Art Savvy Questions & Answers

DRAWING

Q: Which pen points/ nibs fit which penholders?

A: As a general guideline, in the Sax catalog, there are two categories of nibs and penholders -- quill and "not quill". Speedball makes the pen points Sax carries. Crow Quill #108, Hawk Quill #107 and Flexible Quill # 102 points all have a small barrel shaft and fit over the round pin or plug in the Crow Quill Penholder's "chuck." The Crow Quill penholder's chuck is smaller than that of the other penholders Sax offers. Virtually all the other pen points by Speedball that Sax carries will fit into the other holders that Sax carries. This includes the calligraphy B, C and LC, the drawing pens, the bowl pointed pens and the Scratch Knives. Look closely at the photo of the Speedball Artist pen points in our catalog. If you compare the size of the barrel shafts of the quill pens with the back ends of the other pens, there is a discernable size difference.

Q: Pastels are so beautiful. Do you have any advice for working with them?

A: Here are some tips.

• Clean up your dirty pastel sticks. Place a cup of rice in a plastic bag. Drop a few pieces of pastel into the rice, close the top and shake gently. The pastels will come out smooth and clean.
• Use a colored or toned paper. Sax Artisan Charcoal/Pastel paper or other colored charcoal/pastel papers give an entirely different look to your drawing than those rendered on white paper. See our Paper section for other choices.
• Apply pastels over watercolors. On watercolor paper, paint the basic shapes in watercolor. For riveting effects, paint the under-painting in complimentary tones (green under red, violet under yellow). Then use your pastels. Your piece will be rich in color with very little use of pastel needed. The texture of the watercolor paper will add depth.
• Always work dark to light, thin to thick. Begin your piece with a harder pastel like Nupastel. After this layer you can spray lightly with workable fixative. This will restore the tooth of the paper and give you a good foundation for the next layer. Add highlights and richness with a softer pastel.
• Flick the back of your paper occasionally to knock off excess pastel dust. This will eliminate the need to fix the final layers.
• If you make a mistake, take a stiff brush and lightly dust off as much of the problem area as possible. This will bring you back to the rougher surface of the paper. You should be able to work right over the area.
• When the drawing is complete, spray with fixative to help prevent smearing.
• Frame your piece right away to protect it from smudging. Never place glass directly in contact with pastel. Use a spacer between the glass and the paper. Humidity and static will cause the pastel to cling to the glass. If you cannot frame the work, place a piece of tissue over the piece and fasten it on one end. Stack pieces horizontally. This should help keep smudging to a minimum.

Q: What product do you use to fix or "seal" pastel drawings on papers?

A: Generally, spray fixatives are used to help prevent smearing of pastels and other drawing media. There are several types of spray fixative in the Sax catalog. We recommend that you read the descriptions to obtain the spray that will accomplish what you most wish to do. Even after spraying, pastel drawings should be handled with care as they will not actually be "sealed". The spray fixes the top surface layer of pastel, but if there is a thick layer or more than one layer, the underneath layers can still be smeared.

One way to more permanently seal a pastel drawing is to apply Sax Multi-Media Varnish. Care should be taken that there is no water in the brush when the medium is applied. Also, keeping light pressure on the brush is essential. Water and heavy pressure could cause smearing. Testing the varnish on a small area is advised. This medium will also cause some thinner papers to curl.