How can I avoid the hazy quality that developes over my colored pencil artwork?
A. That’s an effect that happens with wax-based pencils and is most noticeable on dark colors. It’s called wax bloom and is caused by excess wax exuding to the surface then oxidizing. This happens in about a week. It can be wiped off with a soft tissue but may return if the artwork is not sprayed with a fixative. Just spray your drawings at the finish to avoid bloom. Three very light coats should do it. If your work takes longer than a week then you might want to spray with a workable fixative during the drawing’s progress. But there is another way: Since darks are the main problem, I usually establish darks as I draw, but apply the “finish darks” at the very end, then spray. All of my books include discussions and tips on spraying.
