Spray Fixative for Pencilled Pieces?

[Jerome-migration]

Hello, i was wondering if anyone here had any experience using spray fixatives to preserve pencilled OA. Specifically, published pages that were never physically inked. I'm asking because I don't want my pencilled pieces to smudge or fade over time but I've also never used any fixatives and don't want to risk damaging the OA.

 

Any advice would be very helpful. Be specific as possible, I'm a dummy.

[Michael (OML)]

I used "Fixatif" by Delacroix Sennelier. I use it frequently and it seems to be just fine. Michael

[DiceX]

Nothing wrong with it. Just follow the directions on the can.

 

 

[The Troll King]

Some people frown on the use of fixatives saying that it will eventually discolor the piece or in some other way cause damage.

 

I am not one of those people.

 

If you use a good quality fixative it should last just as long as you do.

 

Here's the "trick" though. NEVER spray the can directly at the image! Pastel, pencils, whatever, you risk either blowing the pigment off the page or somehow creating a mess with the liquid smearing something.

 

Instead... lay the page/paper flat in your garage somewhere and spray the can OVER the piece. Hold the can at such a distance so that the weight of the ejecting liquid is falling onto the piece providing the coverage that you need. One good solid coating of this will provide enough protection.

 

For God's sake don't smoke while you do it either, not only does it stink but it's highly flammable. The odor will go away by the time the piece dries overnight.

 

[innocuous]

I've always wondered about using this as I have many sketches that are only pencil. However, I always thought that the purpose was to prevent smudging? But, this thread suggests that it also protects the artwork from fading. (I have penciled artwork hanging in rooms with minimal to moderate indirect sunlight.)

 

Is it correct that spray fixative will reduce the possibility of fading for my penciled artwork that is being displayed? If so, are there any recommended brands?

[Pete Marino]

Would doing this to a page devalue it at all (given that you do it right and don't mess up the underlying art)

 

I've never used anything like this. does it put like a plastic or rubber like film over the page and make it shiny?

[DiceX]

It's not shiny. Think of it as laying a piece of paper on your wife's makeup table. After being there for a few days, that light coating of hairspray that would be on it. That's what spray fix does.

 

Buffyfan is correct in the application. Don't spray it directly. Just spray several feet over the art and let gravity pull the spray down to coat it. You don't want to saturate it, you just want to dust it with spray.

 

I suggest two or three light coatings instead of a single heavier one. Let each coating dry for 15 mins before hitting it with another coating.

 

Don't use the cheap stuff. Buy the best you can get.

 

 

[Jerome-migration]

Some people frown on the use of fixatives saying that it will eventually discolor the piece or in some other way cause damage.

 

I am not one of those people.

 

If you use a good quality fixative it should last just as long as you do.

 

Here's the "trick" though. NEVER spray the can directly at the image! Pastel, pencils, whatever, you risk either blowing the pigment off the page or somehow creating a mess with the liquid smearing something.

 

Instead... lay the page/paper flat in your garage somewhere and spray the can OVER the piece. Hold the can at such a distance so that the weight of the ejecting liquid is falling onto the piece providing the coverage that you need. One good solid coating of this will provide enough protection.

 

For God's sake don't smoke while you do it either, not only does it stink but it's highly flammable. The odor will go away by the time the piece dries overnight.

 

 

Thanks, this information sounds really helpful. What specific brand do you use or recommend?

[DiceX]

This one or this one.

These are a "workable" fixative, which means it doesn't seal the artwork completely. It just makes it less likely to smudge.

 

If you know you'll never want the artwork altered or erased, you can get a "final" fixative.

This one would be a good choice.

Make sure you buy the Matte Finish as you don't want a gloss finish on your artwork. The matte finish is all but invisible.

 

Also note that when choosing a fixative, you look at the label and make sure it is recommended for the specific medium you are sealing. There are often different types for pencil, charcoal, pastel, colored pencil, ink, oil, gouache, etc.

I wouldn't use the wrong type as it will alter the look of the medium you are spraying.

 

 

[brandolsn]

Pencil (non-colored) doesn't fade. If you have a pencil piece in a sketchbook that looks like it has faded, that's because the pencil has actually come off from the previous page being turned over a lot. Put the pencil piece you love in a snug mylar or snugly in a portfolio, or frame it - but don't spray it. If you're really concerned about preserving the piece you should be far more concerned about the paper degrading - and even then only if it's exposed to humidity or sunlight.

[Jerome-migration]

All my pencilled pages are in a standard itoya portfolio. I was worried that they might smudge or smear against inside of the sheat coverings, especially in cases where there is significant use of pencil shading in the art. Or does that not happen at all and i'm worrying for nothing? Sorry if all my questions seem really banal, I recognize that I may be overly paranoid in this situation.

[The Troll King]

This one or this one.

These are a "workable" fixative, which means it doesn't seal the artwork completely. It just makes it less likely to smudge.

 

If you know you'll never want the artwork altered or erased, you can get a "final" fixative.

This one would be a good choice.

Make sure you buy the Matte Finish as you don't want a gloss finish on your artwork. The matte finish is all but invisible.

 

Also note that when choosing a fixative, you look at the label and make sure it is recommended for the specific medium you are sealing. There are often different types for pencil, charcoal, pastel, colored pencil, ink, oil, gouache, etc.

I wouldn't use the wrong type as it will alter the look of the medium you are spraying.

 

 

I use the Krylon myself as it's actually what most artists use as well. It can be picked up at Hobby Lobby or most any other place that sells art supplies.

[The Troll King]

Pencil (non-colored) doesn't fade. If you have a pencil piece in a sketchbook that looks like it has faded, that's because the pencil has actually come off from the previous page being turned over a lot. Put the pencil piece you love in a snug mylar or snugly in a portfolio, or frame it - but don't spray it. If you're really concerned about preserving the piece you should be far more concerned about the paper degrading - and even then only if it's exposed to humidity or sunlight.

 

Pencil can and will actually fade over time, not just from rubbing.

 

All of my sketchbook pieces are sprayed specifically to avoid the proceeding page from rubbing it out.

 

Also to note: If you see an artist use any sort of Sharpie at all in a sketchbook I highly recommend removing that page from your book as it will bleed through many pages over time. An artist used Sharpies to draw a Thor in my daughter's book and it bled through about 5 pages forward and back... not actual black bleed-through but a yellowing. When I noticed it the Thor was removed.

[The Troll King]

All my pencilled pages are in a standard itoya portfolio. I was worried that they might smudge or smear against inside of the sheat coverings, especially in cases where there is significant use of pencil shading in the art. Or does that not happen at all and i'm worrying for nothing? Sorry if all my questions seem really banal, I recognize that I may be overly paranoid in this situation.

 

I worry about the same thing so there again I will spray them. Mind you, I only spray pencil pieces very lightly not inked/marked ones.

 

I've also had a few pieces inked by other artists that were originally just pencils with very satisfying results. The fixative was in no way a deteriment to the subsequent inking.

[Faerydae-migration]

I use the Kyron workable fixative that is MATTE (be careful as there *are* glass or satin/semi-gloss fixatives out there!)

 

I love the stuff and it's never discolored and allows me to keep working on a piece if I want to - like if I lay down a watercolor wash that I want to set before I do inks or pencils over it or more paints.

[innocuous]

Sorry to repeat, but I'm still not clear...is the fixative for:

 

a) preventing smudging and rubbing of the artwork

 

b) to prevent fading and/or discoloration (due to sun exposure?)

 

c) both?

 

I've read some of the info from the Krylon website and it appears to be only for option a. In this case, if your artwork is framed, you wouldn't need the fixative. Correct?

[The Troll King]

Sorry to repeat, but I'm still not clear...is the fixative for:

 

a) preventing smudging and rubbing of the artwork

 

b) to prevent fading and/or discoloration (due to sun exposure?)

 

c) both?

 

I've read some of the info from the Krylon website and it appears to be only for option a. In this case, if your artwork is framed, you wouldn't need the fixative. Correct?

 

Actually. If it's just pencils.... I don't frame it. I don't want the pencils to fade. If I want it framed I make a color copy of the pencils and frame that. The hell you say? Why color if it's just pencils? Color usually brings out a better representation of the shades of pencil which makes it appear as the original. No one has questioned whether my copies are anything other than the original.

 

 

[Ferran Delgado]

I have a complete issue in pencil form, I bought the more expensive fixative for pencils that I could find, but what I'm missing are the guts to use it.

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=34465

 

Not long ago I saw in the net a few vintage pages which were almost brown after the use of a fixative, i don't know which one. Maybe hairspray? I had nightmares with my pages becoming this brown, so I won't risk...

[Detroit MIke]

don't spray it in the house!