The stickiness sounds like oil that just hasn’t dried. You can try removing it lightly or partially with a cloth with solvent, or try adding more paint on top. A varnish shouldn’t be applied until the paint is touch dry for a retouching varnish or completely 6 months dry for a picture varnish, so you shouldn’t if the surface is still sticky. Your best best it to prop it up facing the wall at a downward angle so no dust can settle on it and wait a few weeks or months until it dries.
You might find this article useful:
https://justpaint.org/oiling-out-of-dead-colors-in-oil-paintings-3/
Hi I am trying to find a fixative for water-
based block ink (its very think paint like
substance used commonly for lino printing).
I really would love to find a great fixative and
the only one I could see suggested online
was Krylon Workable Fixatif but I cant get
this in Northern Ireland! Please help – the
exact brand of the block ink is LEFRANC
BOURGEOIS Paris Water based block
printing ink black
Hi Tara
We don’t sell that ink, so I’m not familiar with it. Some water-based inks dry water-resistant like acrylics and some don’t dry water-resistant like watercolour.
If the dried ink is affected by water then the key is to use a fixative or varnish that is not water-based.
I wrote an article about this recently that might be helpful to you.
WATERCOLOUR VARNISH: CAN YOU MAKE WATERCOLOUR WATERPROOF?
Hi I really need help for fixative on water
based block printing ink/paint ?
Hi Tara,
The information in this post will be applicable to your water based printing inks as well: https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2021/03/22/watercolour-varnish-can-you-make-watercolour-waterproof/
Many thanks
Lisa
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Hi, am exploring with alcohol inks on
claybord. But as an abstract background, to
then finish the painting in oils. I would like
to know if there is a fixative or type of
varnish to apply to the dried alcohol inks,
that can then be painted over with in oils. Or
would it be possible to paint oils directly
onto the alcohol inks especially fast drying
oils? Thanks for your help
Hi Clare
Oils can be painted over any fixative or varnish, but you will want a fixative that doesn’t disturb the alcohol inks. So you will want a water-based varnish or a non-alcohol based varnish. Krylon Kamar spray varnish is recommended for alcohol inks because it won’t disturb them if they are fully dry, at least 24 hours. The problem with the fixatives is I think they all contain alcohol which would make spots on your alcohol inks as it dissolved parts with the droplets.
Another consideration is that alcohol inks are made with dyes, not pigment particles, so they are not very lightfast. So a UV protective spray would be helpful. Since most contain alcohol, you will need something to seal the inks first. So it would be a 2-step process: Krylon Kamar spray to seal the ink and then use a UV protect spray. I would recommend Lascaux UV Protect.
That said – I think you could paint directly on them with oils as the oil paint doesn’t have alcohol in it. Unless the ink is loose on the surface and can be wiped off by the action of the paint brush, it shouldn’t be re-activated. As always when trying a new technique, experimentation is key. I would make a small sample of the inks, let them dry 24 hours and try painting directly with oil and see if they smear, if not you are good to go. But you won’t be able to then spray the UV Protect spray on top of the oil paint until it is fully dry, after six months or so. So you might want to do the two sprays anyway, just to make sure any exposed part of the alcohol painting that is left after the oil painting is done, doesn’t later fade away.
I would like and appreciate a good
recommendation for matt fixative for my
pastel art work. The last one i used
created a sheen or shine on the final
drawing, which kept shining especially
everytime the light fell on it. What would
be an alternative?
Hi JD
Most fixatives are matt on paper and soft pastel, but sometimes glossy on wax or other non-absorbent surfaces.
Could you please answer a couple of questions so I can get an idea of what is going on?
Which fixative did you use? How much did you apply? Do you use oil pastels or soft pastels?
Thanks.
Very helpful. I hope all the test results are
still valid seven years after publication.
I’m looking for something that protects
against smudges but is not at all
waterproof, because I’ll be applying
watercolor over the fixative and I want the
paper to still be absorbent.
Looks like Talens might be my solution.
Thanks!
Hi
I think all fixatives will be somewhat water repellent, some more than others, but they are all resins. I think it would be a matter of testing the most likely choice to see how little you can get away with spraying to reduce smudges and then seeing if that amount lets you add watercolour. If you have a moment please come back and let us know what you discover.
Thank you for this article and your tests!
I’m nervous to choose something wrong
and ruin my first charcoal piece in years
but this helped me figure out what I was
looking for. Thanks again
Hi Marissa
Glad it was helpful!
I am painting some soft pastel and oil
pastel over
acrylic paint and gesso on linen and
canvas.
Any experience or insight you could share
with fixing or varnishing over that
has been drawn over paint? Thank you.
I found that the oil pastel did not stick to the acrylic but stayed smearable and the soft pastel did not really stick very much and could be brushed off.
I have only done it a few times and treated it more like mixed media. I sprayed many light coats of fixative and then applied a thin layer of polymer medium to encapsulate and seal everything and then a layer of polymer varnish to harden it off, so it wasn’t sticky.
I hope that is helpful.
Hi Julie- I have mixed media on canvas.
colored oily pencils, some permanent markers, pastels, and acrylic paint on top…
🙂
Hi Liv
You won’t need to worry about any of the media that is buried underneath other media as it is protected by them. Acrylic and permanent markers do not need a fixative. So that leaves coloured pencil and pastel. Coloured pencil can be fixed pretty well with a pastel fixative so any pastel fixative should work well for your whole project. As I state in the article you will need to decide if you want a few light coats of a strong fixative like the Daler Perfix or more and heavier coats of a gentle fixative like Lascaux. They will all change the appearance of light colours of pastel and might make you lose any whites. None of the fixatives should change the acrylic but check that they don’t change the marker, as the alcohol might cause changes.
Since it is already acrylic and mixed media, when you get it fixed to your satisfaction, you could add a layer of clear polymer medium to seal it even better. But that will leave it slight sticky so then you would need a final varnish to harden it off.
Hello
I’m looking for fixative that would work
on silk and fix charcoal /graphite thank
you
Hi Charlotte
I have not used fixatives on silk and can’t find any information. I think you will have to experiment as it is not a usual practice. Silk is usually painted on with silk paints and gutta. Any of the spray fixatives should work to seal the charcoal, the same as if sprayed on canvas. I’m not sure though, if the spray will affect the silk, like make it wrinkle or shrink in spots. And it definitely wouldn’t work if you intend to wash the silk, rather than use it as a wall painting.
Silk Painting department at Jackson’s
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