SPRAY FIXATIVE FINAL 5 2020

Spray Fixative; How to Protect your Pastel Painting

[@elizabethpears307]

The picture is so stunning!!!

[@laurapollakartist9104]

Thanks so much Elizabeth! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

[@raygodmanMX]

Wow ok.. I had been worried about fixing and darkening. This is worth a try. Would you do the same if this was a portrait? May just be my eyes or the wetness but honestly it looks like it did darken the darks but left the lights as vivid and bright as before.. in a good way.

[@laurapollakartist9104]

Ray Godman When I did it I didn’t see any changes. Would I do on a portrait???? Depends on what I painted it on [what type of paper and how thick I applied the pastel]. Also if I had to ship it somewhere. If I did have to ship I would definitely ‘fix’. Very Carefully!

[@wizzardofpaws2420]

I love the Krylon fine art fixatif. It's amazing.

[@laurapollakartist9104]

Yes, it works GREAT and so much more less expensive!

[@LanaBallot]

Laura, my heart still skipped a bit watching that ;) I understand all that what can happen, and I remember that terrible accident with your painting at the PSA, so that does convince me. I just did not bring myself yet to actually doing it. Maybe after watching this video.. :)

[@laurapollakartist9104]

Lana Ballot If I never had the issue I would never have done it. I just would do what I’d been doing. So if you never had a problem, don’t bother!

[@LanaBallot]

@@laurapollakartist9104 No, the wise thing to do is to learn the art of fixative :) and prevent the accidents from happening!

[@judithpetree6329]

Laura, thanks for the fixative tutorial. I've only used Krylon workable fixatif and I haven't noticed a darkening so much as what I would describe as a "cloudy" appearance of the colors. after spraying. Have you ever seen this and do you have any ideas as to why this might happen? There is a heavy buildup of pastel on the pieces and I did spray them 3-4x using your and others' suggestions re: application. Because of the cloudy appearance, I feel I must add even more pastel which seems counterproductive to using fixative in the first place, Help!

[@laurapollakartist9104]

HI Judith! What I’ve found is that if there’s an area that’s not going the way you wish, it’s easier and ‘fresher’ if I take a paint brush and just tap off the excess pastel of the offending area and then rework VS trying to keep layering. When I layer on top of a part that isn’t working it just gets muddy. If I were to spray it, the fix just ‘melts’ what’s already there and gets mucky. The least amount of pastel you can use will keep works fresher. Also, I don’t use the workable fix but instead the Archival Krylon Fix at the very end. I don’t see any change in color then. Hope this helps! Laura. 🎨

[@judithpetree6329]

Thanks so much for explaining how that works and for the suggestion of the final fix. Did you mean don't use workable fix at all? Also, I wonder if you've tried the LuxArchival paper yet. It supposedly is close to the Wallis paper and doesn't curl like the UArt.

[@freckles5455]

@@judithpetree6329 I really don’t use workable fix. I try hard to keep My strokes clean and fresh so I have to concentrate. Hi have tried Luz and really liked it!

[@maureeng663]

Thanks for this Laura, I have not used fixative for a long time because of the various problems. Ill give it a try!

[@lindakriegel5552]

Oh my! So brave! I’ve ruined so many good paintings with fixative. I’ve tried a technique I learned from Jason Morgan where I use the spectrum in a mister bottle and that seems to work the best for me. Still makes me panic anytime I have to ship. If it’s local, I don’t fix. Thanks for sharing.

[@freckles5455]

I know! A bit scary. But if i let it mist down like rain I feel safe. Thanks for watching!

[@kathygore6615]

thank you - gorgeous painting by the way

[@laurapollakartist9104]

Kathy Gore thanks so much! Online classes to come soon!