Do you use an air purifier, gloves or mask when painting with pastels?

[Goewyn]

I don't use anything, but I do prefer to do pastels outside. If I'm not careful about spreading dust into the air when doing it inside, I get a bad sore throat after doing a painting, from the dust.

When I do paint inside, I have my easel tilted forward, and have a pocket on the base of the board I'm working on, made from transfer vellum, to catch the dust. I used to use a tablecloth for the floor, but just got a floormat to do the same purpose.

Since it's been winter, and I've been sick with colds off and on the past 4 months, I haven't done pastels in quite a while. I'm really missing the sticks!

-- Linda

[Holley]

I don't use anything now but a couple of years ago I was getting continuous sore throats which I thought might be from using pastels so I wore masks. It turned out that I had glandular fever so it wasn't the pastels at all.
One of the reasons I love using pastel pencils is because there is very little dust loss so it's only my finger that gets dirty during the smudging processes and even then I have a wet cloth on hand to wipe between colours

[Scottyarthur]

I don't use any thing, I have a tray I made from a map tube that catches the dust and find very little on the floor or else where. no gloves, mask or filtration system, but this is just me.

[ElsieH]

I voted that I just use a mask. I have been planning to get some sort of airfilter device, but have not yet done that.

For blending, I rarely use my fingers, but tend to use some of those little brush-like blending devices. Also, occassionally tap the surface with my finger tip to soften an edge etc.

I have a tray I built for the bottom of my easel into which I put a folded paper towel onto which I spray water. This tends to catch falling dust and the dampness holds it firmly.

When I first started teaching elementary school back in the ancient years (1962 on), chalk would tend to make my fingers break out and become quite raw. So I shifted to using a metal chalkholder. Then they changed the make-up of school chalk to avoid problems for teachers and children with allergies to chalk dust. There after, until I retired a couple of years ago, I had no problem. Funny thing is that pastel sticks have never been a problem for me to hold.

While I was doing lots of Christmas baking, I realized I kick up quite a flour dust cloud when I bake! I tend to bake most of our breads etc. so I guess we live in little clouds we never tend to ignore!

My mother was an artist, but she painted mainly in oils in the days when turpentine was used and other very smelly stuff. Our house ALWAYS smelled of oil paint!
With modern concerns for what art materials are made of, lots of progress has been made.

[annette71]

I don't use gloves, only occasionally finger cots. But i do prefer using just a barrier cream.

Annette

[knippes]

I use a barrier cream (whichever one I can find cheapest at the time) and have an air purifier that I got for around $99.00 at home depot. Before the air purifier I was getting asthma symptoms (which I haven't had for many years) and migraines. With the purifier, I feel great. It sure made a big difference for me.
-Kym

[robertsloan2]

I don't use anything. My daughter is planning on investing in an air purifier. When she does, it'll be great but I don't have the money to just get it for myself or the space to put it until my son in law knocks a hole through the wall into the living room to purify the air in both rooms -- it's not just for my pastels. It'll help with them though.

I tend to work small in my lap and tap the loose dust off into the trashcan. I keep a wet towel or washcloth next to me for frequent hand cleaning. If I started working large I'd probably set up a trough arrangement for dust and tilt the easel and use the easel, but right now the biggest I go is about 9" x 12" -- and for me that's huge.

I do take that into account about the dust thing. Also I use multiple mediums so I'm not doing pastels daily either. I bought Gloves in a Bottle but haven't actually tried it yet because I forgot to.

What's odd is that pastel dust doesn't set off my allergy the way house dust does. I think that it's the dust mites in house dust that do it. My son in law vacuums my room pretty often, which makes it easier for me to breathe all the time whether I'm doing pastels or not. I have not noticed any symptoms after doing soft pastels vs. watercolor or oil pastels or colored pencils.

[ArtSavesLives]

I use gloves to protect my hands from excessive dryness. We have a whole house filter that I would like to give some relief to by picking up a second air filter unit for my easel. Who knows where all this dust actually comes from in our 100 year old tiny house?!!

[JWebber]

I have used gloves this past year, the cheap latex from Costco. At the Margaret Dyer workshop I went to last summer she gave us all some and said to use them always, so as everything else she said that weekend was amazing I did as I was told!!! I have no problem with them at all now that I got used to them over the 3 day workshop.
I use a barrier cream under them, gloves in a bottle, as I tend to quit painting, take of my gloves to leave the studio and then look back at the painting and have to do one more thing!!!

Peggy, what purifier was at the convention that you liked, was it that pricey unit that Dakota sells that is on my wish list?

[learning to paint]

I answered "air purifier" because that was the closest available answer. The true answer is that I don't paint indoors. Maybe that's an additional option for the poll.

Also, I use "Gloves in a Bottle," but it seemed a stretch to call them gloves.

[HopperARTZ]

I don't use anything, but I'm also the wet-behind-the-ears rookie so I don't know any better. ;P I do open my windows if the weather is nice though.

[artbyDanielDyment]

I don't use anything. I would like to invest in an air purifier though.