I am a registered nurse and wildlife artist/illustrator. One has to always find out if the art products use cadmium or arsenic or any other chemical compositions that could cause health problems in the future. I have a set of Yarka pastel from Russia that I bought in the late 80's and they use toxic materials. I use them carefully because of the materials used in their manufacturing. One should not eat or drink anything with an open container because it is possible for toxic materials to deposit into the food or drink. Your advice of checking where the materials are approved for safety reason is excellent. Another thing is the dust either toxic or not can cause irritation in an artist's lungs and cause possible medical problems again for artists. It is always wise to keep your studio well ventilated. Pastel artists should always keep their art piece set straight up so the dust will fall down to the base of the piece. Many artists in the 40's and 50's worked with toxic material in studios that were not well ventilated that developed many medical problems such as cancer. Chemicals can also enter the body through the skin. Artists should use products that protect their hands from artists materials having direct contact through the skin such as "Glove in the Bottle". Pastel artists can use respirators to protect their airways s when working with toxic pastels. Artists can research online on occupational health sites and their are excellent books on artists and their materials such as "The Artist's Complete Health and Safety Guide". Hope this helps. mtnarts2
I love working with pastels, but have decided only to work with non-toxic, AP labeled brands or individual sticks. I just feel better about it and do not want to wear a mask or gloves doing my artwork. This just gives me peace of mind doing something I love to do. Thanks so much Jason for the info which hasn't been addressed too much.
One of the greatest inventions of modern times... baby wet wipes. Great for wiping away pastel dust. Need to use a few though and some brands are better than others.
According to someone from Stabilo they do not use any toxins or chemicals or metals that are known to cause harm and this is why some of the pencils have lower lightfast ratings as they made the compromise for safety reasons. That is good enough for me as I am addicted to carbothello's
I have been drawing for the last 50 years and it has not bothered me but alot of pastels I use have the AP on the box or on the pastel covers. I am more a acrylic painter and graghite drawer and I tend to do alot of things wrong what Jason says as I did not know all about pastels. For pastels my paper is Fisher 400 and Pastelmat the pencils are Faber-Castell, Derwent and now Carbothello's. Jim Menhams
God bless you, Jason, you are always so thorough and so informative! I think you are right that sometimes it is needless panic although we do have to be careful. My father owned a sign painting business and worked with turpentine and many other materials that probably had toxins in them yet he lived to be 90. Being from a previous generation he also smoked but he quit that when he was in his 50s so I'm sure that helped a lot. I have worked with pastels on and off for decades but now I am much more aware and I think I will stick to the safer brands.
Good information. I now know my hand vacuum is not good. The tip about using wet cloths where t he dust settles on the bottom area of the easel is great. Thanks.
Important advice for all artists! I don’t trust the „AP“ seal, for the pencils of Caran D’Ache Luminance the Pigments were listed, the pencils contained Cobalt and bear the „AP“ seal nevertheless.. I don’t understand that
Wear a dust mask and wipe down your surfaces after you work. Thanks for the good advice!
7 лет назад+5
I'm glad you did this video. I got really bad breathing problems when I started working with pastels. I had this stupid habit on blowing and dusting the dust away, so there was quite a bit pastel dust on air and I was breathing it. And after one painting I got really bad breathing problems. It was like something heavy was sitting on my chest. And I am not sensitive to other products at all and never have had any health problems, so it definitely was because of the pastel dust I was breathing. So i bought mask, little hand held vacuum cleaner (need to be careful not to let it blow the dust on air) and also air purifier that is certificated by Asthma and allergic association. Since then I have not had any problems. So there is ways to make the pastel painting healthier, but it really needs effort
Thanks so much for this video Jason - I'll definitely have to look into one of those free-standing filters, as I work in a corner of my bedroom - certainly do not want to be breathing in dust while I sleep. I already had a small hand-held hoover because I hate the dust on the laminate floor and am never without it. I'm also looking to get myself a small range of softer pastels to save churning through my pastel pencils - I'll be looking for that AP stamp now for sure. :)
I have to say I tend to get a very tight chest after using Rembrandt pastel sticks but not so much with the fabers or carbothello pastel pencils. I think the answer is to either get an expensive air purifier or get a mask of some kind. Art is something we can't stop doing but we can make it as safe as we can.
Anne Watman all I do is put my hand vacuum in the bag and push the button to grease the mechanism and empty. But to be honest pastelmat and sanded papers stop most of the dust from forming anyway.
I have a vaccum cleaner, Dyson brand, and it is the best I could buy to clean my house. I even have animals at home and I am asthmatic. I also have an air purifying device. The best to breathe fresh air at home.
Great review of this subject thank you. Sensible suggestions. I have started painting with soft pastels but get chesty and asthma when ever I do. Love the medium so much I will look I into further protective measures.
Do all Dysin have Hepa filter! Im struggling to find anything online and also I get automated robot on Dyson on website chat line! urg anyone know? Thanks!
No, all Dysons don't have a HEPA filter. Also, as wasn't mentioned in the video, you need to change a HEPA filter every so often. This depends on type, use, etc. Generally once per year, but it actually varies between 6 months and 3 years.
I ve just bought my first pan pastels set,but I have a BIG concern: They are AP approved but they have a sticker on them that says: ,, CALIFORNIA ONLY: WARNING ⚠️:cancer and reproductive harm” If someone can tell me if I should use them or throw them away(safety first) PLEASE Do!
Thank you for all your indications. Are the Jackson's art pastels are safety to use them with and do they have the AP mention ? I ask that question since you have encouraged the use of them in an another video and I am interested in them. Thank for your sharing.
Thank you for such a comprehensive, well-researched video. This issue is a concern to me as I'm considering buying a set of either Unison or Sennelier soft pastels. I know Unison is supposed to be top-of-the-line but thought I read somewhere that Senellier might be less toxic. Anybody have any thoughts? Thx
I was looking at Mel shaws concepts art for Disney that made me want to try pastels but I’m worried about them being dangerous, specially as I already have asthma and breathing problems
Hi. I wanted to order the purification system that you recommended in this amazing video, but they only sell it in England and don't ship to the U.S. Any recommendation for systems in the U.S.? Thanks!
Hi Jason thank you for the info , Yet again I do not agree if you are taking precautions when using chalk pastels and consider that they have toxic content and the build up/clean or dust is not a grantee of protection against the dust build up ,ask your self why Jonson's baby powder are addressing the use of powder /cornstarch or other small particles that can be ingested in lungs( you also state some boxes are not conforming ??) Your talk deals with a long detail about a filters lets face it chalk pastels even if you use rubber medical grade gloves the risk of using chalk pastels has a large degree of health issues if is a dangerous art material, why not recommend and use oil base pastels are far more safe so why not recommenced them? you say and elaborate on filters and then again why not ? if you are trying to clear up about the toxicity then say chalk pastels are a health risk the fact that you then say you dont use gloves ..I question the whole talk DUST and toxic pigments are a health issue why not say so !
This kind of materials like pastels that i'm touching directly and have dusty substances that i can breath, are sooooo allergenic for me. So while I'm using them I have to cover my hands and mouth and nose or more!
Great video! I just started with the pastels (mostly pan) and I have several fixatives but none of them work! No matter what, the pastels smear rather badly. What fixatives do you use??? It's especially annoying when using them for backgrounds with colored pencils. I use an acetate sheet to rest my hand on but it still smears no matter how careful I am. Help!!! LOL!
In some of his previous videos Jason mentioned he doesn't use any fixatives because none of the ones he tried gave him good results. I have also tried a few myself and all of them seem to flatten the image and either darken values, distort color or loose the subtlety in colour and value transitions. The pastelmat paper is really good at holding the pastel material well anyway, so as long as you store your artwork properly or frame it behind glass you don't really need fixative. By the way, why use fixatives with coloured pencil in the first place? They're a wax or oil based medium and don't really need it.
Chrysostomos Chrysostomides I was asking about the pastels that I used for the background not the colored pencil subject of the painting. You are quite right, colored pencils don't smear easily.
I use PanPastels for my coloured pencil art for backgrounds as well. I do my background at the end and use a piece of tracing paper under my hand. If you are careful it won't smear too much. I then store my finished projects in an archival art folder with clear sleeves and then I can look at them again without having to touch the paper. PastelMat is the best paper to use but I have used Stonehenge too:)
Freedommjw What kind of paper are you using? If it doesn't have enough tooth the pastel will smear much more easily. Personally I don't use coloured pencil with pastels in the same drawing because I can't find a paper I like enough for both media. One possible solution is when you apply the pan pastel you use a lot more pressure to push it into the tooth of the paper, using your fingers tends to work better for this reason than Sofft tools. Also you could try using glassine paper for resting your hand.
The state of California is very stringent. Some products in the USA will say "may cause cancer in the state of California" Because they even say cocoa is potentially carcinogenic.
I've found for me what works is to drill a small hole directly into my scull and pour the pastel powder into my brain, that way I protect my lungs and don't have to breath the dust. This method also works to protect my liver from alcohol.
I am a registered nurse and wildlife artist/illustrator. One has to always find out if the art products use cadmium or arsenic or any other chemical compositions that could cause health problems in the future. I have a set of Yarka pastel from Russia that I bought in the late 80's and they use toxic materials. I use them carefully because of the materials used in their manufacturing. One should not eat or drink anything with an open container because it is possible for toxic materials to deposit into the food or drink. Your advice of checking where the materials are approved for safety reason is excellent. Another thing is the dust either toxic or not can cause irritation in an artist's lungs and cause possible medical problems again for artists. It is always wise to keep your studio well ventilated. Pastel artists should always keep their art piece set straight up so the dust will fall down to the base of the piece. Many artists in the 40's and 50's worked with toxic material in studios that were not well ventilated that developed many medical problems such as cancer. Chemicals can also enter the body through the skin. Artists should use products that protect their hands from artists materials having direct contact through the skin such as "Glove in the Bottle". Pastel artists can use respirators to protect their airways s when working with toxic pastels. Artists can research online on occupational health sites and their are excellent books on artists and their materials such as "The Artist's Complete Health and Safety Guide".
Hope this helps.
mtnarts2
I love working with pastels, but have decided only to work with non-toxic, AP labeled brands or individual sticks. I just feel better about it and do not want to wear a mask or gloves doing my artwork. This just gives me peace of mind doing something I love to do. Thanks so much Jason for the info which hasn't been addressed too much.
One of the greatest inventions of modern times... baby wet wipes. Great for wiping away pastel dust. Need to use a few though and some brands are better than others.
Jason I've just started using pastels. Thanks for this information!
Thank you for the time and effort you have taken to present this information.
According to someone from Stabilo they do not use any toxins or chemicals or metals that are known to cause harm and this is why some of the pencils have lower lightfast ratings as they made the compromise for safety reasons. That is good enough for me as I am addicted to carbothello's
This is great to know, Thank you for posting. I love using pastel pencils :)
Good. I was worried, since I could not find any information. Now I'm more at ease then.
I have been drawing for the last 50 years and it has not bothered me but alot of pastels I use have the AP on the box or on the pastel covers. I am more a acrylic painter and graghite drawer and I tend to do alot of things wrong what Jason says as I did not know all about pastels. For pastels my paper is Fisher 400 and Pastelmat the pencils are Faber-Castell, Derwent and now Carbothello's. Jim Menhams
Thank you Jason. Very informative :)I need a mask when using PanPastels but not when I use Pastel Pencils.
God bless you, Jason, you are always so thorough and so informative! I think you are right that sometimes it is needless panic although we do have to be careful. My father owned a sign painting business and worked with turpentine and many other materials that probably had toxins in them yet he lived to be 90. Being from a previous generation he also smoked but he quit that when he was in his 50s so I'm sure that helped a lot. I have worked with pastels on and off for decades but now I am much more aware and I think I will stick to the safer brands.
Good information. I now know my hand vacuum is not good. The tip about using wet cloths where t
he dust settles on the bottom area of the easel is great. Thanks.
Important advice for all artists! I don’t trust the „AP“ seal, for the pencils of Caran D’Ache Luminance the Pigments were listed, the pencils contained Cobalt and bear the „AP“ seal nevertheless.. I don’t understand that
Wear a dust mask and wipe down your surfaces after you work. Thanks for the good advice!
I'm glad you did this video. I got really bad breathing problems when I started working with pastels. I had this stupid habit on blowing and dusting the dust away, so there was quite a bit pastel dust on air and I was breathing it. And after one painting I got really bad breathing problems. It was like something heavy was sitting on my chest. And I am not sensitive to other products at all and never have had any health problems, so it definitely was because of the pastel dust I was breathing. So i bought mask, little hand held vacuum cleaner (need to be careful not to let it blow the dust on air) and also air purifier that is certificated by Asthma and allergic association. Since then I have not had any problems. So there is ways to make the pastel painting healthier, but it really needs effort
fine dust paticles from pastels , diagnosed with asthma even though I was cautious when using them
Did you use a mask?
Miss Booksmith not till too late
Thanks so much for this video Jason - I'll definitely have to look into one of those free-standing filters, as I work in a corner of my bedroom - certainly do not want to be breathing in dust while I sleep. I already had a small hand-held hoover because I hate the dust on the laminate floor and am never without it. I'm also looking to get myself a small range of softer pastels to save churning through my pastel pencils - I'll be looking for that AP stamp now for sure. :)
Thank you for this very informative video..... I use pastels & watercolours so will look into an air filter for my room. Thanks Jason 🙂
I have to say I tend to get a very tight chest after using Rembrandt pastel sticks but not so much with the fabers or carbothello pastel pencils. I think the answer is to either get an expensive air purifier or get a mask of some kind. Art is something we can't stop doing but we can make it as safe as we can.
thank you Jason,,very informative
Thanks for your valuable information..
Thank you so much for this informative video, extremely helpful!
Thanks for the very informative video. As usual....love what you do!!!
Thanks for all the good info
I love the vacuum. However, most of the handheld ones usually don’t have bags. So when you empty the vacuum, you end up getting all that dust then!
Anne Watman all I do is put my hand vacuum in the bag and push the button to grease the mechanism and empty. But to be honest pastelmat and sanded papers stop most of the dust from forming anyway.
I have a vaccum cleaner, Dyson brand, and it is the best I could buy to clean my house. I even have animals at home and I am asthmatic. I also have an air purifying device. The best to breathe fresh air at home.
Thank you for the information.
Great review of this subject thank you. Sensible suggestions. I have started painting with soft pastels but get chesty and asthma when ever I do. Love the medium so much I will look I into further protective measures.
I would just use pastel pencils in that case, less dust and never blow any dust.
Hello Jen hope you’re okay ✅
Do all Dysin have Hepa filter! Im struggling to find anything online and also I get automated robot on Dyson on website chat line! urg anyone know? Thanks!
No, all Dysons don't have a HEPA filter.
Also, as wasn't mentioned in the video, you need to change a HEPA filter every so often. This depends on type, use, etc. Generally once per year, but it actually varies between 6 months and 3 years.
I ve just bought my first pan pastels set,but I have a BIG concern: They are AP approved but they have a sticker on them that says: ,, CALIFORNIA ONLY:
WARNING ⚠️:cancer and reproductive harm”
If someone can tell me if I should use them or throw them away(safety first) PLEASE Do!
I threw mine out, went to watercolour
You can always move to a state other than California. For some reason other states are just fine.
Thank you for all your indications. Are the Jackson's art pastels are safety to use them with and do they have the AP mention ? I ask that question since you have encouraged the use of them in an another video and I am interested in them. Thank for your sharing.
Thank you for such a comprehensive, well-researched video. This issue is a concern to me as I'm considering buying a set of either Unison or Sennelier soft pastels. I know Unison is supposed to be top-of-the-line but thought I read somewhere that Senellier might be less toxic. Anybody have any thoughts? Thx
I eat some snacks while I pained with pastel(pan pastel). So, some of the pastel powder in my body with foods. I worry about my health. What can I do?
Nothing you can do anymore now but to never do this again.
I was looking at Mel shaws concepts art for Disney that made me want to try pastels but I’m worried about them being dangerous, specially as I already have asthma and breathing problems
I wouldn't go there if i were you, plenty of safer mediums
Hi. I wanted to order the purification system that you recommended in this amazing video, but they only sell it in England and don't ship to the U.S. Any recommendation for systems in the U.S.? Thanks!
Hello Robyn hope you’re okay ✅
I've been sneezing like crazy Thats why I looked up this vid I've been blowing my art and yes I thought 8 had a terrible cold suddenly xx
Hi Jason thank you for the info ,
Yet again I do not agree if you are taking precautions when using chalk pastels and consider that they have toxic content and the build up/clean or dust is not a grantee of protection against the dust build up ,ask your self why Jonson's baby powder are addressing the use of powder /cornstarch or other small particles that can be ingested in lungs( you also state some boxes are not conforming ??)
Your talk deals with a long detail about a filters lets face it chalk pastels even if you use rubber medical grade gloves the risk of using chalk pastels has a large degree of health issues if is a dangerous art material, why not recommend and use oil base pastels are far more safe so why not recommenced them?
you say and elaborate on filters and then again why not ? if you are trying to clear up about the toxicity then say chalk pastels are a health risk the fact that you then say you dont use gloves ..I question the whole talk DUST and toxic pigments are a health issue why not say so !
This kind of materials like pastels that i'm touching directly and have dusty substances that i can breath, are sooooo allergenic for me. So while I'm using them I have to cover my hands and mouth and nose or more!
would using pastels outside be a bad idea?
Degas lived up to old age and he used the full range (cadmium)
Some smokers live to old age too
Great video! I just started with the pastels (mostly pan) and I have several fixatives but none of them work! No matter what, the pastels smear rather badly. What fixatives do you use??? It's especially annoying when using them for backgrounds with colored pencils. I use an acetate sheet to rest my hand on but it still smears no matter how careful I am. Help!!! LOL!
In some of his previous videos Jason mentioned he doesn't use any fixatives because none of the ones he tried gave him good results. I have also tried a few myself and all of them seem to flatten the image and either darken values, distort color or loose the subtlety in colour and value transitions.
The pastelmat paper is really good at holding the pastel material well anyway, so as long as you store your artwork properly or frame it behind glass you don't really need fixative. By the way, why use fixatives with coloured pencil in the first place? They're a wax or oil based medium and don't really need it.
Chrysostomos Chrysostomides I was asking about the pastels that I used for the background not the colored pencil subject of the painting. You are quite right, colored pencils don't smear easily.
I use PanPastels for my coloured pencil art for backgrounds as well. I do my background at the end and use a piece of tracing paper under my hand. If you are careful it won't smear too much. I then store my finished projects in an archival art folder with clear sleeves and then I can look at them again without having to touch the paper. PastelMat is the best paper to use but I have used Stonehenge too:)
Freedommjw What kind of paper are you using? If it doesn't have enough tooth the pastel will smear much more easily. Personally I don't use coloured pencil with pastels in the same drawing because I can't find a paper I like enough for both media. One possible solution is when you apply the pan pastel you use a lot more pressure to push it into the tooth of the paper, using your fingers tends to work better for this reason than Sofft tools. Also you could try using glassine paper for resting your hand.
Thank you! I was actually considering trying that. Normally I do the background first. New territory! LOL!
The state of California is very stringent. Some products in the USA will say "may cause cancer in the state of California" Because they even say cocoa is potentially carcinogenic.
I got pastel in my eye once
It happened to me just now 😭 did u have any problems w it?
I've found for me what works is to drill a small hole directly into my scull and pour the pastel powder into my brain, that way I protect my lungs and don't have to breath the dust.
This method also works to protect my liver from alcohol.