Pastel Care Instructions
Care of Your Pastel Painting
Pastel paintings should be handled with care. AVOID TOUCHING the SURFACE of the artwork.
Your pastel painting may shed a few particles of pigment when new, but this is normal and will not damage the image. Do not touch the painted surface, or attempt to rub or brush away fallen particles, as you may mar the surface of your painting. Until framed, keep the painting flat, supported from underneath and facing upwards to protect the surface.
You will receive your painting with protective material for short-term storage, but to protect and preserve your painting, you should have it professionally framed behind glass. It’s worth choosing the best quality framing materials.
If your painting is in a plastic bag, remove the bag carefully by cutting and lifting it away from the painting.
Framing Your Pastel Painting
It’s best to have your art framed by a professional framer. You want to use acid-free, archival framing materials, as inexpensive mat board or brown cardboard backings will stain or yellow your painting over time.
Do not spray any sort of fixative or coating on your painting in the framing process or allow your framer to do so. Further coating or fixing may change the colors in your painting.
Be conscious of the glass you choose and ask a professional framer for their suggestion.
Two approaches for framing your pastel:
Displaying Your Pastel Painting
As with all art, choose a dry place indoors, ideally out of direct sunlight to hang or display your artwork. Dampness can damage the surface which causes deterioration, and harsh direct sunlight may cause the painting to fade over time.
Pastel paintings should be handled with care. AVOID TOUCHING the SURFACE of the artwork.
Your pastel painting may shed a few particles of pigment when new, but this is normal and will not damage the image. Do not touch the painted surface, or attempt to rub or brush away fallen particles, as you may mar the surface of your painting. Until framed, keep the painting flat, supported from underneath and facing upwards to protect the surface.
You will receive your painting with protective material for short-term storage, but to protect and preserve your painting, you should have it professionally framed behind glass. It’s worth choosing the best quality framing materials.
If your painting is in a plastic bag, remove the bag carefully by cutting and lifting it away from the painting.
Framing Your Pastel Painting
It’s best to have your art framed by a professional framer. You want to use acid-free, archival framing materials, as inexpensive mat board or brown cardboard backings will stain or yellow your painting over time.
Do not spray any sort of fixative or coating on your painting in the framing process or allow your framer to do so. Further coating or fixing may change the colors in your painting.
Be conscious of the glass you choose and ask a professional framer for their suggestion.
Two approaches for framing your pastel:
- Use a reversed bevel double mat. This creates a gap behind the mat where any fallen particles will not be visible (your framer should know what this means).
- Another is to use spacers between the glass and the painting so that no mat is necessary (and can save you money). I use this option all the time.
Displaying Your Pastel Painting
As with all art, choose a dry place indoors, ideally out of direct sunlight to hang or display your artwork. Dampness can damage the surface which causes deterioration, and harsh direct sunlight may cause the painting to fade over time.
All images are copyrighted © by Keri Keene.
The use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission from the artist is obtained.
The use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission from the artist is obtained.
