Fixative for Coloured Pencils and Pastels: Types, Application & Safety

By Carol Leather

Fixative spray is one of those art supplies that sounds simple until you are standing over a drawing you have spent weeks on, finger hovering over the nozzle, suddenly aware that this could either protect the piece or spoil it.

That nervousness is sensible. Fixative can be useful for coloured pencil and pastel pencil work, but it is not harmless magic in a can. It is a liquid coating sprayed over dry pigment. Used with a clear purpose, it can stop smudging, reduce wax bloom, and sometimes give you enough surface tooth to carry on layering. Used too heavily, too close, or on the wrong paper and pencil combination, it can darken colours, leave spots, or make the surface look dull.

So the useful question is not "Should coloured pencil artists use fixative?" The useful question is: what problem are you trying to solve?

If you know that, choosing and applying fixative becomes much less mysterious.

What fixative does

Artist fixative is a clear spray that leaves a thin binding layer over dry media. It helps hold loose pigment on the surface of the paper.

That matters most for soft pastel, pastel pencil, charcoal and graphite, because those materials sit loosely on the paper and smudge easily. Coloured pencil behaves differently. Most coloured pencil pigment is held in a wax or oil binder, so it is already more stable than pastel. That means coloured pencil artists do not always need fixative.

When fixative is useful for coloured pencil, it is usually doing one of four jobs:

• Reducing smudging: useful on heavily layered or mixed-media work, especially if the piece will be handled before framing.
• Restoring tooth: a light coat of workable fixative can give a slick, overworked area enough grip to accept more pencil.
• Managing wax bloom: final fixative can help stop the cloudy film that sometimes appears over wax-heavy layers.
• Adding a final protective surface: useful for finished work, particularly if it will be transported, stored, or displayed without glass.

Workable fixative or final fixative?

Workable fixative and final fixative are not interchangeable. This is the first choice to get right.

Some brands also describe the finish as matte, satin, or gloss. For coloured pencil and pastel pencil, matte is usually the safest place to start because it changes the look of the drawing least. Satin can deepen colour slightly. Gloss is rarely what you want for traditional pencil work unless you are deliberately creating a mixed-media effect.

Some final fixatives include UV protection. That can help with long-term fading, but it does not replace good framing choices or lightfast pencils. If you are making work to sell or display, use lightfast materials first, then treat UV fixative as extra help.

When coloured pencil artists actually need fixative

Coloured pencil does not need automatic fixing. I would rather you used fixative because you understand the problem than because someone online said every finished drawing must be sprayed.

Wax-based coloured pencils

Wax-based pencils, such as Prismacolor Premier, Derwent Coloursoft and Derwent Artist, are the group where fixative most often earns its keep.

The main reason is wax bloom. When you apply heavy layers of wax-based pencil, a pale cloudy film can rise to the surface later. It is harmless and can be wiped away, but it is alarming the first time you see it. A final fixative can help seal the surface after you have removed the bloom.

A workable fixative can also help if you have filled the tooth of the paper during coloured pencil layering and the pencil will no longer grip. Use a very light coat, let it dry fully, then test whether the surface accepts more pigment.

Oil-based coloured pencils

Oil-based pencils, such as Faber-Castell Polychromos, Caran d'Ache Pablo and Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor, are less prone to wax bloom. You may still use final fixative for surface protection, especially if the drawing will be handled or displayed without glass, but it is less often essential.

If you work in many heavy layers and the surface becomes slick, a workable fixative may still help restore enough tooth for small corrections or final details.

Pastel pencils and soft pastels

Pastel pencil is the medium where fixative becomes much more important. Pastel sits loosely on the surface and smudges easily. Workable fixative can hold one layer while you build the next. Final fixative can help protect the finished piece.

The trade-off is colour shift. Pastel can darken or dull when fixed, especially lighter colours. This is why pastel artists often use several very light coats rather than one wet coat.

A useful pastel approach is to fix one or two middle stages, then put the final lights and bright accents back on top after the fixative has dried. Those last touches often look fresher if you leave them unfixed.

How to choose a fixative

The label matters more than the marketing. Before buying or spraying, check these points.

• Workable or final: choose according to whether you plan to keep drawing.
• Suitable media: check that the product lists pencil, coloured pencil, pastel, graphite, charcoal, or dry media, depending on your work.
• Finish: matte is usually safest for coloured pencil. Satin may deepen colour. Gloss is a special-effect choice.
• Archival wording: look for acid-free, non-yellowing, or archival if the work matters long term.
• UV protection: useful for finished work, but not a cure for poor lightfastness.
• Spray type: aerosol sprays tend to give a finer mist. Pump sprays can be lower odour, but may need more practice to apply evenly.

If you are choosing your first fixative, start with a matte product intended for dry media. Do not start with a gloss varnish, craft sealer, or anything not made for artwork on paper.

How to test fixative before spraying your drawing

Testing is the step that protects your work. It is not optional.

Use a scrap of the same paper. Put down the same pencils, in roughly the same pressure and layer depth as the real drawing. Include the colours you are most worried about: darks, reds, purples, pale pastel areas, heavy burnished patches, and any solvent-blended sections.

I know testing feels tedious when you are eager to finish. It is still quicker than trying to rescue a drawing after a heavy spray coat has spotted the sky or darkened a pale face.

How to apply fixative safely and evenly

Fixative works best as several light coats. One heavy wet coat is the usual route to runs, spots, colour shift and panic.

Prepare the space

Spray outdoors on a still, dry day if you can. If you must spray indoors, use strong ventilation and follow the label. Protect the surrounding surface from overspray.

Lay the artwork flat or prop it at a slight angle, depending on the product instructions and your preference. Keep dust away while it dries.

Prepare the can or pump bottle

For aerosols, shake the can for the full time stated on the label, often one or two minutes. Test the nozzle on scrap paper before you go anywhere near the drawing.

For pump sprays, practise the pumping action first. Pump sprays can be useful, especially for people avoiding strong aerosol fumes, but they can produce larger droplets if your hand movement is uneven.

Spray in light passes

Hold the spray the recommended distance from the artwork, commonly around 20 to 30cm, but check your product label.

Start spraying just off one edge of the artwork, move smoothly across the surface, and release the nozzle after you have passed the opposite edge. This avoids a heavy blob at the start or end of the stroke.

Use thin, even coats. Let each coat dry fully before applying the next. For workable fixative, one or two light coats may be enough. For final fixative, two or three light coats are usually better than one heavy coat.

Brands you may come across in the UK and Europe

Once you know why you need fixative, brand choice becomes easier. But no brand removes the need to test on your own paper and pencils.

Availability and budget still matter, and different sprays behave differently, so treat the notes below as starting points rather than guarantees.

You may also see American brands such as Krylon recommended in forums and videos. They may be harder to source consistently in the UK. If you can buy a reliable UK or European product easily, that usually makes testing and replacing it simpler.

Common fixative problems

Most fixative problems come from spraying too heavily, too close, in poor conditions, or without testing. The good news is that once you know the causes, they are mostly preventable.

Quick questions about fixative spray

The practical answer

If you are new to coloured pencils, let the drawing tell you whether fixative has a job to do. It is useful when there is a surface problem to solve, not because it sounds professional.

Use workable fixative when the drawing is still in progress and the surface needs help: loose pastel, filled paper tooth, or an underlayer you want to stabilise.

Use final fixative when the drawing is finished and needs surface protection, wax bloom control, or safer handling before framing.

And whatever the label says, make one small test square before you spray the piece itself. That is what turns fixative from a tense final gamble into a controlled studio tool.

Where to go next

If you came here because a finished coloured pencil drawing has developed a pale cloudy film, start with wax bloom. It is the most coloured-pencil-specific reason to use fixative, and it is usually easier to deal with than it first looks.