fixative

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The fixative (from Latin fixus, -a, -um = 'firmly adhering, unchangeable') is a solution that is used to protect colors from change, damage and detachment from the image carrier , especially in pastel painting and charcoal drawings.

Fixatives contain ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol or alcohol in general ) as a rapidly evaporating solvent and a combination of different resins (e.g. dammar resins , polyvinyl acetate resin ) and shellac . The surface to be protected is sprayed with it. A protective film, which is invisible or only weakly visible, forms that protects the surface - the paint - from environmental influences. Fixatives can be bought in spray cans or in glass bottles. Fixatives in glass bottles are used with an oral nebulizer.

Oil and acrylic paintings

Oil and acrylic paintings do not need fixation because the pigments adhere directly to the surface with the help of the binder in the paint. Such pictures are treated - if at all - with a special varnish to protect them.

Watercolors

Pictures in water color techniques ( watercolor , gouache , tempera ) should not be coated with fixative either, because the resin layer spoils the effect of the color surface. Framing behind glass helps here.

Pastel painting

In pastel painting, on the other hand, the dry pigments as powdery color particles adhere only very weakly to the surface. The smoother the painting surface is, the more easily the colors released again from him. Pastel pictures are so sensitive that you can destroy them with a light touch. Because of this, they need to be carefully fixed.

The more layers a pastel picture is to have, the more often the paint has to be made adhesive with a fixative. There are "intermediate fixatives" and "final fixatives" with special properties. They glue the pigments together and form a durable film that makes the surface of the picture touch-proof and protects it from the effects of moisture or UV light .

Nonetheless, well-fixed pastel pictures should also be treated with care. When the fixative is sprayed on, the treated surface initially becomes darker. After the fixative has dried, the colors will become lighter again. However, they are no longer as bright as they were before the fixation. This has to be taken into account when painting. However, the relationship between the color tones does not usually change, so that all contrasts are retained.

Fixatives are also suitable for creating special effects in pastel painting: they can be dripped or spread directly onto the paint in liquid form. You can also dissolve pigments in the fixing liquid and spray or inject them onto the painting ground, which results in strange surface textures.

Fixing solutions evaporate quickly, are easily flammable and irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. In addition, they should not be inhaled; all known manufacturers recommend the use in well-ventilated rooms.

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