Fixative or NO Fixative?

In most cases, I don’t use any fixative with soft pastels but sometimes I do, for example:

• When I work quite thickly with pastel marks. In this case, I might only spray these particular areas.
• When pastel paper has lost its tooth in some parts during the painting process or when re-working some areas. In this case, I spray an even layer of fixative over the affected part and allow 1-2 minutes for the fixative to dry before continuing pastel application.
• Occasional spraying during the working process enables deep layering of pastel. If you wish, you can work on still wet paper to create washes and interesting marks with pastel. Personally, I don’t routinely spray between applications because I usually work in rather thin, semi-transparent layers.
• However, I may spray the very dark areas of a pastel painting or drawing if I want to continue working over that area in clear, light lines like I did in the “Meditation-to-go II”. I did not use a fixative on the finished artwork though.

• Using a fixative on a large pastel work (around 1m and more on any side) with thick application of pastel can make framing easier and would prevent pastel dust from eventually falling onto the glass, spacers or mat during shipping.  
• When a pastel work is hung without glass. An example is this “Melancholy” painting. I used cradled wood panel as a painting surface and this piece has been up on our walls for four years now without any damage to it.  

If you use a fixative, always use a high quality one, designed for soft pastel. Sennelier soft pastel fixative works well without changing or darkening the colour if applied in thin layers (like fine mist), each layer left to dry completely. Always try out the fixative on a small area first and use a fixative either outdoors or in a well aired space.

A good alternative to Sennelier fixative is SpectraFix casein-based pastel fixative. It utilises milk protein and grain alcohol and is therefore non-toxic and can be used indoors which is quite pleasant. It is fully archival too but requires a bit of practice applying. You can also use it under oil or acrylic paints if you do a preliminary drawing to prevent it from smudging.