Ok, I just totally screwed up one of these portraits because I did not spray something else with that clear coat stuff before I sprayed the drawing. It shot these horrible bubbles of clear coat all over my drawing that just made me want to pass out. The neighbors are still calling 911 to report the scream of someone being murdered in my basement. No chance of recovery. So watch out for this if you have never used this spray protectant.

cheap version of that stuff is hairspray but spray away from the paper on the first squirt and away from naked flames .. it works when using pastels as well stops the smudges when handling.. dont ask me how it works but it does

Awwww! Oh Calvin, I'm so sorry! I've done this a few times myself, and I don't know of any way to fix the drawing.

I've never used hairspray, but please be cautious in using it for drawings you really love. Apparently, or so I've heard, over time, it yellows the paper. Does anyone have any experience with drawings sprayed with hairspray that are more than 5 years old?

Brenda

i spray all my pastel work with hairspray and ive not had a problem as of yet i cant say that ive not used it on pencil work .. did i do a boo boo

It's because almost all hairspray contains a form of lacquer and lacquer will yellow over time. I used to spray my pastels with hairspray also but was told it wasn't a good idea for the above reason.

J

Thank you J-Lynn!

I just knew there would be a wonderfully informed artist on here somewhere who could fill us in on why hairspray is a big no-no for spraying on drawings.

Brenda

glad i found that out before spraying this work im doing .. but like i said so far on my pastel work ive not seen any problems as of yet and have been spraying them for quite a number of years .. i use the pump action spray not aerosol maybe its the gas in the cans that cause the problems but im not taking any chances with the pencil work

I went in search of a definitive answer to the hairspray question by googling instead of just going with what I had been told a hundred years ago! lol

I found articles/posts both for and against hairspray as a fixative. A chemist had some stuff to say in the following article:
http://painting.about.com/od/pastelpaintin...AQhairspray.htm

I also read numerous posts that said the reason hairspray wasn't a good idea was that it wasn't acid free and as such, would yellow over time.

Evidently the hairspray that held my beehive in the 60's contained lacquer but most hairsprays today probably don't. I would advise a thorough search of the subject before I would use it.

And honestly, if it's something you really value, wouldn't it be better to use a product designed for the purpose of fixing pastels/charcoal/pencil instead of risking your precious artwork?

J

couldnt agree more .. but it was common practice in college to use hair spray on pastels as the real mackoy was just too expensive when your on such a tight budget and at the time it did the job i dont recall using it on just pencil work just pastels and my art from years ago have only faded slightly but i cant see any yellowing then again no work was on white paper so i supose its hard to tell .. but some of my pencil work has yellowed over time but not through the use of hairspray but just age where i havnt been protecting them as i should .. hmm now i is very confused

Big hair days! Man, I remember those! I often wondered how the women slept with their hair done up in a beehive. Or rather yet, did they even fit in the bed anymore? Sadly, I must say that none of the women I dated had a beehive. I hope I wasn't missing out on anything.

Eric

Trust me, the only thing you missed out on was nuzzling up to a brillo pad. To much spray!

Calvin ... you KILL me!! LOL

Do you really want to know how they slept with their hair like that? They sprayed it really good with hairspray and wrapped it in toilet paper. Yep, they sure did. I lived through those times and luckily never had my hair done in a beehive.

Oh No!!! I'm showing my age! LOL