A Gentle Soul

Very well painted, it is very striking and a touch spooky:) I have only just started using pastels. I did one today and used fixative for the first time. It immediately darkened my painting and I will not use it again! Fortunately I photographed it before I fixed it, but was very annoyed! I have heard of the arguments for and against. I am against! However your highlights stand out very well but your instincts will guide you. I haven't tried mountboard. I assume this what is used to frame paintings?

From my VERY limited experience of pastel, the best paper I've used was velour; and Canson Mi-Teintes seems popular too. So far as fixative is concerned - I've heard it said that a very light spray is advisable: but quite how you control it, I don't know.... someone said don't spray directly onto the painting, but spray above the painting..... Seems like quite a trick if you can pull it off; what did they do in the 18th century, I wonder... did they fix, or put it immediately behind glass. Smudging, rather than the pastel falling off the paper, seems to be the real problem..... But Mick/Bloodaxe is your man for pastel: let us hope he notices this painting and comes to the rescue with the answer.

this does have a little spooky feel to it, like he is appearing out of the smoke from a magic trick or something :-) really like it. I am afraid i do not use fixative when using pastels anymore, iv been through all of them, hair spray :-p goats milk, the common fixatives, then i gave up and use kitchen paper sheets and paper clips :-) but that is no use if you want to put them on display. I do know that the art company called Shcminck (cant spell it) have a paper that has fixative already on it, but i have never used, it is called 'sans fix'

Thank you all for your comments and your advice. I have always either used normal Canson or the Mi-Tientes paper so using the Mountboard was an experiment really. I have never had a problem using the fixative on the pastel papers before and I followed their instructions to the letter. I feel sure that because there is no absorbancy in the Mountboard it just sat on top - so as I said another layer might be the answer here. Will look for the paper that you suggested Rebecca and Robert, I will look up the person you suggested. Maybe he will be able to help. Thanks again for all your interest and feedback.

Hey Rebecca, I like the sound of that pastel paper you mentioned 'sans fix' as well, might have to get some of that and give it a go, this was an interesting experiment for you Libby, whoever this portrait is of he looks to be quite a character, good work and you certainly sparked a discussion with it didn't you!