Question for pastel artists
I have not been using a fixative on these pastel portraits. The few times I tried it really darkened the painting. When I read that many artists don't use it I figured I wouldn't either. However, I am noticing a problem after a bit of time passes, there are several that seemed to have "pitted" for lack of a better description. It seems that some of the top layers, mostly visible in the skin areas, have just disappeared in spots making the skin look very splotchy.
What am I doing wrong? I have noticed that this happens more on some surfaces than others. The paintings done on Wallis and La Carte have not done this at all. The paintings done on Canson and Art Spectrum paper have all done it to some extent. Any thoughts or help would be appreciated. If I am not making sense I can try to take a picture of one to show.
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