Should you fix your pictures?

It's a question that comes up a lot here at Colin Bradley Art, and it's a good one.Do you fix your pictures using fixative?Years ago, I did used to fix my pictures. The main reason was because I thought this is simply what you did with Pastel. However I didn't feel it was very successful and realised early on it wasn't a good idea.In the very beginning I was using Carb-Othello pastel pencils and often I had to fix the picture and then work on top of it to create extra depth. Now don't get me wrong, they are a good pencil but they looked a little dull and needed refreshing. The dark colours appeared fine so I would go back over the picture with the lighter colours.When I switched to the Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils, I found I didn't have to fix the picture. We've said before in previous posts that the Pitt Pastel Pencil has a higher pigmentation and appear brighter. This was much better for me and saved me re-doing the picture after fixing it, which I felt often lost some of the "sparkle" from the picture.Of course this is my experience and it's entirely up to you whether you decide to fix your picture. If you do prefer to fix then I recommend 'Perfix' by Daler Rowney which you can purchase through the SAA here.To switch to faber-castell pitt pastel pencils, visit our art store here.Do you fix your pictures? What's your experience? Let us know in the comments below.