art materials geek-out session number one

I thought it might be fun to share some of my favourite drawing gear - I know some of you are as obsessed with art supplies as I am. Everyone walks into art supply shops and starts licking and fondling the coloured pencils and has to be removed by police, right? Right. See? I knew I wasn't alone. Anyway, my discovery du jour is Spectrafix, a miracle solution to the problem of gassing yourself with toxic fixative when you spray your smudgy drawings, and then having to spend the rest of the day floating round crosseyed forgetting your name and thinking trees are your grandmother. Spectrafix is basically made of casein protein mixed with grain alcohol - I use vodka! But I have to resist the urge to mix cocktails at the same time as mixing fixative, because otherwise I get that floaty, crosseyed problem again (see above). Spectrafix is completely non toxic and fume free, so you can spray it around kids, pets, and houseplants, with no ventilation . No evil propellants or spray cans, so also better for the environment. It's archival and completely workable. The only downside I've found is a takes a little longer to dry than regular fixative, but I consider that a small price to pay for all its glorious virtues. It's sitting on my table as I type, and I'm sure I can see a little halo of golden light around the bottle. Spectrfix - one of the good guys. 

* and they're not paying me to say this, either!

If you'd like to read more or order your own, you can visit the Spectrafix website.