Melissa wrote:
Quote:
I was under the assumption that any medium will fade in direct sunlight no matter what it is drawn/painted with. Is this correct? Oils will turn yellow if it sat in front of a sunlit window too so I wouldn't be surprised if pastels did.
I am in the experiment stages in using pastels. I was looking into buying Unison pastels and was discouraged when I read on the side of their boxes that it could cause cancer. Just seeing the 'c' word made be shutter. I do have other brands and I am fully aware that the chalk is toxic and I'm taking extra precautions when using them.
Sharon,
Do you wear a mask, surgical gloves or have a clean air machine running while you paint in pastels?
Also, I have several books of artists such as Paul Leville and Wendy Caporale, both in which use a wide range of pastels from different manufacturers. Wendy also uses hard pastels alongside with her soft pastels. So wouldn't her beautiful portraits fade over time? I'm sure she wouldn't want to hear this.
Is it that pastels will fade faster than any other medium?
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Melissa,
There are several misconceptions expressed in your post, which I will try to address briefly.
Permanent pigments will not fade in the sun, regardless of the binder. I have had several panels in the sun for many years, beginning in 1985, to test various oil paints, and some have faded and some have not. It depends on the pigment.
Oil paints will
not turn yellow in the sun, but will do so in the dark, if linseed oil is the binder. The yellowing can be reversed by exposing the painting to light. Linseed oil yellows initially, and then loses its yellow color in normal indoor light in ten to fifteen years, and much faster in outdoor light.
Chalk (calcium carbonate) is not toxic, but inhaling airborne particles of any kind is harmful to the lungs. Pastels contain other pigments besides calcium carbonate. The dangers of breathing pastel dust may be exaggerated, as most of it falls toward the floor, but it is nonetheless wise to avoid inhaling the dust while it is suspended in the air, such as after blowing on the picture to remove excess loose pastel.
Regarding artists who use hard pastels, it would depend on which colors they use. The earth colors can usually be relied upon not to fade, but many of the rest of them faded
very rapidly on my test panels. Whoever uses them can expect their works to change. Using a wide range of pastels, hard or soft, from many manufacturers virtually ensures that some of the colors will fade or otherwise change over time. This might change in the future, if manufacturers respond to pastel artists' concerns by improving their products, but it won't if no one demands it. As things stand now, it is unrealistic to regard pastels as a permanent artists' medium.
It is possible to paint impermanently in other media as well, by choosing one's pigments unwisely and/or adding the wrong ingredients, but pastel is more likely to exhibit changes sooner than anything but colored pencil, which is even worse. UV filter fixatives and glass will help, but these, too, lose their effectiveness over time.
If you love pastels and are not concerned for permanence, pastels are a good medium for you. If permanence is a concern, oil paint is a better choice.
Virgil Elliott