I’ve never used fixative or varnish. I can’t see that it’s archival, nor that it adds very much protection. Surely if the colour on the surface is still even slightly movable, anything you layer on top will also be movable! But, take that with a pinch of salt since I have never actually tried it.

I store my finished paintings covered with a sheet of glassine or wax paper in a big pile in a huge Really Useful Box, and slowly I’m getting the ones I want to sell framed under glass with a matt. If Senneliers touch the glass it’s just awful. The other brands; Neopastel, Specialist, etc, can touch the glass with no issue (unless they’re applied really thickly), but I like the look of the matting. Framing is costly, but I just accept it and cross my fingers that one day I’ll make the money back.

Glass is the only decent way to protect work in any kind of pastel. Dirt and dust build-up over time affects any unwashable surface, and oil pastels are a MAGNET for dust, pet hair, bird seed husks, you name it. I suppose if I lived in an immaculately kept house with no pets and dusted constantly it wouldn’t be such an issue but I don’t

Great topic Mira. I feel there is some misconception when it comes to this area, and it’s something I’m going to talk about in a upcoming youtube video.

After I finish a painting, I let it sit out for about a week.. After that I’ll wrap it in Glassine paper and store it vertically in a cupboard. So the artwork is completely protected in a dark, dry environment with only the glassine paper touching the surface. I used to stack them on top of each other, but noticed the weight of the top ones was crushing the bottom ones. So I now store them vertically with a large piece of foam board every 20 or so paintings to keep them straight. The only exception to this is if I have a buyer right away or if it’s a commission.

I’ve played around with different fixatives/varnish. In fact I tried a new one by Krylon and it’s a UV archival varnish (matte finish) that comes out of aerosol can like fixative. (It specifically says that it protects acrylic, watercolor, oil pastel, colored pencil, oil and more). After about 3 coats of it, I can see a glare when angled to the light. I don’t like that at all. I tried 2 coats and didn’t get a glare, but the surface is not totally protected either.

So like all other fixatives/varnish I have tried, it’s not 100% protection and at best maybe gives me some minimal protection. Like accidentally brushing up against it or something etc.

I’ve just accepted that pastels whether they be the oil, soft/hard, chalk, whatever are best protected and shown under glass. Glass gives me the best protection and preserves the fine qualities of the little pastel particles.

I also know that after a few months my oil pastel paintings that are not behind glass ( like the ones I do on hard panel) have actually hardened up. They are dry to the touch and pretty stable. So the OP’s do actually harden up after a bit of time. And I live in a house with a dog and kids, and lots of people coming in and out. (kids and their friends). My OP paintings that are not behind glass, look just as great and vibrant as when they were new. I can touch the surface and it’s dry. The ones that have multiple layers/texture with lots of senn for top finish have dried up. I can literally take my hands and run them across with no damage done to the painting.

Sarah and I have very similar approach to it. I also feel glass is absolutely best way to protect it, and it makes for a nice presentation when matted and framed.

As far as cost goes, I just include the cost of the matting in my final price. I currently get my matting at matboardandmore.com. $25 USD for custom fit mat. The matting will take my 12×16 pastelmat (closer to 11.25 x 15.5) and fit it to a more standard 16×20 size. Easy to find a frame for a 16×20.

I’m going to do a video on this and bring out some of my older OP paintings (the ones with no fixative or not under glass) and show just how durable they really are. I think you’ll be surprised actually, especially when you see me drag stuff across the surface.

Thanks for weighing in on this, Rich. I’m happy to know you’ll talk about this in an upcoming video, because it can cause a lot of confusion when we want to protect our work.

I like the tip about storing the paintings upright. I have enough in a box that I’ve started to consider the issue of weight. My answer has been to keep as many as I can out, posted on the wall. I use simple push-pins – without pushing them through the paper, just slipping the paper’s margin between the plastic edge and the corkboard).

The rest stay layered between wax paper with the oldest (read: worst) on the bottom. Foam board is cheap but strong – great idea!

I don’t seal anymore as the varnishes I’ve used make the painting glossy. I leave the paintings in the open for at least a week before storing in an assortment of clear pockets. My op’s are harder than the Senns and do dry after a while.

Thanks for this video, Rich! It was excellent – although I admit that when you rubbed the picture frame over that one with the figure in a dramatic Virabhadrasana I, my stomach dropped two feet. I love that painting!!!! I also got a chuckle seeing that little heater going back and forth at your feet, since I was standing at my drafting table with my own little heater going at my feet!

I think open air definitely helps the OPs dry out much faster. Lack of storage has forced me into it, but it sounds like a good practice to help them harden up. I’ve been rotating about a dozen at a time on the wall, so will likely keep doing that.

Christel makes a good point about the harder OP’s drying much quicker, too.

As far as normal house dust settling in – I imagine a light wipe with a feather duster once they’ve hardened up would suffice.

Christel, what about the paintings you display? I bet there are some that hang on the walls in your house. What do you normally do to them – framing/no framing?

I have only a few op’s hanging, framed and unframed, all with no glass. I dust them off with feather duster, the same as my other oils, ac and wc.