<p>Building on @Joachim's comments above, yes, the direct sunlight can affect the color and make them dull. Hence, when you are not working, you should store the paper in dark
(or use some protective varnish)</p>
<p>Also, Do you wear any artist's glove while  (<em>A glove that covers ring &amp; pinky finger</em>)?</p>
<p>-&gt; If you are not using it, then it might help you with smudging and fading of colors.</p>
<p>-&gt; If you are using it, you might want to check the fabric and see if that's what affecting the pigments.</p>
<p>Also, placing some other paper to cover the already drawn part, when working on details might help.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-24T12:24:33.920Z
2021-05-24T12:24:33.920Z
HPatel
<p>Given:</p>
<ul>
<li>The speed of the fading (especially since you cover your art when not working on it).</li>
<li>There seems to be some smudging/fading in parts of the graphite (graphite is usually very light-fast).</li>
<li>You said that you are partially using watercolor pencils (which are designed to smudge very, very easily).</li>
</ul>
<p>I think it is more likely that most of the fading is due to how you work, rather than the light-fastness (or not) of your pencils.</p>
<p>There are lots of recommendations in <a href="https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/376/how-can-i-avoid-smudging-my-pencil-drawings">this previous question</a> for how to avoid accidentally smudging your art while working, but basically: put something under your hand so that your hand doesn't touch your art while you work.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-25T15:49:20.123Z
2021-05-25T15:49:20.123Z
user3067860
<p>Your colored pencils probably aren't lightfast. Look for a lightfast rating on the packaging, if there's not one, there's your problem. If there's not, keep the picture out of the sun to prevent fading. You might want to purchase high quality lightfast pencils such as Caran d'Ache, Holbein, or Prismacolor as those are the best pencils with high lightfast rating. Those are not cheap, but they won't fade in the sun either.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-25T06:55:51.293Z
Welcome to Arts & Crafts.  Just a quick suggestion on your answer.  Most of the readers will be people other than the question's author, finding their way here through an online search.  The answer will have more value for them if you limit the answer, itself, to just the solution.  The second paragraph is commentary, which would be a better fit as a comment on the question.  With a little more rep, you'll be able to post comments.
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-25T07:56:25.350Z
Hey, @fixer1234 why did you edit the reply, the commenter was giving me a compliment, lol.
Ishan Joshi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T07:47:37.377Z
@IshanJoshi I made that edit. It shouldn't be part of an answer in any case. It's fine as a comment. If you weren't able to read it, you can view this post's history [here](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/posts/10328/revisions).
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-25T04:14:41.310Z
2021-05-25T07:20:18.273Z
2021-05-25T07:20:18.273Z
Jamie Heil
<p>These should have been just comments, but they ended up too long, so here I go again, partly repeating what others had already said...</p>
<hr />
<p>1.)</p>
<p>That's some very concerning fading you got there. Just in case smudging somehow contributes to it as suggested by other people, I wanted to point out that for your chosen methodology — finishing up detailed work on parts before moving on to the next — it would be possible to organize your progress in a from-top-towards-bottom, and — if you are right-handed — from-left-towards-right directions. That could mostly eliminate the situations where already finished work ends up under your working hand.</p>
<p>2.)</p>
<p>Also: <em>never</em> allow sunlight to directly hit your artwork. Not during creating it, and not during exhibition, when hanging on a wall somewhere. (Long-term exhibition should happen only under the protection of UV-filtering glass, or similar varnish.)</p>
<p>Now <strong>you could test the lightfastness</strong> (or the lack thereof) of your pencils: create two, simple, identical test pieces: this should be just some plain, colored stripes applied thickly with the color pencils you use most often, and which you want to test. To keep it economic on the materials used, it doesn't even need to be a big area.</p>
<p>Keep one of the test pieces in a protective dark environment, like a desk drawer or something. The other one, tape it to your window, facing outwards, where the sun can shine on it as much as it wants.</p>
<p>After every week of passing time, you could bring those two pieces together for a quick comparison, to see how fast the sun-exposed one fades.</p>
<p>If you find the rate of change on the sun-exposed one shockingly fast, you could buy a few color pencils from another brand (look for indicators/markings of lightfastness up front), and — before investing more work into actually drawing with them — just repeat the fade comparison test with them too.</p>
<p>(Consider that the fading test will present different results in summer- versus wintertime, due to the difference in the intensity of the sunlight and in the amount of sunny hours.)</p>
<p>In the end, pick the pencil brand that performs best in the fading-in-the-sun test.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T02:22:42.413Z
2021-05-26T03:39:57.243Z
2021-05-26T03:39:57.243Z
Levente

<h1> THE SUN </h1>
<p><strong>Bright lights and UV rays</strong> will fade color<p>
<p> <strong>Dust</strong> its also a factor: since its near to impossible to stop once its settled, you'll try to remove it, and game over...</p>
<p> <strong> The main factor would be:</strong> sunlight. Yes. Unless they're high-quality pencils, they  tend to be less likely to fade.
<p> <strong>So...</strong><p>
<p>minimize the exposure of bright sunlight and UV rays. How? by framing your art or keeping it in a dark place.
<p>If you dont have any of this, and your house is full of windows, consider buying some cellular shades, they can protect most UV light from coming in... plus, it will give you some comfortable indoor temperature!
<h1> I recommend...</h1>
<h3> Use varnish or a fixative</h3>
<p> <strong> But what's the difference between varnish and a fixative? you may ask</strong>, well, a fixative spray is used to "fix" the drawing material (usually used on graphite, charcoal or pastel) so that it doesn't smear as easily. A varnish is used to protect it from absorbing pollutants from the environment.


CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-25T16:25:20.227Z
Unfortunately, "UV protection" in fixatives is only effective on the fixative itself, and at best only minimally on the underlying pigments; it's a masterwork of marketing that people believe it helps, but years-long use in various hobbies has revealed that the "UV protection" is only a guard against the fixative itself yellowing, not against fading or yellowing of what it's covering.
Allison C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-25T16:26:56.120Z
The end result is really that you can likely display in ambient light without the fixative giving the piece a yellow look over time (something that can happen with other fixatives), but displaying in direct sunlight will still result in fading.
Allison C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-25T19:33:38.933Z
ok, thanks for the correction :)
Isaac750
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T02:35:59.873Z
@AllisonC that's very important insight indeed, thank you! I wanted to ask however: do you have similar experience in regards of _varnishes_? I assume the difference between a fixative and a varnish could justify better expectations towars varnishes?
Levente
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T03:12:15.523Z
@Levente ...me?
Isaac750
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T03:18:09.380Z
@Isaac750 I don't understand your question... :) I just wish someone would reassure about the difference about fixatives and varnishes. Allison — who I addressed personally in my comment — seems to have experience with it. That's all.
Levente
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T13:38:39.007Z
It's possible a varnish could do a little more protection, but I have less experience with those; it could be worth an experiment, where you apply several different varnishes to the same ground and colors and leave them in extreme UV conditions to see how each performs.
Allison C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T23:13:26.503Z
@Levente, i added to my answer the difference between those 2
Isaac750
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-26T23:29:06.057Z
@Isaac750 thank you, I will read up on that!
Levente
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-27T01:34:54.090Z
@Levente here to help!
Isaac750
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-25T00:03:40.293Z
2021-05-26T23:12:56.750Z
2021-05-26T23:12:56.750Z
Isaac750
<p>This is one of my main problems.<br />
I've been working on quite a detailed sculpture drawing which would take time.
I've already coloured the pillars, but while I'm drawing the main temple above it, the pillars have already started fading in colour.</p>
<p>Here's a photo comparison:</p>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Xljsr.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /><br />
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fDs35.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/cjLI1.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-24T07:02:24.340Z
Hi Ishan, welcome to Arts & Crafts! A few questions: what pencils and paper did you use? Are you often drawing in direct sunlight? As you draw the upper parts, do you maybe smudge the coloured pillars with your hands or arms? Lastly, do you happen to have a better photo of the more recent version (the photo on the right)? This one is quite blurred.
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-24T09:25:55.717Z
Hey there, thank you for helping me. The colour pencils I've used are: CAMLIN KING Water Colour Pencil, CAMLIN Premium Colour Pencil.  The Black pencil I've used is: CAMLIN High Quality Drawing Pencil, Crystalline Graphite Lead. The Drawing Paper is a regular one, an A4 size Drawing book. And yes, I usually, draw near the window, in natural sunlight. Is that bad for the picture?? Also, no I make sure that my hands don't smudge the colours. Otherwise, is there any solution, through which I can avoid the fading of colours while Drawing??
Ishan Joshi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-24T09:31:51.110Z
Also, I am not able to upload a better quality photo, as all are above the limit of 2mb, while the compressed ones are blurred. Still, I'll try again to upload a better picture.
Ishan Joshi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-24T09:54:33.893Z
Thank you for the updates! How long have you been working on this drawing, and how do you store it when you're not working on it?
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-24T10:16:06.707Z
I've been working on the drawing for almost a month now. I've paper clips, which I attach on the drawn side of the paper, so that the opposite page does not touch it, when I'm not drawing. But, I'm afraid that the space it creates in between gives way to dust and unnecessary small particles which is also ruining the plain parts of the paper.
Ishan Joshi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-24T19:27:17.820Z
@IshanJoshi When you compare both picutes (before & after) the red seems to fade most quickly, while the yellow and green is more stable. It's extremely typical for red pigment to fade quickly in UV light (and direct sun light). You can [read more here](https://www.signsdirect.com/blog/SAFETY/why-do-red-sign-graphics-fade-first.html).
Elmy
<preservation><pencils><colored-pencils>
How do I prevent pencil colour drawings from fading away while I'm still drawing it?
Ishan Joshi
# How do I prevent pencil colour drawings from fading away while I'm still drawing it?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-05-24)

This is one of my main problems.  
I've been working on quite a detailed sculpture drawing which would take time.
I've already coloured the pillars, but while I'm drawing the main temple above it, the pillars have already started fading in colour.

Here's a photo comparison:

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/Xljsr.jpg)  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/fDs35.jpg)![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/cjLI1.jpg)

**Tags:** preservation, pencils, colored-pencils

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hi username_0, welcome to Arts & Crafts! A few questions: what pencils and paper did you use? Are you often drawing in direct sunlight? As you draw the upper parts, do you maybe smudge the coloured pillars with your hands or arms? Lastly, do you happen to have a better photo of the more recent version (the photo on the right)? This one is quite blurred.  
> **username_0**: Hey there, thank you for helping me. The colour pencils I've used are: CAMLIN KING Water Colour Pencil, CAMLIN Premium Colour Pencil.  The Black pencil I've used is: CAMLIN High Quality Drawing Pencil, Crystalline Graphite Lead. The Drawing Paper is a regular one, an A4 size Drawing book. And yes, I usually, draw near the window, in natural sunlight. Is that bad for the picture?? Also, no I make sure that my hands don't smudge the colours. Otherwise, is there any solution, through which I can avoid the fading of colours while Drawing??  
> **username_0**: Also, I am not able to upload a better quality photo, as all are above the limit of 2mb, while the compressed ones are blurred. Still, I'll try again to upload a better picture.  
> **username_1**: Thank you for the updates! How long have you been working on this drawing, and how do you store it when you're not working on it?  
> **username_0**: I've been working on the drawing for almost a month now. I've paper clips, which I attach on the drawn side of the paper, so that the opposite page does not touch it, when I'm not drawing. But, I'm afraid that the space it creates in between gives way to dust and unnecessary small particles which is also ruining the plain parts of the paper.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 When you compare both picutes (before & after) the red seems to fade most quickly, while the yellow and green is more stable. It's extremely typical for red pigment to fade quickly in UV light (and direct sun light). You can [read more here](https://www.signsdirect.com/blog/SAFETY/why-do-red-sign-graphics-fade-first.html).  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-05-24. Score: 15

Building on @username_1's comments above, yes, the direct sunlight can affect the color and make them dull. Hence, when you are not working, you should store the paper in dark
(or use some protective varnish)

Also, Do you wear any artist's glove while (*A glove that covers ring & pinky finger*)?

-> If you are not using it, then it might help you with smudging and fading of colors.

-> If you are using it, you might want to check the fabric and see if that's what affecting the pigments.

Also, placing some other paper to cover the already drawn part, when working on details might help.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2021-05-25. Score: 5

Given:

* The speed of the fading (especially since you cover your art when not working on it).
* There seems to be some smudging/fading in parts of the graphite (graphite is usually very light-fast).
* You said that you are partially using watercolor pencils (which are designed to smudge very, very easily).

I think it is more likely that most of the fading is due to how you work, rather than the light-fastness (or not) of your pencils.

There are lots of recommendations in [this previous question](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/376/how-can-i-avoid-smudging-my-pencil-drawings) for how to avoid accidentally smudging your art while working, but basically: put something under your hand so that your hand doesn't touch your art while you work.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2021-05-25. Score: 3

Your colored pencils probably aren't lightfast. Look for a lightfast rating on the packaging, if there's not one, there's your problem. If there's not, keep the picture out of the sun to prevent fading. You might want to purchase high quality lightfast pencils such as Caran d'Ache, Holbein, or Prismacolor as those are the best pencils with high lightfast rating. Those are not cheap, but they won't fade in the sun either.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Welcome to Arts & Crafts.  Just a quick suggestion on your answer.  Most of the readers will be people other than the question's author, finding their way here through an online search.  The answer will have more value for them if you limit the answer, itself, to just the solution.  The second paragraph is commentary, which would be a better fit as a comment on the question.  With a little more rep, you'll be able to post comments.  
> **username_0**: Hey, @username_6 why did you edit the reply, the commenter was giving me a compliment, lol.  
> **username_1**: @username_0 I made that edit. It shouldn't be part of an answer in any case. It's fine as a comment. If you weren't able to read it, you can view this post's history [here](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/posts/10328/revisions).  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2021-05-26. Score: 2

These should have been just comments, but they ended up too long, so here I go again, partly repeating what others had already said...

---

1.)

That's some very concerning fading you got there. Just in case smudging somehow contributes to it as suggested by other people, I wanted to point out that for your chosen methodology — finishing up detailed work on parts before moving on to the next — it would be possible to organize your progress in a from-top-towards-bottom, and — if you are right-handed — from-left-towards-right directions. That could mostly eliminate the situations where already finished work ends up under your working hand.

2.)

Also: *never* allow sunlight to directly hit your artwork. Not during creating it, and not during exhibition, when hanging on a wall somewhere. (Long-term exhibition should happen only under the protection of UV-filtering glass, or similar varnish.)

Now **you could test the lightfastness** (or the lack thereof) of your pencils: create two, simple, identical test pieces: this should be just some plain, colored stripes applied thickly with the color pencils you use most often, and which you want to test. To keep it economic on the materials used, it doesn't even need to be a big area.

Keep one of the test pieces in a protective dark environment, like a desk drawer or something. The other one, tape it to your window, facing outwards, where the sun can shine on it as much as it wants.

After every week of passing time, you could bring those two pieces together for a quick comparison, to see how fast the sun-exposed one fades.

If you find the rate of change on the sun-exposed one shockingly fast, you could buy a few color pencils from another brand (look for indicators/markings of lightfastness up front), and — before investing more work into actually drawing with them — just repeat the fade comparison test with them too.

(Consider that the fading test will present different results in summer- versus wintertime, due to the difference in the intensity of the sunlight and in the amount of sunny hours.)

In the end, pick the pencil brand that performs best in the fading-in-the-sun test.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2021-05-25. Score: 1

# THE SUN

**Bright lights and UV rays** will fade color

**Dust** its also a factor: since its near to impossible to stop once its settled, you'll try to remove it, and game over...

**The main factor would be:** sunlight. Yes. Unless they're high-quality pencils, they tend to be less likely to fade.

**So...**

minimize the exposure of bright sunlight and UV rays. How? by framing your art or keeping it in a dark place.

If you dont have any of this, and your house is full of windows, consider buying some cellular shades, they can protect most UV light from coming in... plus, it will give you some comfortable indoor temperature!

# I recommend...

### Use varnish or a fixative

**But what's the difference between varnish and a fixative? you may ask**, well, a fixative spray is used to "fix" the drawing material (usually used on graphite, charcoal or pastel) so that it doesn't smear as easily. A varnish is used to protect it from absorbing pollutants from the environment.

> **Comments:**
> **username_9**: Unfortunately, "UV protection" in fixatives is only effective on the fixative itself, and at best only minimally on the underlying pigments; it's a masterwork of marketing that people believe it helps, but years-long use in various hobbies has revealed that the "UV protection" is only a guard against the fixative itself yellowing, not against fading or yellowing of what it's covering.  
> **username_9**: The end result is really that you can likely display in ambient light without the fixative giving the piece a yellow look over time (something that can happen with other fixatives), but displaying in direct sunlight will still result in fading.  
> **username_8**: ok, thanks for the correction :)  
> **username_7**: @username_9 that's very important insight indeed, thank you! I wanted to ask however: do you have similar experience in regards of _varnishes_? I assume the difference between a fixative and a varnish could justify better expectations towars varnishes?  
> **username_8**: @username_7 ...me?  
> **username_7**: @username_8 I don't understand your question... :) I just wish someone would reassure about the difference about fixatives and varnishes. username_9 — who I addressed personally in my comment — seems to have experience with it. That's all.  
> **username_9**: It's possible a varnish could do a little more protection, but I have less experience with those; it could be worth an experiment, where you apply several different varnishes to the same ground and colors and leave them in extreme UV conditions to see how each performs.  
> **username_8**: @username_7, i added to my answer the difference between those 2  
> **username_7**: @username_8 thank you, I will read up on that!  
> **username_8**: @username_7 here to help!  

---

