How to Fix Charcoal Drawings

To “Fix” Drawings – Unprotected, a charcoal drawing will become smeared and defaced. Hence it is necessary to “fix” the drawing by the application of some varnish-like preparation. To use a brush for this purpose would be obviously wrong. A fixative may be made by using four ounces of alcohol, in which has been dissolved a few grains of white shellac. Fixative also comes ready prepared in bottles.

The fixative is applied to the surface of the drawing by spreading it by means of an atomizer. The atomizer used for medicinal and perfume spraying is not applicable to this purpose; the shellac in the fixative soon clogs the tubes. The cheapest, and as good as any, consists of two small tubes of tin. These are connected and fastened by a small hinge or pivot. One end is placed in the fixative and the other end taken in the mouth, and the breath blown through it. This causes the liquid to mount in the lower tube and dissolve in a cloud of spray so light as not to dislodge the delicate particles of charcoal, and yet attach them so firmly to the paper that ordinary rubbing will not efface the drawing.

In blowing through an atomizer, care should be taken to make the breath steady, avoiding short unequal puffs. The atomizer must be held sufficiently far from the paper to avoid causing the fixative to run down in streams, to the ruination of the drawing. If held too far from the drawing it wiII vaporize too much and fail to “fix” the charcoal.

Simple exercises in charcoal. Fig. 2 is a group of sketches in which semi-circular shapes purposely prevail. By practicing curved lines, gracefulness of handling is acquired.

Charcoal – In laying out a drawing, to be made by means of charcoal or crayon, make a faint outline of the shadows where they meet the light. After having done so, charcoal the mass of shadow within the outline, making a fiat, even, dark tone. In order to do this with the charcoal, draw straight parallel lines, slightly oblique, almost touching each other, until the whole shadow is covered. A large paper stump, or the rag, is now used to unite these charcoal lines into one flat tone of dark. The stump is held in the fingers, so that about an inch of the point lies on the paper, not merely the tip end. With this, the charcoal is rubbed in until no lines appear, but instead an even tone of dark fills in the outline of the shadow.

Should too much charcoal get on the paper, while laying in a mass of shadow, it may be wiped off lightly and evenly with the rag. Then, if the tone has become too light, work on it again with the charcoal, as before, using the stump in the same way until it is satisfactory.