A water colour painting is usually framed behind glass and therefore does not need to be varnished. The glass protects the water colour against dirt and somewhat against the harmful effects of light on the colours.

If, however, a water colour painting has to pass from hand to hand for illustrative purposes it can get damaged by dirt and moisture. In this case it would be best to varnish the painting. Talens Water Colour Varnish Matt 050 is invisible after drying and makes the water colour resistant to water. The paint is now protected against moisture and it may be possible to remove dirt. The varnish can also be used for water colour pencils.

One of the specific characteristics of a pastel painting is its velvety look. By fixing the painting this appearance will change, depending on the amount of fixative used. If too much fixative is used the colours may become darker but even then the painting will not be resistant to smudging. So take care!

In order to retain the specific look of the pastel painting some artists do not fix their work at all and so are prepared to put up with the resulting vulnerability. A safer manner is to fix the painting lightly between layers. It is up to the artist whether the final layer is fixed.
On the other hand, there are other artists who do varnish their pastel paintings quite heavily and take account of the darker colours. This, of course, requires experience.

The lead of a coloured pencil is made of pigment, kaolin (a fine clay), wax and cellulose. The wax ensures for the characteristic creamy colour transfer of the pencil and makes the colours resistant to water. At the same time, however, the wax has the tendency to form a white film on the paper. This film disappears when a thin layer of concentrated fixative is applied. The more fixative, the glossier the result. If a matt finish is required, matt acrylic varnish can be used. A fixative can also be used to protect the drawing from smudging.

The lead of a coloured pencil is made of pigment, kaolin (a fine clay), wax and cellulose. The wax ensures for the characteristic creamy colour transfer of the pencil and makes the colours resistant to water. At the same time, however, the wax has the tendency to form a white film on the paper. This film disappears when a thin layer of concentrated fixative is applied.

The more fixative, the glossier the result. If a matt finish is required, matt acrylic varnish can be used. A fixative can also be used to protect the drawing from smudging.

In theory, any ground can be used, providing it is not too smooth. Paper is usually used. Paper with a grain (a somewhat rough surface structure) allows for a better colour release than smooth paper such as photocopying paper.

In theory, water colour pencils can be used on any type of paper, although the best results will be obtained on water colour paper. Water colour paper has a special surface glue, which when the colours are washed does not allow the pigments to be absorbed by the paper. The colours remain pure. What's more, this glue ensures that when much water is used the paper does not bulge excessively.

In theory every ground can be used, providing it has a sufficient surface structure.

Paper is usually used. When using pastels a dry coloured powder is spread over the paper. In contrast to paint, pastels do not have a binder that adheres it to the ground. The pastel powder hangs as it were onto the fibres of the paper. In order to apply a lot of colour the paper therefore needs a certain surface structure.

Drawing paper that is suitable for, for example Siberian chalk, is too smooth and/or too hard to hold sufficient pastel.

Various types of pastel paper are available in many different colours. A coloured ground has the advantage that the pastel painting does not have to cover the entire paper. As the paper has a surface structure the paper will not be completely covered when a stroke is made with the flat side of the pastel. The colour of the paper will show through the pastel colour. If the paper is white this will be a problem when applying dark colours. If the paper is coloured, the colour of the paper will form part of the harmony.

When other flexible grounds are used such as textiles it is important that the painting is framed so that the ground cannot move. Vibrations can cause the pastel particles to loosen.