Pastels - Substrates, Methods, Materials and Conservation

[Virgil Elliott]

Sharon,

If you were to see my test panels you might want to narrow it down even further.

I would like to see the actual performance of so-called artists' pastels match the confidence pastellists have been expressing in them on faith for so many years. Right now there seems to be a significant gap between belief and reality on that score. With the help of pastel artists, this situation can be corrected, but a problem must first be acknowledged before it can be solved.

Virgil Elliott

[Sharon Knettell]

Virgil,

The next full sets I had been thinking of purchasing were the Diana Townsends and The Great Americans. Do you have any information as to the lightfastness of these two lines?

I am about to use the Light Green, Cobalts and Ultramarines in the Schminke line. Are they problematic? I have avoided the Schminke Reds but not the Quinacridones and Purples. As for the lights in my present oeuvre, they are Unisons.

I hope I am not being too much of a bother, but I would love some information as where to sink my next pastel dollars.

Thankyou so much for your very helpful information. You can bet I am going to stock up on Unisons!

Sincerely,

[Virgil Elliott]

Sharon,

I didn't test any of Diana Townsend's pastels, unless she calls them Artworks. I didn't test The Great Americans, either, unless they go by another name.

Ultramarine blues are reliable in all brands I tested.

I would hold off purchasing pastels for a while, as the manufacturers will probably improve their lines as a result of the tests being done, and if so, we will get more lightfast pastels if we wait until then. At least we will have a better idea which ones we can expect to hold up if we have the full test results to refer to in making our choices.

Virgil Elliott

[Virgil Elliott]

Sharon,

Thanks for letting me know.

Virgil

[Doreen Lepore]

Sharon,

I just read the article by Mr. Merrill (thanks for putting it up here) and was surprised to see that a conservator would immediately put a fixative on a pastel that came into their possession. I've heard other people say that their pastels were fixed by framers against their wishes. What are your thoughts on this? I've always thought we were not supposed to use fixatives and only rarely use a reworkable fixative by Grumbacher and now wonder if that's the one Mr. Merrill says NOT to use. The burnishing method makes sense to me and I'll definitely test that method, just because I'm curious. Do you use fixative?

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?

[Virgil Elliott]

Melissa wrote:

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?

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

I discovered this site awhile ago on Rembrandt Pastels in it's lightfastness. http://www.artmaterialsupplies.com/reminfo.htm
The minimum number of years (11 colours) seems to be 25 years in fading. I don't know how accurate this is but would like to hear some opinions.

Also, is there a site that states the lightfastness of NuPastels or Unison?

Sharon: Do you spray the entire pastel painting before framing again?

I have never been so confused in reading information about pastel, lightfastness, fixative...and so on. Everyone seems to have a different opinion about everything. <Sigh>

Lesley Harrison, a professional pastel animal artist, has been painting with pastels for over 25 years states in her 2002 printed book,

"Pastels are the most permanent of all art mediums because there are no liquid binders that might cause them to darken, fade, yellow, crack or blister with time. These are pastel paintings that were created in the sixteenth century, and their colors are still as bright and vivid as the day they were painted."

Wende Caparole (Daniel Greene's wife) paints beautiful and detailed children portraits. In her book, 'Painting Childrens Portraits in Pastel' states, "

"Pastels are pure pigments and should not be touched or sprayed with fixative before framing. Touching or spraying the surface will damage the portrait."

Sharon wrote:

I spray! I have a copy of Daniel Greene's book "Pastel". He sprays to darken his pastels so he can layer lighter colors over his work. He is

So who is right? Daniel Greene doesn't have a problem in spraying his pastel paintings but why would his wife Wende?

I am in the learning stages of this medium (and color) but the opinions are scattered all over the place. Maybe I'm looking too far into this(?)

Ahhhh, I think I will have a glass of wine and start sketching with my pencils.

I think I will go back and enjoy drawing and painting like I did before. ....it was more relaxing.

Cheers!