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I got multiple chalk pastels sets and I'm really excited to use them, but I'm afraid to see the artworks messed up afterwards. Even though there are probably sprays I can buy to solve this problem, is there a way to use a common household product or a homemade formula?

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You will see a dulling or muting of the colors if you use fixative, which is why many pastel artists will actually “fix” in stages. Personally I like to build up muted color layers and use my highlights and whites on the top.

No matter what, you should always apply multiple light layers of fixative, letting them dry in between stages.

Hair spray is good in a pinch (I have used it for decades), but it is never artist grade, as it likely is not pH neutral. Depending on the aromatics and the constituent chemical composition, you may actually (but probably won’t) promote long term damage to the paper.

There is one other notable alternative to acrylic-based spray fixative other than hair spray, but you will need to test them: the “impregnating” sprays used for shoes / leather.

But if you REALLY want to make it yourself, the classical method would be to dissolve damar varnish flakes in turpentine and use an atomizer.

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  • Separate the works with a spacer (an art-class classmate built a box using corflute with a set of vertical 10mm balsa spacers in the corners with rounded tops to keep them separate and help guide the works in.)

  • Don't drive long distances over long bumpy roads (a friend did that and her landscape pastels were ruined.)

  • Hairspray is PH neutral: even at art class they recommend hair spray—so err on the side of caution and only buy pH neutral fixative.

  • Cover work with glass—but leave a space between the glass and card so any excess powder can fall from the work without gathering visibly in the frame.

  • Use enough 'tooth' to hold the pastel.

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My life-long spouse has had great experience with this medium. When queried, she said hair spray is far less expensive than the commercial solutions. It's probably a good idea to test the stuff on a scrap first.

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Also if you don’t want it smudge when putting it in a book or a pile of other papers try using baking paper over the top to stop it transferring onto other pages/paper

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    Glassine paper is made specifically for this.
    – rebusB
    Commented Jul 23, 2019 at 22:22
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applying egg white can help, if you are looking for a cheap fixative. It leaves a shining effect as well once dried, although I would not suggest this for professional piece of work.

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    How do you apply it? How do you protect it from decaying or damaging the piece?
    – Allison C
    Commented Jul 8, 2019 at 19:59

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