chrislehr
Well-known member
I have a finishing question. Have a cedar board my mother wrote on in chalk to my son. I'd like to preserve the chalk writing. What's a good way to do this without risking rinsing/wiping the chalk off?
painting over chalk
- Thread starter chrislehr
- Start date
Turbo900rr
Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2012
- Messages
- 19
I would think satin clear coat, but.....thinking about it more. Maybe framing it under glass? I'm sure you'll get a bunch of ideas from the group.
My thoughts as well.
Lotek
Well-known member
APEowner
Well-known member
What he said.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
If you do paint over it, definitely try a test sample first. I've had mixed results spraying clear over chalk as it tends to "wash" it away.
rk_tek
Well-known member
I've always used spray lacquer to keep chalk lines from disappearing in construction. Fixative works to an extent. My pastel drawings have all transferred to some degree or another onto anything they touch.
+1 for doing a test piece. Light coats at first to glue the chalk down, then build up the layers until you have the desired protection. If you do a heavy coat from the start, you will probably wash the chalk off or blow it around.
my $.02
+1 for doing a test piece. Light coats at first to glue the chalk down, then build up the layers until you have the desired protection. If you do a heavy coat from the start, you will probably wash the chalk off or blow it around.
my $.02
Nick Danger
Well-known member
Mrs Danger is an artist and has 25 years experience as a picture framer. She says, "The best thing to do is to let it alone. Most fixatives will penetrate, and you run the risk of the chalk becoming transparent. Hair spray might work, because it's designed to stay on the surface."
Or you can mount a clear panel over it to protect the writing.
Or you can mount a clear panel over it to protect the writing.
bad_idea
Well-known member
Whatever you do, take a couple pictures of it first. If it gets FUBAR'd you will at least have some pictures to remember it by.
rlitman
Well-known member
Yes. Then get yourself another board with some chalk, and test out some of the suggestions above.
I would suggest (again, TEST this first) a clear shellac based spray, applied in a VERY light first coat. A proper artistic fixative is the best answer, which is generally a very thinned clear shellac, in a solvent hotter than the plain alcohol usually used with shellac.
Here is Krylon's answer:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00023JE7U/?tag=atomicindus08-20
"Workable fixatif spray protects computer prints, pencil, pastel and chalk drawings
Prevents smudging, wrinkling and allows for easy reworking of the artwork
Acid free and archival safe
Clear, durable finish
Erase through coating to rework artwork.
Non-wrinkling; non-yellowing. Dry to the touch in 30 minutes."
Spray, because any other application will be sure to disturb the chalk.
Shellac, because it dries extremely fast, sticks to anything, and anything sticks to it, so it won't bead up and won't cause beading of a more protective clear coat over it. If you go lightly enough (spray from a foot away or more), it may dry within seconds, leaving little time for the solvent to wash the chalk.
Once you've gotten it smudge proofed with a fixative, you can go over it with a clear acrylic or urethane spray that will offer the real protection you probably want. FYI, clear acrylic looks better, and should hold up fine, but if you wanted to use this as a horizontal surface that might get a glass placed on it, urethane is better there.
Last edited:
Just how much/long do you want to 'preserve' this chalk-on-cedar piece?
Because not only do you have the chalk factor, you also have the cedar factor.
And neither material is really "archival" (in artist's or museum terms).
Frame the 'art' under glass (with the art spaced away from the glass!!!!) would protect the chalk from being touched, but does nothing for the pigment(s) in the chalk or the chalk itself or the natural acids in the lignin in the wood. Or the natural expansion and contraction of the wood with seasonal humidity changes.
And the 'crafter' way of using spray hairspray is just so 'wrong' from an artist's standpoint (unknown materials, of unknown longevity and unknown interaction onto some 'art'? NO WAY IMNSHO!!!!! )
Actual fixative is at least -supposed- to 'fix' the artwork in place. But even there, there are different levels of good vs not-quite-so-good.
https://www.dickblick.com/categories/fixatives/details/
https://www.dickblick.com/products/sennelier-latour-spray-fixative-for-pastels/#description
https://www.dickblick.com/products/winsor-and-newton-artists-fixative/
https://www.dickblick.com/products/sennelier-hc10-universal-fixative/
And if you are contemplating using any sort of spray fixative, +99 on doing a test piece (same wood, same chalk) before applying it to the actual piece.
Because not only do you have the chalk factor, you also have the cedar factor.
And neither material is really "archival" (in artist's or museum terms).
Frame the 'art' under glass (with the art spaced away from the glass!!!!) would protect the chalk from being touched, but does nothing for the pigment(s) in the chalk or the chalk itself or the natural acids in the lignin in the wood. Or the natural expansion and contraction of the wood with seasonal humidity changes.
And the 'crafter' way of using spray hairspray is just so 'wrong' from an artist's standpoint (unknown materials, of unknown longevity and unknown interaction onto some 'art'? NO WAY IMNSHO!!!!! )
Actual fixative is at least -supposed- to 'fix' the artwork in place. But even there, there are different levels of good vs not-quite-so-good.
https://www.dickblick.com/categories/fixatives/details/
https://www.dickblick.com/products/sennelier-latour-spray-fixative-for-pastels/#description
https://www.dickblick.com/products/winsor-and-newton-artists-fixative/
https://www.dickblick.com/products/sennelier-hc10-universal-fixative/
And if you are contemplating using any sort of spray fixative, +99 on doing a test piece (same wood, same chalk) before applying it to the actual piece.
I mean, as long as possible? My mom wrote "BYE" to my kid after her first visit here. She likely won't live forever, so any day this lives beyond her is worth a considerable amount of sentimental value as I see it.
Even if that weirded out my kid (who knows) I would (cut onions near it initially) smile every time I see it. Or I could gift to my brother as something if/when she passes.
So yea, I could have my mom rewrite it in something better, but the fact that she was having a hard time saying good bye to the toddler she just met makes this piece a little unique and special and I want to capture it the best I can.
Will read through these later on this week, thanks for the insight.
Uh, I hate to tell ya but this is actually a GOOD IDEA
Back in the day when I was a photographer I used to retouch photos using a wide variety of methods and materials. You always touched up the negatives first but then liquid dyes that were made of the same pigment that was in the emulsion of the photo paper would be used. If you still had to do more Marshal's fixitive was applied on the surface and coloured pencils, pastels applied or paint medium could be airbrushed on. You lightly sprayed the fixitive over the medium you were using and could keep building it up by spraying more layers of fixitive on. My point is the pastels I used were similar to chalk and it worked quite well to hold the powdered pastel on the paper. The trick was to spray only a dusting of fixitive on and repeat several times as it dried to build a full layer or cover of fixitive. If you sprayed a full layer on like you would when painting a surface the wet layer would lift the pastel up into the wet layer. Just light dust coats are sprayed and allowed to dry before another light dusting is sprayed until you can see a full layer.
Once the retouching was done full wet coats of clear or satin lacquer were applied for the final finish over the last fixitive layer. This is not archival though but a lot of art isn't archival due to materials used anyway.
Just remember bad idea's good idea about taking quality photos first.