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You may also want to use your fixative to deepen your dark values, especially during the middle point of a painting (that’s when I usually worry that my darks have gotten a little lost in all the color). Spraying an occasional light layer of fixative over your painting as you work can help your pastels stay in place, so that you can build your painting in layers without feeling like you’re wiping the chalk back off as you go. Pastel is very easy to apply, but it also has a tendency to “move” on the paper, or rub off if the painting is touched. Here are a few tips to help you decide if you should “fix” your work as you paint with soft pastel: When you SHOULD use fixative Click here to learn more and get a simple art website of your own! Quick announcement - EmptyEasel has created a quicker, easier way for artists to have their own art website. Yes, one of the tools available to pastel artists is spray fixative, but using a spray fixative has its pros and cons. Unfortunately, pastels can also be quite messy to use, and for this reason, many artists shy away from it. They require no brushes, water, or blending mediums, and their brilliant colors create beautiful, bright works of art. Soft pastels are easy to blend, mix, and apply, and are a great dry medium when you need to work quickly or paint outdoors. By Niki Hilsabeck in Art Tutorials > Painting Tutorials