Question on colorfastness.

[Kristen2026]

I did a portrait a few years ago of two young boys. I used the best colorfast color pencils I could buy, sprayed it with a fixative and had it frame with UV protective glass. I recently had an opportunity to see it again after a number of years. The colors had faded quite a bit. I'm wondering what I could have done better. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Terri]

Hi Kristin - I'm sorry your portrait faded like this!

Not knowing what brand or type of colored pencils you used, I can only wonder about a few things:
Was the portrait subjected to direct sunlight at any time?
Were the colored pencils oil based, wax based? Were they student grade, or labeled as artist grade/lightfast?
Was your fixative spray also a UV protectant?

Just a few of the variables that could have played a part in the fading. There are several ways that could have happened!

Even the paper type might not have helped you: was this an acid free, artist grade paper?

Hopefully, some of this will help point to a possible culprit!

Some others here might weigh in with additional help or suggestions.

 

[PaintBoss]

You read my mind, Terri. Those are my thoughts on the subject as well.
An archival acid free paper is very important as the foundation for the colour to sit on.
Kristen, it sound like you were definitely taking many proactive steps to try to protect it. I’m sorry, it has faded so much. You know, even with all that effort and materials, I would try very hard to caution others to really try to keep it out of the sunlight. Just tempting Fate. And remember, even in an artist set of colours some of them are more lightfast than others. There are some colours that are known to be very strong and some are a lot weaker. So you might find that some colours are still pretty good, but others are disappearing.
I’m impressed you went with the UV glass. That’s fantastic. It is very expensive. I wonder what that company would say about this? Maybe sun can still do damage despite your trying. Maybe they would say it’s not 100% if it’s in the sunlight. It won’t fade as much as regular glass or as quickly. But that doesn’t mean it won’t fade. Oh, that fine print! I have to tell you it’s a real bummer hearing that it failed so much.
So frustrating to see a piece you’re proud of fade like that.

 

[Kristen2026]

Hi Kristin - I'm sorry your portrait faded like this!

Not knowing what brand or type of colored pencils you used, I can only wonder about a few things:
Was the portrait subjected to direct sunlight at any time?
Were the colored pencils oil based, wax based? Were they student grade, or labeled as artist grade/lightfast?
Was your fixative spray also a UV protectant?

Just a few of the variables that could have played a part in the fading. There are several ways that could have happened!

Even the paper type might not have helped you: was this an acid free, artist grade paper?

Hopefully, some of this will help point to a possible culprit!

Some others here might weigh in with additional help or suggestions.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I thought I had all the bases covered. All my colored pencils are artist grade. I used Faber-Castell Polychromos and Caran D;Ache Luminance. on Strathmore Series 500 Bristol Plate. The fixative is Krylon but not the UV Resistant.

 

[Kristen2026]

You read my mind, Terri. Those are my thoughts on the subject as well.
An archival acid free paper is very important as the foundation for the colour to sit on.
Kristen, it sound like you were definitely taking many proactive steps to try to protect it. I’m sorry, it has faded so much. You know, even with all that effort and materials, I would try very hard to caution others to really try to keep it out of the sunlight. Just tempting Fate. And remember, even in an artist set of colours some of them are more lightfast than others. There are some colours that are known to be very strong and some are a lot weaker. So you might find that some colours are still pretty good, but others are disappearing.
I’m impressed you went with the UV glass. That’s fantastic. It is very expensive. I wonder what that company would say about this? Maybe sun can still do damage despite your trying. Maybe they would say it’s not 100% if it’s in the sunlight. It won’t fade as much as regular glass or as quickly. But that doesn’t mean it won’t fade. Oh, that fine print! I have to tell you it’s a real bummer hearing that it failed so much.
So frustrating to see a piece you’re proud of fade like that.

Thank you for replying. I suspect it was originally placed in direct sunlight. The blue in particular did poorly. I did check my fixative. It is not UV Resistant. Need to order some of that.

 

[Terri]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I thought I had all the bases covered. All my colored pencils are artist grade. I used Faber-Castell Polychromos and Caran D;Ache Luminance. on Strathmore Series 500 Bristol Plate. The fixative is Krylon but not the UV Resistant.

You're very welcome! Glad it helped. If the portrait wasn't anywhere you could see how the daily light was affecting it, it's possible the sun is the culprit. UV sprays are the best help!

 

[LizC]

Even the best quality materials won't help if a picture is exposed to direct sunlight.

 

[E.J.H.]

Even the best quality materials won't help if a picture is exposed to direct sunlight.

I respectfully disagree. There are many pigments who don't budge even when exposed to direct sunlight.

Problem is that color pencil brands, even the "artist grade" top tier doesn't give out info on what pigments they use in their pencils (at least not that I know of). And they are apparently willing to use fugative colors.

As I like to overthink my interests,I took quite a deep dive into the pigments used in watercolor (handprint.com is a great resource). Not that I think my work is worthy of being preserved for future generations, () but I like to be able to hang it on a light exposed wall without certain colors bleaching out in a couple of years.

 

[Kristen2026]

I respectfully disagree. There are many pigments who don't budge even when exposed to direct sunlight.

Problem is that color pencil brands, even the "artist grade" top tier doesn't give out info on what pigments they use in their pencils (at least not that I know of). And they are apparently willing to use fugative colors.

As I like to overthink my interests,I took quite a deep dive into the pigments used in watercolor (handprint.com is a great resource). Not that I think my work is worthy of being preserved for future generations, () but I like to be able to hang it on a light exposed wall without certain colors bleaching out in a couple of years.

Thank you for the resource. i will have to check it out. I don't think most artist realize how toxic some materials are. I know a few watercolor artist that would wet their brushes in the mouth to tip them. Very bad, especially with the cadmiums. I have a wet sponge in a dish that I use for that purpose.

 

[PaintBoss]

I respectfully disagree. There are many pigments who don't budge even when exposed to direct sunlight.

Problem is that color pencil brands, even the "artist grade" top tier doesn't give out info on what pigments they use in their pencils (at least not that I know of). And they are apparently willing to use fugative colors.

As I like to overthink my interests,I took quite a deep dive into the pigments used in watercolor (handprint.com is a great resource). Not that I think my work is worthy of being preserved for future generations, () but I like to be able to hang it on a light exposed wall without certain colors bleaching out in a couple of years.

Maybe I’m splitting hairs here. But you can get the best artist products out there, and the full range will not be light fast. Not all pigments can be the highest rated. So in time the sun will affect many artworks that use a range of colors. But not all of the colours will fade.

 

[E.J.H.]

No,you're not splitting hairs.
I think we agree. My point was in case of fi watercolor you can select true lightfast colors from a range, because you know of what pigment(s) each paint consists.

 

[PaintBoss]

Ah, I see we do agree!
Folks, you have to always check the light fastness on each item( paint/ coloured pencil, etc) you buy. Or if it is a set, look to the light fastness of each colour on the back of the box.
Even if it’s professional artist quality.
Some pigments simply do not do well in sunlight.

 

[txomsy]

Maybe the question is not the most adequate. Maybe what one should look at is what s the best way to preserve specific works of art. Museums have been building a detailed body of knowledge over centuries now.

Watercolors, for example, tended to be rather volatile, and are often rotated on temporary display exhibitions, protected by UV-resistant shields, displayed under low light conditions, and a long etc.

Calligraphy, for another, requires special treatment as well: some old works may end up with the ink corroding and eating the paper (specially for strong iron-gall -IG- ink formulas), which has led to many surprises and specific preservation methods. The take-home point here is that you may use the best tools of the time (handmade IG ink in the Middle Ages) but still not be enough and never know in your lifetime.

Sculpture depends on the materials, as everybody should know... and so on.

Personally, I would surmiss that, if preservation is an issue (e.g. on commissions), one uses the best (or at least professional-grade) available materials at the time of execution (maybe centuries from now someone will discover they weren't any good, but at least you did your best), and attach to the work an "instruction manual" with advice on the best practices for display and preservation (again, as of the time of transference of ownership). Maybe with a note advising to re-check this best-practices advise periodically.

After all, now we all expect that advice with most convenience goods (e.g., all pieces of clothing come with tags explaining how to entertain them).