subject: Pastels Supplies for health and cleanliness concerns [print this page] Pastels Supplies for health and cleanliness concerns
Pastels are quite safe to work with. They're non-toxic and require no volatile chemicals or solvents, and you can simply wash with soap and water to clean up. You may want to consider using the following supplies to address any breathing or neat-freak issues you may have:
Dust mask: Those with respiratory problems such as asthma may find that pastels aggravate and irritate the lungs and cause breathing problems. If dust gives you fits, wear a dust mask while you're working with soft drawing materials such as pastels and charcoal. Don't feel silly many artists wear dust masks every time they work with these soft materials. You can find dust masks reasonably priced at any hardware supply store. As long as you handle pastels appropriately, you generate little dust and shouldn't have any problems with them. But realistically, avoiding creating dust is nearly impossible. If you press too hard or work too vigorously, dust accumulates on the surface of the drawing. Don't blow the dust off the paper! Just hold the paper over a trash can and tap the paper to gently knock the loose dust from the surface. You can also set your easel so that it leans slightly forward, just a degree or two, as opposed to back, so that excess dust falls to the floor as you work.
Gloves: Some artists use gloves to keep the dust completely off their hands and make cleanup faster. They're available in either latex or synthetic rubber, though both can be somewhat cumbersome and some people are allergic to the latex.
Barrier cream: Barrier creams leave a fine film over your hands that prevents your skin from becoming stained with the pastels. Most aren't as good as gloves, but they aren't as bulky as gloves, either. Their main advantage for pastel is the ease of washing up after working simply wash away with soap and water. You don't have to worry about pastel under your fingernails or in the creases of your skin, and you generate less waste than you would with disposable gloves.
Apron, old shirt, and so forth: Protect your clothes from pastel dust. You can safely wash pastel-covered clothes in a washing machine (assuming they're machine-washable to begin with), but trailing around the house or preparing food with pastel particles falling off of you is probably not a good idea. Wear separate clothes for pastel work and household chores (or lounging) to avoid getting dust everywhere.
