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Hello!
I’m wondering if anyone here has tried the SpectraFix Natural Glass FinalFix spray. If so, what did you think? Does it darken your final piece? Do you like it?
https://www.spectrafix.com/product/natural-glass-spray/#tab-additional_information
Thanks for your input.
Kim
http://www.kimeshelman.com
The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes - Marcel ProustYou could experiment with this, Kim. Use a scrap piece of paper, layer some pastel colors and spray. But then, at that price, let’s hear if anyone has tried this with pastels.
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Karen, IAPS/MC, PSA WC Moderator-Pastels
web site , Getting started in soft pastels., What you need to know, Critique Guide LinesI’ve ordered the 10oz aerosol bottle and I’ll let you all know how it works!
Kim
http://www.kimeshelman.com
The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes - Marcel ProustHi Folks,
I thought I’d chime in here and let you know that I’ve put up a video showing Natural Glass FinalFix at work. It contains casein and beeswax, among other ingredients, and yes, there is a bit of a color shift because of this, slightly more than the Degas fixative. However, it has no sheen and enables you to frame without glass!
As usual, there are no fumes or toxic ingredients, so you can spray freely indoors. It is bottled in our new refillable aerosol sprayer, which give a wonderful fine mist, effortlessly, and without propellant chemicals.
Here’s the link, let me know if you have questions
https://www.spectrafix.com/product/natural-glass-spray
Della
As a newbie to pastels (since May), I heard early on of Spectrafix fixative and liked the fact that it was made from natural products and could be sprayed indoors with no problem, so I have been using it since the beginning. I did purchase a “florasol” mist sprayer that sends the product out in a very fine mist onto the pastel. If I spray several light layers, letting each dry in between, the surface is hard and there is no smudging of the pastel. A few weeks ago, I ordered the Spectrafix Natural Glass in the same type of misting bottle. I did two light coats on a recent pastel and it is hard to the touch, as well, and it seems to change the colors very little…not enough for me to NOT use it. I have yet to frame any of my pastel works, but I do believe this Natural Glass product would allow one to frame without using glass. As to how durable and long-lasting that would be, however, I have no idea. I came across a huge, long and PASSIONATE debate on another forum regarding whether to fix pastels at the end or not, and so many pastel artists absolutely refused to even consider using something like this product, saying that it would no longer be pure pastel. Many don’t even use a fixative product at the end of a painting. Some indicated that such pieces would not be allowed in pastel competitions. (As I am a newbie, I did not venture into the fray
.) I have also come across several well-known pastel artists who use the “French envelope method” and tape the final paste flat against glass before placing in a frame. Personally, I don’t particularly like to frame under glass and with mats, and I paint primarily for my own pleasure, so if this product will allow me to frame without glass, I’m a happy camper. For now, that seems to be the case. Right now, the only place that I can find the Natural Glass product is directly from Spectrafix, while the fixative product is available from several suppliers and thus, less expensive because of shipping. Hopefully, some of the art suppliers (and Amazon) will soon add Natural Glass to their inventory, if allowed by Spectrafix. Happy painting to all!I just ordered some and tried it out on some test paintings today.
I’ve tried other spray varnishes such as Krylon, etc., on my pastels recently just to see what would happen, and while some of those did okay, they did tend to darken/deaden my pastel colors more than I wanted. And the toxic, headache-inducing fumes were just awful. Since I’ve used SpectraFix Degas fixative on my underpainting layers successfully for years, I decided to give the new products a go. So far, the SpectraFix has surpassed my expectations and I’m thrilled that, like the Degas fixative, I can use the FinalFix and Natural Glass indoors with no worries about toxic fumes, not to mention better results than the other varnishes I’ve tried.
My review of them is on my blog – SpectraFix Review – but overall so far, I’m quite pleased with the results. I don’t enter juried shows any more, so I’ll leave the bulk of that discussion to those who do.
Hi everyone,
I gave the FinalFix a try and honestly I’m not crazy about it. I had a difficult time not getting a few random splats no matter how evenly I sprayed (and I sprayed it on the easel vertically).
It seemed to dull the colors. Perhaps it’s just me and I need to give it another try but right now I’m a bit scared to spray it on anything I care about.
All that said, I probably had a bit of a heavy hand with it. Perhaps I’ll give it another try very gently and lightly.
http://www.kimeshelman.com
The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes - Marcel ProustHi Kim,
As I’ve been working with this and testing it out, I’m discovering that the results seem to depend a lot on the pastel surface and sometimes even the different pastel colors themselves – in my experience, harder and grittier surfaces seem to handle it a little better than softer/smoother/more absorbent ones. Also, I do find the colors turn quite dark while wet, and it takes a while to fully dry and lighten back up. I’m still experimenting with it on works I’m okay with possibly ruining which is what I do with any new products, so haven’t decided yet on how comfortable I’d be using it on a very important work. I paint mostly miniatures, so haven’t had much trouble with spatter, but that may be due to the tiny size of my paintings with very little surface area? Most of my test results have been acceptable to me since I paint an extremely high quantity of miniatures and am not really concerned with sales or shows so can afford to sacrifice plenty of those for experimentation, but the mileage may vary for other artists. P.S. Your online paintings are really unique and joyful and I enjoyed looking through them!
Thanks for the info! I may continue to experiment with it myself and see if I can make it work for me. And thanks for the kinds words about my paintings.
http://www.kimeshelman.com
The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes - Marcel ProustI wish I had made a “before” photo, but this is an “after” photo of a small painting I gifted recently. I applied the Spectrafix Fixative at the end…. then let it dry…. and afterwards, I applied the Natural Glass. The Spectrafix Natural Glass now comes in a florasol type bottle that makes the spray very fine. I purchased a separate bottle on Amazon to use with my Spectrafix Fixative…. so that it will spray a very fine mist, as well. I’m sure you could use any kind of fine spray bottle…. like a misting bottle for plants.
I cannot tell that the Natural Glass has greatly darkened the original colors.
Hope this might help a bit.
Mike
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