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 So, you've spent countless hours on your drawing and at long last through the blood, sweat and tears, it's finished! Now what? Slap that bad boy in a frame? Whoa, hold your horses! Even while "safe and sound" behind glass, oxygen and the elements can still seep in and affect your precious artwork over time. The glass itself can even cause smudging as your artwork gets moved around (trust me, I've been there).  So how do we stop this from happening? My first method of note: Fixatives! These spray sealants "fix" your artwork in place and create a barrier between the medium and its surroundings. It's important to note that there are different fixatives for different mediums, and their individual chemical makeups won't be suitable for any other mediums besides their own (for example: don't use a fixative meant for oil paintings on charcoal drawings). For my charcoal pieces, I use Sennelier Spray Fixative for pencil and charcoal (image right). I've seen artist "hacks" claiming that hairspray works just as well as any fixative for drawings, but I would strongly discourage this as hairspray contains chemicals, oils, and fragrances that will have adverse affects on your paper and medium, causing splotching, yellowing, and will often leave behind a sticky residue. Always opt for fixatives made specifically for your medium. And if you're on a tight budget, there are plenty of cost effective options out there that will get the job done! When using a fixative, I like to use a couple of coats to really seal in the charcoal, waiting about 10-15 minutes in between coats to let the previous one dry. But always read the directions on whichever fixative you decide on! After experimenting with a number of fixatives over the years, I've narrowed down a list to 3 of my favourites:
My second method of preservation is matting. Besides enhancing the visual appeal of your art, it also adds another layer of protection around it. So what exactly is "matting"? Matting is an additional border made of mat board that is situated between your artwork and the glass of the frame. Matting comes ready-made in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours, and boarder thickness, and some art shops even offer custom matting. Mat board commonly comes in 4-ply (1/16") and 8-ply (1/8") thickness, and less commonly in 2-ply, 6-ply, and 12-ply. I typically use a 4-ply white mat along with a darker frame to help make my lighter pieces "pop", but you do you! Michael's is usually my go-to spot for both pre-cut and custom matting, however there are plenty of art businesses that also offer this service. Now how do I protect my art while it's still "in progress"? First and foremost, I keep everything up and out of the way from our 2 cats. So if you have pets, keep your work up high, in a closet, or ideally in a room that Fluffy or Rover can't access. I try to have only 1 piece on the go at a time, but in cases where I have multiple orders to fill at once (or when I've had multiple bouts of inspiration at once and suddenly find myself swapping between 5 personal pieces on the easel), I have to take extra care to ensure the preservation of each individual piece. In some cases, I'll spray on a coat of "workable" fixative to help maintain an under drawing while still being able to manipulate it later on. Workable fixatives are different from regular, or "final" fixatives, in that they still allow you to make changes to the medium while providing a light protective coating. This type of fixative, however, is not meant to seal and protect your artwork indefinitely. When you're ready to wrap up your drawing, always finish with a couple coats of your regular fixative, even if you've used multiple coats of workable fixative throughout your drawing process. Here are a couple of my favourite workable fixatives: Another option is to invest in a "drying" rack where you can separate and lay down your work - remember the grade school art rack where we would all store our paintings to dry and we'd all fight for the top rack? Or was that just me?...Anyway, this is basically what I'm talking about. If you don't have the space for this though, securing another piece of drawing paper, parchment paper, or wax paper over your artwork will also do the trick. Just remember to use a less adhesive tape to secure your protective layer, such painters tape - this will prevent your paper from tearing/peeling when you remove it unlike tackier tape like masking tape (again, I've been there). And there you have it! These are my ideal methods of artwork preservation that, through trial and error, have saved me countless headaches over the years. If I missed something worth noting, or if you have any questions or comments you'd like to leave, you can do so below. Happy drawing!
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