MY MOST ASKED QUESTION! - How Do you Protect Pastel Paintings?

[@MB-kf3yx]

So many helpful tips! Thank you for sharing your expertise and for the tour of your studio and some of your artwork.

[@nethmanawaratne4797]

Thank you for the tips !❤

[@MultiPassionateCreator]

Oh my goodness! My mother and I just busted out laughing when you said roundabout. I have a room in my house that joins the 1886 log cabin to the new addition. It has a door on each wall that takes you to a different area so I named it the roundabout! Too funny!

[@monetcafe]

@ilovetocrop is awesome!

[@christineykim]

This was so helpful. Thank you for sharing all this with us! Your work is so lovely.

[@dawnhayden2249]

I had portraits I spent weeks on of my children. I sprayed a light spray of Sennelier fixative on it and left it at the framers. It was my first pastel works. I picked them up from the framers and they looked really dark. I asked the framers what happened and they said they were shedding so they sprayed fixative on them themselves without asking. I was devastated. I had spent so much time on them. Please be specific with framers if you don't want them to do this to yours.

[@bracita15]

I feel for you. I mean, it’s one thing to spray something like Workable Fixative and mess it up yourself like I did to a super nice adult coloring page. This was done by someone else, WITHOUT permission. Ugh! 🤦🏻‍♀️😡

[@voyance4elle]

that's crazy! How could they do that without your permission?

[@sapphy2]

Very useful thankyou

[@JaneSindell]

That's some great advice! Thank you!

[@juliepekarske8302]

Thank you

[@cherylfunk8382]

Thank you for all the great ideas! Your paintings are lovely!

[@marytesta3003]

Thank you, Susan. This is very informative. Your work is gorgeous.

[@alanthornton3530]

Thank you for showing a behind the scenes shot of your home work area & the techniques you use for shipping/storage, I like the idea of foam board. I used fixatives when I first started with soft pastels it made them darker which I didn't like! I was advised to spray the first couple of layers but not the final one just to keep things fresh, I didn't get on so well & stopped using fixative. Storage was easy the paintings went between sheets of newspaper I never had any smudges, they look as good now as when I painted them in the late 80's :)

[@monetcafe]

Thanks Alan! Sounds like you abandoned fixative for the same reasons I did. And yes, putting paintings between paper is a great way to store them. Neat to know yours have been safe since the 80's!

[@leslierivera8702]

Your art is amazing!!! I discovered pastels a couple of years ago and I paint pet and wildlife paintings. I’m wanting to learn landscape painting so I love watching your channel!!

[@monetcafe]

That's what I love to hear, Leslie! Landscape paintings are my favorite, so I hope you learn lots!

[@sandyt6092]

Greatly appreciate the time you took to inform us "newbies"! I've wondered how to mount to another surface (gator, board, etc.) and found the 586 repositionable mounting adhesive roll mentioned elsewhere. Alas, it's nowhere to be found, mostly noted as out-of-stock. Have you experienced the same? Thanks again!

[@amyblossom7486]

Heading over to your Etsy shop now to check out your beautiful paintings! Thanks for sharing this learning experience.

[@monetcafe]

Bless you, Amy! I love your last name. You really need to paint flowers!

[@tomturnbull7607]

As for all your work I have one word: Brilliant!

[@marleneroseman5136]

Thank you Susan for all this great information to keep pastel paintings undamaged in handling and shipping. I really enjoy your videos!

[@faigysfudem9962]

Thank you for all the useful tips for storage and shipping . Also love the smaller size of the of the beautiful paintings you showed !

[@monetcafe]

Awesome @faigysfudem9962, I appreciate that so much!

[@valeriegehling4358]

Loads of info. Good for me who is a newbie! Thanks

[@monetcafe]

Glad it was helpful!

[@vintagepathtammye.6314]

Susan , thank you so much for all of these valuable tips . I love watching your videos .. I am a Patreon subscriber of yours as well . Have a blessed day🙏💛🖼️

[@monetcafe]

So glad the tips were helpful, and bless you for supporting me through Patreon! :) :) :)

[@loriehaisen9555]

Have you ever done a video where we can ask you personal questions? I'm 50, just wondering how old you are. Do you tell your story of how you got into art in any of your videos? Where did you learn how to paint like you do? How do you get your hair to look like that, it looks so healthy and beautiful. Do you ever have artists block? How do you get past it? I have it now, and it's been a struggle. Anyway, I'm watching your videos, because I love your style and pastel is my medium. Thanks, I really enjoyed this video too. Have a blessed day!

[@monetcafe]

Lorie, bless your heart… You’ve given me a script for a video! Those are all fantastic questions! I’ll be 59 in June and I’ve been painting seriously since I was around 45. I still had so much to learn and back then it was harder to find information about pastel painting. I have some of my personal story sprinkled throughout multiple videos, but I don’t have anything all inclusive. I think that’s a great idea. Oh, and the crazy thing about my hair is that I do absolutely nothing to it. My daughter-in-law a fantastic hairdresser so it’s not like I don’t have a resource for hair care. It’s been almost a year since I even went to get my haircut. Maybe the trick is not doing too much to your hair. Ha ha. Thanks for your awesome feedback and I’m going to take your suggestions to heart.

[@loriehaisen9555]

@@monetcafe Wow, thanks for that awesome reply! You look way younger than 59 and your hair! - you must have great genes! I thought maybe you were close to my age or even younger! I would love it if you made a video like that, I bet a lot of your subs would love it too. Looking forward to it! I do nothing to my hair too, but it doesn't look at thick and healthy as yours! LOL

[@Marie-vx9fs]

Beautiful paintings! Thank you for shipping pointers.

[@bartcharlow9807]

Thank you for this great explanation!

[@artwithjessamyn]

Thank you SO much for your generosity! The Lord bless you a thousand times over for sharing this information!

[@pharmerdebbie]

Thanks you for the demonstration!

[@lisagutierres8954]

Thank you Susan! I am a very unorganized person 😂 I have paintings all over my small studio and this is really going to help me 😊

[@monetcafe]

Wonderful Lisa! That makes me so happy.

[@rosaliefunk1629]

Great ideas. Not only for sales, but for gift giving. Once again, I thank you. ❤️

[@monetcafe]

Yes, Rosalie! I love giving my art as gifts :)

[@ss2003utube]

I would appreciate a lesson on pricing artwork. I am not ready to set up shop until I develop my own paintings, but would like to learn so it can brew in my mind a but.

[@monetcafe]

Great question, Sheri! I'll try to address that soon :)

[@sarahnorthrop9823]

Really helpful and informative thanks and the special touches with the parcel are a lovely idea 😊💖

[@aesea57804]

So practical! Thank you!

[@ciscowillison5230]

Love watching your tips!

[@keikiokaaina1951]

SUPER helpful, Susan. Thank you!

[@yogibakshi2375]

Beautiful painting 👌 and a very beautiful and personal touch. ❤️

[@cyndiho]

I needed to see this video for many reasons, thank you for making it. I recently read from a popular pastel artist to avoid plastic as a protective layer due to its high static charge that tends to pull considerable pastel off the surface. I am wondering if the bags you use has caused this to your paintings?

[@monetcafe]

Cyn, There is a bit of pastel that adheres to the bag, but I find it doesn’t effect the final painting. I provide an instruction sheet on how to remove the painting from the bag and other pastel painting care tips.

[@voice__Maker]

Great thank you!❤

[@shreyasarkar7817]

Thank you Susan❤ This was a very useful video :)

[@bartcharlow9807]

Susan, I see Logan has many cutters. There's one that does both straight an beveled. Have you used that? They also sell a rail, have you used a rail with your cutter?

[@monetcafe]

Hi Bart, I’ve only used one Logan cutter that has a simple straight edge. And I’ve never used the rail before. I may have to check that out and get one. And that’s so neat that they have one that creates a beveled edge. Thanks for sharing.

[@TjVoelkerArt]

I sure appreciated all of the tips! I had another artist actually tell me that her pastel artist friends roll their paintings and ship them in a tube. I can't even imagine! Yikes! I send prints that way but never an original!

[@monetcafe]

🙂 🙂 🙂 ❤, @TjVoelkerArt I have a friend, as well who does this. Her method I'm told, is to cover with glassine paper, tape atop the paper to the back of the pastel piece and roll. She has mentioned good results doing it this way. But.... this is how I do mine. :) Thanks for watching!

[@BlindSpotArtMinistries-ch3ep]

Thank you for sharing

[@monetcafe]

🙂 🙂 🙂 ❤, @BlindSpotArtMinistries-ch3ep thanks for watching!

[@franredmon6517]

My question about mounting paintings is what happens if you want to frame with a mat? I usually have a painting on a mounting board with a border that matches the outside measurements of the mat. I’m thinking I’d have to put this on another board and create risers around the painting (foam core strips) to keep the mat level when putting into a frame. I did this one time and used a plein air frame with no mat. Do you frame these with a mat? If so how?

[@monetcafe]

That’s actually a really good question Fran. I typically never frame with a mat, but I think I’ll ask a contact I have who is a framer about how to approach framing, mounted pieces with a mat. If I find something out, I’ll be sure to let you know.

[@jaygarcia8133]

God bless your job and your business.

[@monetcafe]

Thank you so much, Jay, and God bless you too!

[@chantalrochon3566]

Loved your video❤ Thank you 😊😊😊😊

[@monetcafe]

Thank you so much, @chantalrochon3566! I'm so glad you liked it! Happy Painting!

[@andreacomeau2103]

Your art is amazing, I just started doing pastels and I love them iam on my 13 painting and jstdidmy fist one on sandpaper of a chicken and it turn out awesome. Thank you fr getting me started on pastels. ❤

[@monetcafe]

How wonderful Andrea! I’m so excited for you and your new SoftPastel journey!

[@andreacomeau2103]

@monetcafe thank you so much ,love watching you 😘

[@patriciamckeen432]

Hello Susan. Do you find the clear bags create a static charge that can affect the paintings?

[@monetcafe]

No, I've never had any problem with that :)

[@ss2003utube]

I appreciate your help with this so much! Question… do you typically mount everything like this unless it’s on a pastelboard/matt? For smaller pieces 5x7 or so… will the foam core board create problems for customers wanting to purchase a frame for the prints in terms of thickness? I’m thinking photo type frames that would sit on a table might have thickness issues.

[@monetcafe]

Good points Sheri. I actually only mount paintings that may have curled a bit. I prefer to just place them in the bags unmounted and with a piece of foam core board for the reasons you mentioned. Some frames can accommodate the extra thickness, but not all. A framer would be able to get it framed correctly but that can get expensive.

[@mariannekeller7504]

Hi Susan!! I really appreciate the information in this video. Thank you so much. I do have a question about the bags... I went to the website and quite frankly am confused! Can you help me get the info to order the bags you showed here?? Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. PS: Just ordered the Logan 707-1. Can't wait to try it. Thanks again.

[@mariannekeller7504]

I think I've got it!! Just a thought... would a canvas panel work to adhere a painting to!! I have some 8x10 ad some 8x12 panels... just wondering...

[@monetcafe]

Hi Marianne, I get the crystal clear bags on that site and the ones with protective closure. Here’s a link that will take you right to that section. You can filter it to choose bags of a certain size. I always buy bags larger than standard sizes to be able to fit my painting and foam core board inside. Here’s the link: www.clearbags.com/crystal-clear/bags/protective-closure/premium-bags

[@mariannekeller7504]

@@monetcafe Thank you so much!!

[@GabiSuggate]

This was so informative Susan. Thank you so much.🥰I went to your Etsy shop but you don't send to Australia.

[@monetcafe]

So happy the info was helpful, Gabi. And sorry I only ship to US. I find the shipping costs just get too much outside of the states.🥲

[@GabiSuggate]

I understand. I will just enjoy your art from afar.🥰

[@LindaSparks-uf6bt]

Try Sennilier Latour fixitive. Doesn't darke😊n

[@monetcafe]

Oh thanks! I'll get some!

[@bobbiegraham7729]

Nice informative video. I am a little confused though. You explain why you don't use fixative, which I understand completely, but I was expecting something other than just storage solutions. Does this mean you never seal your work with any substance? Love the cutter you showed, I'm thinking it will work well with my roll of wc paper, no steady hands required. I also assume that once you burnish the repositional adhesive it is no longer repositional. Thank you so much for sharing. Bless you.

[@monetcafe]

Yes, I probably should’ve been more clear… I don’t put anything on my pastel artwork before I store it in the clear bags. Pastel paintings will last for hundreds of years with proper storage without any spray.

[@debbieoquendo1091]

Which Logan tool are you using . The one I bought requires a ruler?

[@monetcafe]

I can’t remember the brand name of my Logan cutter, but it does not require a ruler. Some people might choose to use a ruler with it to get a super straight line, but I’ve gotten to where I can make a good swipe and get a clean straight edge

[@nanvaughn2258]

Thank you Susan! This was so helpful. Is it possible to mount the pastel paper on the foam board before painting it? I always seem to smudge my work.

[@monetcafe]

Yes, that's actually the best practice. I mention that in the video, but I should have made it more clear. ;)

[@desertrose2085]

What was the name of that business card company? Thank you for such an informative video.

[@monetcafe]

www.moo.com

[@debbieoquendo1091]

So helpful Susan !! , how much larger would you buy the clear bags for a painting with the foam core backing ? Thank you 💜

[@monetcafe]

So happy it was helpful, Debbie. I buy the bags at least 1/4" larger on each side..... so a total of 1/2" more high and 1/2" more wide. :) Sometimes I have to order a bag that is quite a bit larger, but I make it work by folding over the excess and taping on the back :)

[@debbieoquendo1091]

Thank yiou Susan!💜💜💜💜

[@michelepejza8407]

I tried this on some of my smaller pastels today and it worked wonderfully! Thanks so much for the tips. My artwork looks professional and beautifully displayed, plus they are protected from being damaged ❤

[@maurinabillere7809]

Hi! Quick comment and question. I'm a follower of your channel thinking about being a Patreion member. For now, just a quick question: Do you ever have safety concerns breathing in fumes from soft pastel dust. I noticed you do not wear a mask. I have done my research, and it seems like the brands u use are pretty safe...some sites will mention OSA... based on ur research, do u feel safe?

[@monetcafe]

That's a great question, Maurina, and thanks for considering becoming a patron of mine. I've never had any problem over the years of painting with pastels, but we do have really good air flow in my house. Just to be safe, I have started using a small fan with a HEPA filter that I sit by me while I paint. It keeps dust to a minimum and I think it's a good way to be careful. Also, many pastel artists wear gloves, but I don't. Again I've never had a problem. There is a product called "Gloves in a Bottle" that I have used and it keeps the pastel dust from sticking to your hands. Hope that helps sweetie!

[@maurinabillere7809]

👍👍ty

[@cg8397]

What's the thickness of the foam core board used for mounting the paintings in this video? There are a lot of options, it's confusing me. Thanks in advance for your response.

[@monetcafe]

I’m fairly certain the boards I use are 3/16 inch thick. Hope that helps!

[@barbdouglas3242]

Is there a particular foam board that works best? Thank you.

[@monetcafe]

Are usually buy an expensive foam core board from the dollar tree when I’m just using it to slip into one of the plastic bags or to use for support for shipping. But if I mount a pastel painting to a foamcore board it’s best to use a higher quality which you can purchase at most art supply stores. I also prefer using black.

[@gila1959]

Fixative totaly changed my final painting . It was changed the colors to dark and i didnt liked it at all

[@education461]

The problem is for the client when they want to frame a piece that is mounted to a foam and doesn't fit inside a frame. Has anyone ever say anything about it?

[@monetcafe]

That’s true. And I actually don’t typically mount my pastel surfaces to boards. It’s nice to know that we can though.

[@education461]

@@monetcafe Oh ok! I was wondering because I only sell pastels that are framed but is not my main media. I have tons of respect for people who only paint with pastels and I love to hear their advices.

[@susanobyrnes1524]

Do you know a pastel card that will accept a water background ?

[@monetcafe]

There are numerous pastel papers that accept water, but not sure if you would consider them a “card”. Here are some: Colourfix by Art Spectrum, Pastelmat, UArt.

[@susanobyrnes1524]

@@monetcafe thank you very much