Family Encyclopedia >> Home & Garden

How to Fix a Charcoal or Pastel Drawing Without Fixative?

How to Fix a Charcoal or Pastel Drawing Without Fixative?

Do you draw occasionally or on a regular basis?

If you are using volatile materials, you will definitely need fixative.

Yes, but a fixing product costs between 7 and 20 €! Admit that it's a bit expensive...

I therefore propose a much cheaper method, and which you may be able to achieve with what you already have at home.

Just use a little hairspray.

How to Fix a Charcoal or Pastel Drawing Without Fixative?

Contents
  • How to
  • Result
  • Bonus tip

How to

1. Place yourself in a ventilated room so that the strong odors of this homemade hairspray do not bother you.

2. Stand 15 cm from your drawing.

3. Spray the lacquer on your drawing, taking care not to insist too much each time on the same areas (so as not to make traces).

Result

There you go, your drawing is now well protected by your homemade fixative :-)

If, like me, you already have some at home, so much the better! Otherwise, it costs just €4 and it's multi-purpose too:hair, drawings, tights...

For me, who draws a lot with charcoal, it was a relief to discover this trick, because the fixative is really too expensive!

Bonus tip

No need to go ruin yourself now, you can do your works quietly. And to avoid dirtying them with a badly cleaned eraser, here is another trick.