Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #982998
    Karolina
    Default

        Hello everyone!!!

        A while back when I took some art classes the teacher/artist told as to use hairspray as a cheap fixative. I have used it a coulple of times on my drawings. Has anyone else used it.
        I wonder what are the long term effects???

        #1001435

        no don’t
        it’s not archival and can turn your drawing yellow over time…it’s an old wives tale to use it…

        My Web Site:
        [/URL]
        My Workshops

        All my work is copyrighted and may not be downloaded, copied or reproduced without written permission from me.

        If any man can convince me and bring home to me that I do not think or act aright, gladly will I change; for I search after truth, by which man never yet was harmed. But he is harmed who abideth on still in his deception and ignorance. - Marcus Aurelius
        #1001444
        Karolina
        Default

            Thanks, I guess I should not use it. Better safe then sorry.

            #1001447
            krico
            Default

                I use practically always hairspray as a fixative. Until now I have never seen any quality change in my works. And some of them are made several years ago. Probably there are some hairsprays that aren’t good for this, and if you want to play it safe you shouldn’t use it, but I personally trust it pretty much.

                Greetz
                Krico

                #1001438

                Hairspray may not be archival, but it probably still contains shellac, the main ingredient of fixative. I use it for my sketches in my sketchbooks, have done so for 20 years without yellowing. I also use it when I travel, and since I use it “between layers”, and don’t fix the final result, I have found no problem with discoloration. Perhaps it would be a good idea to use archival quality fixative for work you plan to sell, but if you want to use hairspray for work you plan to keep for yourself, I think that is OK. The main thing about fixative of any kind, is to realise that it is NOT a varnish. Don’t drench your work. Even good quality fixative will darken your work if you drench it.

                #1001439

                Incidentally, as you cannot see a pic alongside my member name, why not look at my website, to see the quality of my work:
                http://www.jackiesimmonds.co.uk

                #1001446
                jolie
                Default

                    do you worry about the brand of hairspray at all? i would assume that the ones that are rougher on my hair would also be rougher on my art. are there any that you stay away from?

                    jolie

                    #1001437

                    I have used it in the past too but today there are a LOT of different sprays with different ingredients. Just check the labels and see which ones contain “lacquer”….probably the cheaper ones. But it is safer to use a regular “fixative” made for that purpose.
                    Jerry

                    Jerry

                    #1001440

                    [i]Originally posted by jackiesimmonds [/i]
                    [B]Incidentally, as you cannot see a pic alongside my member name, why not look at my website, to see the quality of my work:
                    [url]www.jackiesimmonds.co.uk[/url] [/B]

                    Jackie, I’ve seen your flowers video and it is really good!:D

                    #1001448
                    jester1966
                    Default

                        Apart from the fact that I don’t like it when my paintings and drawings smell like a hairdressers’, I have found that the main flaw is that it doesn’t fix your drawings as much as real fixative does.

                        Jester1966

                        Imagination is intelligence having fun!

                        #1001443
                        Lee Gainer
                        Default

                            I used hairspray during school (college) and have not seen much deterioration in the work (pastels, charcoal). Granted it was exploratory student work. I use Golden gel medium and a UV gel to finish my work now (collage). BUT…if you do us the spray, use an aerosol and keep away from open flames!

                            Lee Gainer
                            www.leegainer.com

                            "Somedays even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help." - Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)

                            #1001441

                            Well, I’d trust fixative more than I would hair spray. And since fixative is about the same price and sold at most Wal-Marts (convient), I’d suggest go with the fixative :)

                            EDITED TO ADD: Fixatives also come in two important forms, workable and final…you won’t see that on an Aqua-net lable LOL

                            If someone hurts you, remember that it takes 42 muscles in your face to frown. BUT...It only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and smack the idiot

                            #1001442
                            nam26b
                            Default

                                Arlene may have a unique perspective since she works in colored pencils mostly. I imagine fixing a colored pencil drawing with hairspray could lead to problems, but for black and white stuff it works quite well. I use aqua-net, and I haven’t had any yellowing, but my drawings aren’t more than 3 years old at most.

                                The old ones look just the same as the unsprayed paper.

                                Nahtan

                                #1001436

                                I’ve used pretty much only hairspray as a (cheap) fixative. In fact more then half of the artists I know use it and the rest paint.
                                Like it was said before, using an archival fixative would be good for the work that you plan on selling. I figure, though, most of my sketches are going to be for personal collections and a lot of the paper that I work on has a yellow tint to it anyways.

                                I hadn’t seen this thread until tonight. Which reminds me, I think that I should go out and gets me some aqua-net!

                                Good thread by the way.

                                Jeremiah J. White
                                JeremiahWhite.com/home.html


                                "sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh" - John Singer Sargent
                                #1001445
                                artbabe21
                                Default

                                    Hair spray as a fixative, so use odorless if you don’t like the odor or real fixative if it’s some really good work. But I think it’s quite a common practice, not that that alone makes it correct.

                                    Tracy HI, I have never seen it at our Wal Mart as it IS more expensive………hair spray for about a buck and small can fixative $4.50 at college bookstore.

                                    Cathleen~

                                    [FONT=Times New Roman]~Be COURAGEOUS, It's one of the few places left still uncrowded~

                                    [FONT=Times New Roman]~Life is not measured by it's length BUT by it's depth~

                                  Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
                                  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.