Fixatives give you two choices: workable fixative or non-workable fixatives. Well, neither one is really satisfying by title alone.
Let’s get the bad news over with first: most of them come in spray cans. Some have fluorocarbons, some not. I’m not a fan of spray cans, they take up a lot of space in a landfill. I’ve never seen a fixative in anything else except a spray can, although I’d be happy to hear about another application.
The spray can creates the ideal delivery system–tiny drops in a wide spray. The purpose of most fixatives is to keep charcoal, Conte crayon, pencil, and pastels from rubbing off.
The other purposes of a fixative is to protect your work from damaging UV rays and other environmental horrors. The best ones protect with a sealant that can be removed by conservators.
Here’s the important part: unless you use fixatives correctly, you will not be doing your artwork any favors. And most people don’t use them correctly. Here are some tips:
1. Make sure your artwork is finished. Including your signature. Any work you do after using a fixative is going to rub the sealant around the page, and that’s not so great for the paper or the medium.
2. Several light spritzes are better than one blast. I see people do this over and over. They slap their expensive paper down, then apply fixative until the paper is soaked. This isn’t a brownie pan and it’s not non-stick spray you are wielding. The key to success is several light, sweeping sprays.
3. If your paper is wet, you’re doing it wrong. Keep the nozzle about a foot away from your artwork. Push the nozzle down and mist the paper in a gentle sweep. Pretend you are applying a wonderful perfume, rather than waterproofing your sneakers. Let it dry. Really. Dry till the back of your hand doesn’t feel cool when placed against the artwork. Then repeat. With a light touch, three coats are just right. With a heavy spray, one coat is too much.
4. Give the spray a chance to spread out. If you hold the nozzle too close to the paper the propellant will blow off the top layer of charcoal or pastel, and mottle your work with moisture. Holding the can a foot above the paper will give you the best results.
5. Choose the finish you want. Read the label. There are matte, transparent and gloss fixatives. Choose the one you want, not the one that’s there. Dickblick.com has a big variety worth checking out.
6. Clear the nozzle when you are done. The stuff you are spraying is a type of varnish. If you don’t clear the nozzle you will never use up the can because the nozzle will be hermetically sealed with fixative. To clear the nozzle, turn the can upside down, make sure the hole is facing away from you, and depress the nozzle. It will begin to spray, but after about 3 seconds, only the propellant will come out. Let the propellant hiss out for at least two seconds. Yes, this wastes some of the fixative. But if you don’t do it, you’ll waste a lot more as it gets stuck in the can.
7. If you are not done, use workable fixative. Workable means you can continue to work on the piece without smudging. Non-workable means you are done. If you continue to work on non-workable, you will be rolling varnish over the surface of your paper, picking up tiny rough pieces of chalk or charcoal. You are now scrubbing the surface of the paper, and bits of the paper are rolling around in this mess, too. When you go to put more charcoal down, it will be on a different surface and it will not look the same. You’ll have thicker and thinner layers of color, and the surface, now more absorbent, will mottle when you go back with more fixative.
A light touch, and letting the work dry completely before doing anything else is the best way to use fixative. Even a light touch can change the tonal value of your work. Before you “fix” it, let the fixative dry completely. You won’t have to work so hard.
Image: Conte crayon on Canson 98-lb. Mi-Teintes paper. Quinn McDonald (c) 2008 Quinn McDonald is a certified creativity coach who has learned to wear shop aprons when working with glues and fixatives. See her work at QuinnCreative.com
I definitely need this fixative stuff; anything I try to draw or paint or whatever looks pretty brokative.
–Ah, Pete, you crack me up! Oh, wait, now I need fixative! -Q
Hi Quinn, I ran across your fixative “tutorial” while hunting the right fixative for a peculiar piece of work. On a well gessoed canvas I began drawing with Conte crayon what was intended to become a mixed media contraption with acrylic paint, crayon and whatever else. At some point I decided to leave it as one big 3×4 ft. drawing. Normally, I spray varnish on an acrylic painting after one month. Should I use the same matte varnish for this drawing and is it okay to do so immediatly after the drawing is done? Thank you for any light you can shine this way, I’m kinda new at this. Jim
—-Jim, my gut tells me that a fixative is going to be better for conte crayon than varnish. While conte crayons are considered hard pastels, they feel as if they have a wax binder in them. I’d think spray varnish would diminish some of their delicacy. I”d use a workable fixative till you are sure you are done, then use a permanent fixative. I’ll check with my art teacher tomorrow night, she works more in conte than I do. -Q
Thanks for the advice. I have seen the bad results of thinking I had to soak the paper.
How long does it typically take for yours to dry?
Depends on the humidity in your area. East Coast, leave at least one minute between very light spray coats; West Coast about 30 seconds. Paint-on fixatives take much longer. Use a piece of paper to touch a corner of the painted surface and see if the paper leaves a mark. —Q
Can you help me? I used a Workable Fixative on my art and smeared it badly afterwards. I thought I was using a Matte Fixative. Now, I’ve bought a Matte fixative and started spraying my work and the charcoal falls off if I touch it! My work has already faded and smeared from when I sprayed the Workable Fixative on it. What am I doing wrong?
What kind of art are you doing? (Charcoal only or charcoal on with something else like conte crayon?)
On what kind of surface? (Bristol board, paper, gesso’d board?)
What kind of fixative–spray or paint it on? What brand?
Matte Fixative–what does it say on the can (Brand name and some words like “permanent” or “workable.”)
My guess–and it’s just that–is that you sprayed the first fixative on too heavily or too close to the paper. That would cause soaking and smearing. The matte fixative is different from the workable and isn’t blending well, because the charcoal already absorbed the other fixative. But I’ll know more if you send me the information.
i’ve been working on a colored pencil piece and i’ve smudged it. the background i want to keep white. is there any way to remove little smudges without having to paint the background white? also is there any way to make a do-it-yourself workable fixative? i like to work in my bedroom and can’t spray that horrible smell?
If the paper is quality paper, an electric eraser will take care of smudges. You might want to try a kneaded eraser, then a white one, first. Work lightly.
You also might find it useful to put a piece of paper towel under you hand while you are drawing. It reduces smudges transferred from the oil on your hand to the paper. I know of no do-it-yourself fixative. You can do some research for ones that don’t smell or have different chemicals, or go outside to spray.
Another post suggested some do it yourself fixatives, which I havent tried.. one was gum arabic and a touch of glycerin, and water and to spary with an airbrush. I have all of these and will likely try it in a trail piece. I have fix that is years old and have never clogged the sprayer. it just keeps on working, but darkens the drawing a lot, so I am looking for other methods for my last touches. I always fix with a matte fix between layers.
Fixatives are tricky, at best. I’ve never tried gum arabic as a fixative, although I could see where it would work. Be careful of matte medium as a fixative. It can get cloudy if applied unevenly.
I just sprayed some workable fixative on my watercolour picture, I’ve let it dry for the recommended hour, but I can still smell the spray when I go close to it. Is it not set yet? Being able to smell it makes me a bit unsettled, as I don’t want to inhale fumes or chemicals. Is it safe once it’s dry?
Hi i learned a lot so far but i have a final question!
I work with conte on white charcoal paper. The problem i have is that the conte powders from my work mess up my white paper when i try to blow them off the paper or just shake the paper to remove them! Does the workable fixative help to have a clean painting too? meaning could i easily blow off the waste powder after applying the workable fixative without it spreading color and messing my paper up?
Please let me know!
thank you
I wouldn’t spray a fixative before working with charcoal or conte. A fixative is meant to hold particles on the board. I’d use a pick-up instead–the bags filled with eraser dust. They work well.
I have been doing graphite drawings for commissions for a couple of years, and I am concerned now about the safety of those drawings. In the classes I have taken over the years, we used a workable fixatives for charcoal and chalk pastels, but never as a sealant. Classmates often sprayed their work with hairspray, but I never felt that was safe. But now, after reading this tutorial, I am concerned that I have been cheating these people out of a good piece that will last. Is fixative completely necessary, should I rush out and get some?
Hair spray is a bad idea. It’s not meant to be a fixative or a sealant. It’s not archival. If your graphite drawings are framed, you don’t need to worry about a fixative. But if your stack your work, and pick it up by the edge and drag it under another sheet, you are pulling graphite off in little chunks. A fixative helps.
Just stumbled across your site and was wondering if you have any advice for me. My kids are making artworks like these
http://www.chiccheapnursery.com/2011/do-it-yourself/diy-how-to-make-a-crayon-monogram/
for Christmas gifts for their teachers this year, however I’ve just realised in our hot Australian climate, the crayons may actually melt and ruin the piece.
Do you think a fixative would ‘seal’ whole crayons and prevent them from melting, or can you think of anything else which may serve that purpose? Wishful thinking perhaps? Cheers.
Love that crayon monogram! What a clever idea. I don’t think a fixative will keep a crayon from melting. You’d have to encase it in something stronger than a fixative, and that would create a lot more problems. I live in a hot climate, too, so my first suggestion is to see if the crayon actually melts. Take several crayons and leave them out on the counter to see what happens. Crayons are pretty sturdy, particularly if you buy the better brands. They contain less wax. Because you are making it indoors and it will hang indoors, I’m guessing that there won’t be a problem other than the transport from your house to the school. If that’s true, then put the artwork in a box, put a towel over it and place ice bags on the towel while transporting. Do not put ice bags directly on the artwork.
If the crayons do begin to melt on the counter, you can substitute inexpensive colored pencils, which would achieve the same effect and can be cut with a saw or Dremel tool. Let us know what happens.