Spraying pastels or not

Hi i am a new member x
I just wondered if its best to spray pastel pictures as i think it can effect the colours? Also is it best to frame pastels to protect them using glass and a spacer? Thank you x

Here is my Mr Robin. My first attempt at pastels so i am quite pleased. The colours are a bit more vibrant in the photo i took of my piece.

3 Likes

Hi Mandy @mand - nice to have you here in the Community. The texture of those feathers are very nice. Like the bill too, but that eye is my favorite part. Perfect.

To answer your question, most people don’t use fixative on pastels because the colors do change, getting darker. On my pastels, I use a double matt and get them in a frame under glass as soon as possible.

Hope you keep posting your work and questions here.

Terri Robichon

Thank you so much for your advice Terri. I will start looking at frames now. Thank you also for your kind comments. I’m just learning so youve boosted my confidence :slightly_smiling_face: x

1 Like

We’re a very positive and supportive place of all skill levels. If you want feedback on how to fix a problem or make your art better, you need to ask for that kind of feedback. Also. check out one of the recent topics here called … Lets have some fun - new chat. Several of us are sharing photos of where we create our artwork, often including what we are currently working on. It doesn’t matter if it is the kitchen table, a little corner of a spare bedroom, a huge room, messy/cluttered or very neat and organized. The post is just for fun and a way of getting to know each other. I invite you to participate in this chat by sharing a photo of your own workspace. And feel free to comment on what others posted. Have a great day!

Terri Robichon

A fixative does make the color darker. My personal preference is that I would do a couple light coats of a spray fixative. The color getting slightly darker doesn’t bother me. I would avoid a heavy coat.
Just an opinion
everyone has one
doesn’t mean it is valuable.

2 Likes

Thanks so much Dale. I value your opinion. As i havent used pastels before really I am open to advice. I think i will experiment with both on a couple of rough sketches in pastels and spray one but not the other so I can see the difference. Many thanks :blush:

1 Like

Very nicely done. I’ve sprayed a few of mine without remorse.

1 Like

Thank you Linda, thats encouraging to know :slightly_smiling_face: