Drawing Fixative used on canvas

[Mike Dodson]

I have all of Sanden's books that he has published over the years. He speaks a great deal about his methods and materials. One of his methods that is particularly interesting is that on his commissioned work (not demo's from life) he produces a detailed drawing in graphite directly on a white canvas. Afterwards he sprays the drawing with fixative to prevent smudging ( I assume that is what it is for). Is this layer of spray between the canvas and oil paint stable? I wouldn't even question this if not for the fact that he is one of the most well known and highly acclaimed portrait painter's of our time and must have discovered that this method does not harm the painting.

I would really appreciate someone with knowledge in this area to let me know what is going on here.

Thanks!

[Allan Rahbek]

Mike,
I have often used the fixative when I do a charcoal drawing before painting and I have never experienced any problems.

The fixative is the type used on pastel drawings, it is not fatty in any way.

I believe that the oil, in the paint, will penetrate both the drawing and the fixative and in that way include the drawing into the oil paint itself.

[Michael Georges]

Mike:

I would steer you away from using graphite as it can leech through paint layers and/or cause adhesion issues under oil paint.

I would instead advise drawing in charcoal and fixing it with a quality retouch varnish. Much more compatible with oil paint.

[Richard Budig]

In the "for what it's worth" department, I know an artist who draws with vine charcoal on his canvas with a rather light pressure. When he's satisfied with his drawing, he goes over it with more pressure and harder charcoal. Then, he removes as much of the charcoal as possible using soft rags. What is left is a ghost image, which he then restates using dark paint with a somewhat small (fine point) brush.

[Richard Bingham]

Michael G. is correct that graphite (due to the "platelet" nature of its structure) can eventually "strike" through paint layers, becoming visible at the surface. It's possible an isolating layer of "fixative" might stop that from happening, but it would be better to use drawing materials known not to strike . . . e.g. charcoal (vine or compressed), Nupastel, Stabilo pencil, all "stay put" when overpainted with oils.

It's problematic to refer to "fixative" as if it were always a specific material of known composition and properties. Most commonly marketed aerosols are nitrocellulose lacquer. As you might expect, there's a fairly wide range of formulae for pastel or charcoal fixatives, almost all are "spirit" (alcohol) soluble, which qualifies them as an "isolation layer" when used with oil paints. Most are insoluble in oil, turps or MS.

I believe Allan is correct to say the overpainting will penetrate a drawing under fixative, since in this case, it's unnecesary (and inadvisable) to apply fixative so heavily as to isolate the ground entirely.

Using fixative over a preliminary drawing is a matter of personal preference. Sanden may wish to be able to remove initial paint applications without disturbing the drawing, or he may simply object to the pencil marks "lifting" enough to discolor his paint, or perhaps having tested his materials and methods, he is satisfied graphite will not strike by doing so.

There may be an even greater number of respected painters who start to paint directly on a ground than those who begin over a detailed drawing.

Abbey, Parrish, Rockwell, and numerous other painter/illustrators of their era commonly used shellac as an isolation layer over preliminary drawings and between paint applications. Some of their paintings are in pretty bad shape, at a relatively "young" age, which might suggest that the use of isolating layers was the cause . . . or not?

[Mike Dodson]

Thanks to all of you for your input. Much to consider here!