Preserving Your Art Work (Part 1): Creation

Creating art means countless hours of working in your studio, perfecting every mistake, and a thousand layers of paint! When investing so much of your time and effort into creating a masterpiece, it’s essential that you protect it from all sorts of damage. Here are some tips to follow while creating art:

1. Avoid or Limit Exposure to Direct Sunlight

Sunlight consists of harmful UV rays that interact with the paint molecules in your artwork, leading to photolysis. This process is where UV rays break down paint molecules and cause them to lose their color. Exposure to sunlight can lead to photo-oxidation, which makes your artwork dull and yellow over time. When creating art, avoid sitting in direct sunlight for long periods. In particular, watercolors are extremely sensitive, which is why you must draw your curtains and shut the blinds when working with this medium.

You can also check whether the bulbs in your studio don’t emit any UV rays. We recommend using LED lights in your studio as these are safe and energy-efficient as well.

2. Keep A Check On The Humidity Level

Another factor that can affect the quality of your artwork is the humidity level. If there’s high humidity in the air around you, you’ll notice surfactant leaching (paint discoloration). High humidity means that there’s excess water vapor in the air. When you apply a fresh coat of paint, added moisture from the atmosphere will increase its drying time (especially for acrylic and latex paint).

When working with wood, the humidity level needs to be in control as wood can absorb the moisture. This leads the paint molecules to slip from the surface and results in peels or tiny bubbles.

It’s vital to keep the humidity level around 55%; this can be tracked with a hygrometer.

3. Keep Your Hands and Utensils Clean

The human skin releases natural oils and sweat that can damage your artwork. When painting, avoid touching your paintings with bare hands. Use cotton gloves so that your fingerprints don’t leave stains. Wash all your utensils before using them as the dried up paint of the brush can combine with new colors.

4. Avoid Using Materials That Contain Acids

Acids can ruin your hours, day, and months of effort. This can cause discoloration, and with UV rays combined—it’s a recipe for disaster. From your paper, masking tape, and even paints, check the label and ensure they’re acid-free.

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