Art and Allergies

I wasn’t going to blog about this but a friend suggested that others might also benefit from this information so here we are.

Now for the disclaimer

I am not a doctor or any sort of medical professional. I am just telling you some of the things that I do to manage my asthma triggers and still make the sort of art that I enjoy. Go to your doctor for medical information.

A little bit about me

I used pastels in the 90s and put them down after a few years of frustration because I didn’t know about the variety of papers. Locally I had access to thin, non-sanded student grade pastel papers because art stores just weren’t carrying a lot. I ended up taking watercolor workshops instead. Then I put art down for several years because the demand of working and parenting were occupying most of my time. I stayed creative in the crafting community and my fine arts education was put to use to in the salon recreating paintings on client’s gel nails.

In 2016 I took up pastels again. I found an online teacher, some great paper, and got to it. I was already having allergy issues. One day I realized that I was wheezier than usual when I used pastels. I switched to pastel pencils. Better, but still dusty and croupy. I switched to the toothiest papers I could afford to minimize the dust. Then I tried oil pastels. Better and not dusty, but messy nonetheless.

In January 2018 after ending up in the emergency room for a full-blown reaction to an herbal body butter it was as if the allergy floodgates were swung wide open. Suddenly everything bothered me, particularly my art supplies. I picked up a 6 pencil set of Derwent Drawing Pencils and a Strathmore Tone Grey sketchbook. It was the little fox on the package of pencils that won me over. I used those pencils to death and made field mice, foxes, tigers, lions, squirrels, and crows – all of my favorite critters. I wore those pencils down to stumps.

It was a learning curve, but I really started to enjoy using colored pencils. Along the way I discovered amazing teaching artists like Colin Bradley, Bonny Snowdon, Lisa Clough, and Lisa Ann Watkins.

Suggestions for artists with asthma/allergies who still want to work with dry mediums

These are things that have worked for me. Maybe they’ll work for you, too!!

• • Work in a well-ventilated area. This may seem like common sense but sometimes we forget to open the window or run a fan.

• • If it is safe to do so, and it won’t trigger your asthma or allergies, go outside and work en plein air. 

• • I wear gloves as often as possible when I am creating art. Not only does this keep my hands clean and prevent the transfer of skin oils to my work, it also keeps potential allergens off my skin because I have to worry about those, too.

• • I wear a full apron when I’m working. Like smoke particles on things, dust on things can be a trigger even if it isn’t airborne. My apron is made from material that wipes clean with a damp cloth. Even a cloth apron, though, does a great job. Make sure to clean it regularly.

• • Minimize the amount of dusty art media. I rarely use stick pastels anymore. Now and I then I pick them up for small touches but they’re no longer a core supply. I do miss them, not going to lie. Sennelier – the softest and dustiest there are – those are my favorites! 

• • If pastels make you wheezy, try pastel pencils and Pan Pastels. Pastel pencils can be a bit dusty but they’re not nearly as bad as the sticks for creating dust in the air. They can bother me though, so I don’t use them often anymore. 

• • I find that Pan Pastels do not bother me at all. They go down on most papers with a minimum of dust and fuss.

• • Mind your breathing circle and try not to hunch over your work. After years of sculpting nails and painting designs using brushes with just one hair, this is HARD not to do. So hard. I have to constantly be conscious not to hang right over my work and breathe in everything that I’m doing. 

• • Don’t be shy about wearing a dust mask, especially during group workshops where several of you might be making an artistic mess. It’s a shame that masking has become such a political tool in the last few years. A dust mask is still a dust mask, though, and it does a dandy fine job of keeping dust particles out of your airway. 

• • Learn techniques that limit the use of solvents. There are many colored pencil artists out there that do not teach with solvents. 

• • Learn to love Inktense and watercolor pencils. I can not deal with things like OMS or turpentine to blend my base layers. If you want to use similar techniques, consider investing in a small pack of water-soluble colored pencils like Inktense, Graphitint, or a watercolor brand like Museum Aquarelle or Albrecht Durer. Activating pigment with water isn’t smelly and won’t take your breath away. I do use Holbein solvent now and then. I find it to be less smelly than the others. I also use colorless alcohol marker blenders. 

• • Either don’t use fixative or start taking fixative outside to use it. I am a big fan of Brush & Pencil Workable and Final Fixatives. They don’t have a strong smell that other brands have and BONUS: they don’t change the colors in your work. I still spray them outside or in the garage in the winter. 

• • Choose your papers carefully. Sanded papers can create a lot of dust particles even with colored pencils. I have noticed that the particle seems heavier and does not go into the air nearly to the extent of pastel sticks and pencils, though. Smooth papers produce little to no dust or crumbs with colored pencils. 
  • Practice excellent studio hygiene. I need to keep my art space scrupulously clean because dust, dirt, and clutter can cause my allergies to rear up and trigger wheezing, even with medication. My entire home is spotless. People who come to the house are always full of compliments about it and that’s lovely, but I need to keep a tidy home or else I get covered in rashes and I can’t breathe. My studio is no different. Every day I clean up my space after using it. Once weekly I give it a thorough dusting and washing down, along with the rest of the house. It’s a lot of work, yes, but if I am going to be an artist this is part of that process.