to protect the drawing with pastels from damage - shattering of the pastel or smearing it - it must be fixed. Drawing fixation can be done in a variety of ways.
Instructions
Step 1
The easiest way is to fix it with regular hairspray or factory varnish with a spray bottle. Spray the varnish at a distance of 15-20 cm from the painting several times with a break of at least 20 minutes. After fixation, the work becomes less pastel, the colors acquire additional depth.
Step 2
Gelatin is also used to fix pastel patterns. Dissolve it in water, and then cover the paper with the mixture and let it dry completely. Then on this paper you can work with pastels. After completing the work, hold the paper with the drawing over boiling water, turning the side opposite to the drawing to the vapor. In this case, the gelatin dissolves and sticks together the lower layers of the applied pastel.
Step 3
Another method of fixing is to expose the work, which is placed vertically, to the vapors saturated with a mixture of fish glue with alcohol or vinegar. After such fixation, the work must be placed under glass.
Step 4
Use the methods of real artists. Professionals fix work with pastels using specially created fixatives prepared according to specific recipes.
Step 5
Recipe No. 1. Take 10 grams of ammonium carbonate and dissolve it in 750 milliliters of water. Next, add 15 g of casein powder to the solution and shake gently until completely dissolved. At the next stage, add half a liter of ethyl alcohol to the solution, stir the mixture all the time to keep the casein dissolved.
Step 6
Recipe No. 2. The simplest, but at the same time effective fixative is milk, because it contains natural casein in the amount of 2 - 3%. For use, leave the milk to settle, and then remove the top layers along with the fat that has floated to the surface during the settling process. Dilute skim milk 25% with water. Use the solution used as a fixative, but the disadvantage of such a tool is the gradual yellowing of the paper under the influence of milk.
Step 7
Recipe number 3. Dissolve shellac in ethyl alcohol in a proportional ratio of 1:10 - 1:20, depending on the desired concentration of the finished fixative. Next, cover the surface of the pastel with the fixative, preferably in several layers.
