Pastels - Are They Toxic? how to use them safely

Рет қаралды 16,028

Jason Morgan Wildlife Art Lessons - Draw animals

7 жыл бұрын

Pastels are they toxic? using pastels safely in the studio.
lots of tips for using pastels whilst minimising the risks.
The Art and Creative Materials Institute - ACMI - acmiart.org/
Breathing Space filters - www.breathingspace.co.uk/
***********************************************
Some of the products used that I LOVE -
*******************************************
supplies I use often - with amazon UK links-
carbothello set - 60 - amzn.to/2t9kThZ
conte set - amzn.to/2tBQIBb
pastelmat papers -
amzn.to/2sEyPgI
amzn.to/2tBWK4D
amzn.to/2tEBdrT
amzn.to/2sEv8HM
panpastel full set - amzn.to/2sF2KFc
20 set - amzn.to/2ticeIM
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
supplies I use often Amazon USA links -
Panpastels full set - USA - amzn.to/2tIlLvw
pastelmat pad large - USA - amzn.to/2tBWaUK
pastelmat pad small - USA amzn.to/2syaY76
carbothello usa 60 set - amzn.to/2syrt39
conte sticks - full set - amzn.to/2uCyjAS
********************************************************
AMAZON UK ------------------------------------------------
swordfish crank handle sharpener UK amzn.to/2uuwQQE
carbothello pastel pencils
wooden box - amzn.to/2u0AjWf
tin - amzn.to/2uA9gT8
tin small set - amzn.to/2t7sTxK
pitt pastels large tin - amzn.to/2uuMWtc
Pitt pastels small tin - amzn.to/2vthOrh
AMAZON USA -----------------------------------------------
Carbothello large tin - amzn.to/2t7la2s
carbothello small tin - amzn.to/2uzPsiO
Pitt pastel pencils large tin - amzn.to/2uzDOo4
Pitt pastel pencils small tin - amzn.to/2uzDUfq
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
check out my Patreon art channel for full length videos - / wildlifeart
** FACEBOOK ** / jason.morgan.9231
My tutorial website - www.jasonmorgan.co.uk/
How to paint animals - KZfaq Channel - / wildlifeartjm
Wildlife art blog - wildlifeart.wordpress.com/
artists reference photos + line art - www.wildlifeart-online.com/
~-~~-~~~-~~-~
check out my video : "Pastel Drawing for Beginners"
• Pastel Drawing for Beg...
~-~~-~~~-~~-~

Пікірлер: 64

@dianahaker1527 7 жыл бұрын

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

@418SurferGirl 6 жыл бұрын

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.

@philipnorris5549 7 жыл бұрын

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.

@sharondeyoung4636 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the time and effort you have taken to present this information.

@gloriapinskerportraits4801 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@cherylginsberg162 7 жыл бұрын

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.

@maisiefreeman8597 6 жыл бұрын

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. :)

@TheSheitz 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the very informative video. As usual....love what you do!!!

@carlaa.1617 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you Jason. Very informative :)I need a mask when using PanPastels but not when I use Pastel Pencils.

@shaz8486 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this very informative video..... I use pastels & watercolours so will look into an air filter for my room. Thanks Jason 🙂

@adriannewortzel 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this informative video, extremely helpful!

@t.richardson3888 3 ай бұрын

Jason I've just started using pastels. Thanks for this information!

@angelahyde7133 7 жыл бұрын

thank you Jason,,very informative

@jamesmenhams1711 6 жыл бұрын

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

@leeludlowart237 7 жыл бұрын

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.

7 жыл бұрын

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

@philipnorris5549 7 жыл бұрын

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

@carlaa.1617 7 жыл бұрын

This is great to know, Thank you for posting. I love using pastel pencils :)

@spacecat7715 6 жыл бұрын

Good. I was worried, since I could not find any information. Now I'm more at ease then.

@shyamsonar1381 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your valuable information..

@bonniegarson80 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for all the good info

@renateschmidt1204 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the information.

@emilyerdbeere9210 3 жыл бұрын

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

@ANNAHMELIA 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@tibbs4000 2 ай бұрын

Wear a dust mask and wipe down your surfaces after you work. Thanks for the good advice!

@marcmarvin8380 6 жыл бұрын

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

@jenfleming9412 5 жыл бұрын

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.

@wildlifeartjm 5 жыл бұрын

I would just use pastel pencils in that case, less dust and never blow any dust.

@marthindavis2782 3 жыл бұрын

Hello Jen hope you’re okay ✅

@raquelsanchez9668 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@59jace 7 жыл бұрын

fine dust paticles from pastels , diagnosed with asthma even though I was cautious when using them

@MissBooksmith 4 жыл бұрын

Did you use a mask?

@59jace 4 жыл бұрын

Miss Booksmith not till too late

@robynmiles9474 3 жыл бұрын

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!

@marthindavis2782 3 жыл бұрын

Hello Robyn hope you’re okay ✅

@bridgetmenham6686 3 жыл бұрын

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

@annewatman677 6 жыл бұрын

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!

@wildlifeartjm 6 жыл бұрын

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.

@shs5585 6 жыл бұрын

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!

@sarahhammo4308 5 жыл бұрын

would using pastels outside be a bad idea?

@candicecurran6834 4 жыл бұрын

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!

@irresponsiblyblue1411 2 жыл бұрын

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.

@sarakeyes8591 4 жыл бұрын

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?

@mchobbit2951 4 жыл бұрын

Nothing you can do anymore now but to never do this again.

@matthewbrookeart 2 жыл бұрын

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

@Zar2244 Жыл бұрын

I wouldn't go there if i were you, plenty of safer mediums

@Freedommjw 7 жыл бұрын

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!

@chrys9256 7 жыл бұрын

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.

@Freedommjw 7 жыл бұрын

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.

@carlaa.1617 7 жыл бұрын

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:)

@chrys9256 7 жыл бұрын

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.

@Freedommjw 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I was actually considering trying that. Normally I do the background first. New territory! LOL!

@sweetart911 2 жыл бұрын

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!

@Zar2244 Жыл бұрын

I threw mine out, went to watercolour

@jsprite123 Жыл бұрын

You can always move to a state other than California. For some reason other states are just fine.

@sandrafinn2082 5 жыл бұрын

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 !

@ludwinvart5409 2 жыл бұрын

Degas lived up to old age and he used the full range (cadmium)

@Zar2244 Жыл бұрын

Some smokers live to old age too

@kathyc9335 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@JohnSmith-fw2et 7 жыл бұрын

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.

@longislandtwinz2320 5 жыл бұрын

I got pastel in my eye once

@deniseallams8337 4 жыл бұрын

It happened to me just now 😭 did u have any problems w it?

@IntersexGamer 3 жыл бұрын

I really dont care about the toxicity but my problem is trying to use pastels and ending up in a mini coughing fit. It seems strange as I dont have the same issue with charcoal but then the charcoal ive used when it creates a dust the particles are much larger than the dust from pastels. I have noticed using pastel pencils greatly reduced the pastel dust. To be fair I do blow the dust away or I did. The odd thing is when I did before I realized it was a problem I used pastels in a room with 2 other people and neither of them had any cough and they do have dust allergies. Im not sure what that means but thats it. Air purification does seem like the answer but I doubt anyone has really done any studies or anything on pastel dust but really itd be interesting if someone did. I dont have sensitivity to any natural dust or pollen yet pastel dust for whatever reason seems to be a trigger. Its something that needs more studying beyond just the basic air particles.