Scanning Charcoal

[Noah Bradley]

Hey guys, I've done quite a few charcoal drawings lately, and I was wondering, is the drawing going to smear onto my scanner when I scan it in? If so, is there any way to prevent this (other than taking a digital pic)? If not, are you sure? :)

[mtw]

Apply some sort of fixative to it. You should be able to find some at an art store. I think they're generally called matte sprays.

[RONIN]

If you can't find fixative --> Hairspray. Aqua Net is probably the best for this.

[indexasp]

It's about $6-$8 and well worth it. Hair spray is liable to discolor your work slightly, whereas fixative will do so to a much lesser degree.

[Noah Bradley]

Thanks guys. :) I'll be picking up some soon, then you can go check in my daily sketchbook for a mountain of portraits (mainly self portraits). Thanks again.