How to Protect Your Artwork from Aging
You’ve purchased a unique piece made from the gold standard of all artist materials available on the market. Lightfast, richly pigmented paint applications on aging- and yellowing-resistant surfaces ensure maximum durability for many decades.
Here are some tips you can follow to protect your artwork from damage.
No matter what drawing technique you use, never hang your artwork over a radiator or near a heat source such as a fireplace.
Position your artwork so that it is not exposed to direct sunlight.
Protect your drawing from air that’s too dry or too humid. The paper will be damaged, curl, or dry out, especially if you don’t want to frame your work behind glass, so as not to disturb its immediacy and depth of color. A room temperature of 20-21°C and a humidity of 45% are ideal.
There’s a lot of “smart advice” online on how to “increase” the longevity of your drawing. From using various household products, to melted beeswax, shellac, or olive oil, to spraying the drawing surface with hairspray. Don’t do this under any circumstances; the risk of clouding the pigments, staining the drawing, or smearing the application is very real, and the damage is irreversible. The works you receive from me have been sprayed with high-quality fixatives from Schmincke and Sennelier from a safe distance over several coats. There’s no need to “touch up” here.
The best way to protect your artwork from dust, humidity, or mechanical damage is to frame it with glass. A frame can be a work of art in itself and – if carefully selected – can enhance the visual expression and color scheme of your drawing. However, the glass surface, which acts as a protective barrier between the drawing and the outside world, also influences the visual impact. Especially with pastel drawings, which require special protection, the glass surface reduces the luminosity of
the pigments. Depending on the incidence of light, reflections on the surface can be distracting.
Use glass cleaner sparingly when removing dust from framed drawings. Never spray the liquid directly onto the glass surface, as it won’t seep through the edges of the frame. Use soft cotton cloths, not kitchen paper, to prevent scratches on the glass. Spray the cleaner onto the cloths, not onto the glass. Use the cleaner only on the glass surface; never on the wooden frame, and certainly not on gilded frames. Here, a fine cotton cloth is perfectly sufficient.
No matter what drawing technique you use, never hang your artwork over a radiator or near a heat source such as a fireplace.
Position your artwork so that it is not exposed to direct sunlight.
Protect your drawing from air that’s too dry or too humid. The paper will be damaged, curl, or dry out, especially if you don’t want to frame your work behind glass, so as not to disturb its immediacy and depth of color. A room temperature of 20-21°C and a humidity of 45% are ideal.
There’s a lot of “smart advice” online on how to “increase” the longevity of your drawing. From using various household products, to melted beeswax, shellac, or olive oil, to spraying the drawing surface with hairspray. Don’t do this under any circumstances; the risk of clouding the pigments, staining the drawing, or smearing the application is very real, and the damage is irreversible. The works you receive from me have been sprayed with high-quality fixatives from Schmincke and Sennelier from a safe distance over several coats. There’s no need to “touch up” here.
The best way to protect your artwork from dust, humidity, or mechanical damage is to frame it with glass. A frame can be a work of art in itself and – if carefully selected – can enhance the visual expression and color scheme of your drawing. However, the glass surface, which acts as a protective barrier between the drawing and the outside world, also influences the visual impact. Especially with pastel drawings, which require special protection, the glass surface reduces the luminosity of
the pigments. Depending on the incidence of light, reflections on the surface can be distracting.
Use glass cleaner sparingly when removing dust from framed drawings. Never spray the liquid directly onto the glass surface, as it won’t seep through the edges of the frame. Use soft cotton cloths, not kitchen paper, to prevent scratches on the glass. Spray the cleaner onto the cloths, not onto the glass. Use the cleaner only on the glass surface; never on the wooden frame, and certainly not on gilded frames. Here, a fine cotton cloth is perfectly sufficient.