Fixing pastel and powder weathering

[marklayton]

Looking for a good fixative for protecting weathering done with pastel chalks or weathering powders.  I've tried a few aerosol fixatives from the local art store, but the weathered look is always diminished.  Seems that the solvent in the spray disolves the powder, eliminating the texture.  Would like my handiwork to stand up to limited, careful handling, while still looking old and rusty.

Mark Layton

[finescalerr]

Unless you plan to handle the model a lot, I've generally found a fixative unnecessary. If you apply pastels over flat paint or a flat finish like Dullcote within a few minutes or hours after you spray the model, the sprayed finish itself will "grab and hold" the powder. In my own experience, whatever powder then comes off is excess anyway.

If you still think a clear coat is necessary, it must be very light. Hold the airbrush (a spray can is much harder to control because it produces larger, "wetter" droplets) farther from the model so the light, clear mist has dried a little when it lands. Such an application should have virtually no effect on the weathering.

Russ

[Krusty]

Mark

Mig's new(ish) pigment fixer seems to work tolerably well, but, really, any sort of coating will diminish the effect of pigments or pastels, particularly the lighter colours. In some circumstances the effect can even be disastrous. I once attacked a model weathered with pastels using a spray can of matte fixative that managed to dissolve the pastel binder and mix with it to turn into a tough high-gloss coating. Not good and I wasn't able to satisfactorily fix it, so rather a lot of hours ended up in the rubbish bag.

[John McGuyer]

I've had some luck going the other way around. I lay down a color, say for instance Floquil rust, and when it gets sticky, I sprinkle some weathering powder into it. It then retains texture and sticks somewhat better.

John

[finescalerr]

That is what I was trying to say above, John. But you made it understandable. -- Russ