MITRA Forum Question Details

I have sent this to our colored pencil representative​

​I know we are waiting for an authoritative answer, but I did want to mention Sennelier D'Artigny Pastel Fixative. This product is "vinylic resin" in an alcohol carrier solvent, which should not soften or fuse with pencil layers.

I do not know this for sure in the case of the Sennelier product but Poly vinyl acetate in an ethanol solution is a very typical alcohol soluble vinyl. We sometimes use lower molecyular weight PVA resins in ethanol as a binder for conservation inpainting paints.  I am speaking about a solution of PVA and not a dispersion. I can reach out to Sennelier to see if they want to comment or identify the resin.

I hesitate to make any definitive statements about conservation issues relating to paper (as I am trained as a paintings conservator) but did want to mention that Elmer’s Glue and even Jade 403 Neutral PH PVA Adhesive (used by many in libraries/etc) are PVA dispersion adhesives. Again, this is not really a statement about the appropriateness of PVA on paper but only that it clearly has a long history of use, at least as a dispersion. I have forwarded this question to a few other moderators.

To answer the first part of the question;

Unfortunately we are not qualified to address the question about the archival qualities of polyvinyl resin. That is a question best posed to a conservator, especialy one who specializes in works on paper. Since the Schmincke fixative was originally developed for use with pastels, it's possible that someone in the pastel community may be able to help, but we still think the best resource is a conservator.

The second part of the question;

Artists typically turn to fixatives and varnishes made by Krylon, Prismacolor, Winsor & Newton, Sennelier, Lascaux, and Schmincke. These are all professional grade products that have been tested over time with good results, mainly by pastelists, but also by colored pencil artists. A newer entry into this market is the textured fixative and final fixative marketed by Brush & Pencil, which has been availble for about 4 or 5 years and is marketed specifically for colored pencil. We strongly recommend that artists ALWAYS try out any fixative product on test strips of colored pencil before spraying the product on artwork. The best practice is to create a test strip of each colored pencil to be used in a drawing, on the same substrate to be used. Each strip should be at least half an inch wide and 2 inches long. Cover half of each strip and spray the uncovered half. Allow to dry and remove the cover. Compare the covered half to the sprayed half to see whether any unwanted changes in hue, value, or intensity have occurred. 

Hopefully this will give the original poster direction toward finding solutions for their concerns.

John Guiseppi

Product Research Director - Colored Pencil Society of America