Fixing Drawings

The Simple Facts

Fixing Drawings!

Conté crayons, carbon pencils, and especially charcoal and chalk pastels must all be fixed on the paper or they will smudge, both on the picture itself, and on anything it touches.

You can purchase a commercial fixative (adhesive) in any art supply store, or you can simply use an unscented hair spray.

Using Adhesives for Fixing Drawings!

In a very well ventilated space, spray the fixative lightly and evenly over the entire drawing, starting and ending each pass beyond the edge of the paper. Let it dry and test an unobtrusive spot to see if any medium still comes off. If so, lightly spray again. Two sprayings are usually enough, but sometimes a denser drawing may need more. Charcoal will always need at least two fixings, being more powdery than either conté or carbon.

Appearances are Important!

Fixative can slightly alter the appearance of charcoal drawings, so some artists have an aversion to it for this reason.But remember that if you use fixative correctly it can improve your drawing. It will ensure that charcoal dustings are not lost while allowing greater layering. So go ahead and fix your charcoal drawing.
Potential Damage!
Charcoal drawings that are not fixed can be very susceptible to surface damage. Minor movements can displace particles. This can decrease the tone intensity, and mess up the highlights. Any touch by accident can leave an obvious smudge. Even a framed drawing experiencing any movement, or vibration can affect the drawing.
You can decide if you want to fix your drawings or not. We suggest that you do. You don't want all your effort blown away, do you?

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