Painters Online Logo

Login/register

Studio

Fixing Pastel

Welcome to the forum.

Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.

Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.

Hang on Studio Wall
Showing page 2 of 4
Author
Message

Alan Morris

  • Forum Expert
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 203
Posted
Thank you Marjorie, very interesting.   I should also add Please don’t use hairspray on your precious art work.  Whilst hairspray has very similar ingredients to most fixative, it also contains a number of other unknown ingredients to make it smell nice etc,  which can cause yellowing, darkening or stickiness.

Denise Cat

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6945
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2624
Posted
It's great to know there is a non-toxic spray. I shall definitely see if I can order some.  Thanks for the information Marjorie. I should imagine this will be good news for Paul.

Edited
by Denise Cat

IMG_3630

Paul (Dixie) Dean

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 21354
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6929
Posted
Thank you for the information Marjorie, and to everyone for your response. 
IMG_8857

Marjorie Firth

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 8069
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2449
Posted
It was Alan who first mentioned casein based spray, I had forgotten, so many thanks to him.

Alan Morris

  • Forum Expert
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 203
Posted
Thank you Marjorie.
IMG_3630

Paul (Dixie) Dean

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 21354
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6929
Posted
Yes I noticed after that Alan had originally made the comment, but read on and forgot so definitely a thanks to Alan and Marjorie for the information.

Martin Shaw

  • Forum Expert
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 391
Posted
Tending not to fix my work now. Store and frame it more or less straight away. A lot of Patel artists don’t use fixative. The tempera one I have spectrafix. It blobs as it sprays. If I had to use one it would be the Windsor Newton. All of them change the colours
IMG_8857

Marjorie Firth

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 8069
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2449
Posted
It’s very difficult to avoid the blobs whatever you use - one of the reasons I don’t use fixative, plus it does alter the colours and takes away the “ wow” - imo.

Alan Morris

  • Forum Expert
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 203
Posted
As an interesting aside to this discussion.  A growing number of professional pastel artists are now framing their unfixed pastel paintings up against the glass, no mount no gap!  The theory being that there is no where for pastel particles to go.  I would think that you would need a very good framer to achieve this… you only get one go at it! Tony Alain is one artist that I know has done this.

Edited
by Alan Morris

Martin Shaw

  • Forum Expert
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 391
Posted
As an interesting aside to this discussion.  A growing number of professional pastel artists are now framing their unfixed pastel paintings up against the glass, no mount no gap!  The theory being that there is no where for pastel particles to go.  I would think that you would need a very good framer to achieve this… you only get one go at it! Tony Alain is one artist that I know has done this.
Alan Morris on 30/12/2025 19:49
Strange one that. Takes all sorts
IMG_8857

Marjorie Firth

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 8069
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2449
Posted
I'd be interested to see one...not sure about the effect 

Martin Shaw

  • Forum Expert
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 391
Posted
It’s very difficult to avoid the blobs whatever you use - one of the reasons I don’t use fixative, plus it does alter the colours and takes away the “ wow” - imo.
Marjorie Firth on 30/12/2025 18:55:05
True! Need to start pastel work again
Showing page 2 of 4