Clean Hands
June 4th, 2007
Unless you wear gloves, working in pastel can be a dirty business. I can’t stand the feel of gloves, and choose instead to protect my hands with a barrier cream. There are a number of barrier creams on the market, some made specifically for artists.
My personal favorite is Gloves in a Bottle (you can find out where to order it at www.glovesinabottle.com). An application lasts longer than some other brands, has no odor and seems to keep my hands cleaner.
But when I work in pastel all day for several days in a row, my hands get dry in spite of the barrier cream, probably from the repeated hand-washing. And no matter how carefully I apply the cream, after a while I have green fingernails and colorful cuticles.
The solution I’ve found is to use baby oil on my pastel-coated hands before I wash them. I rub it in thoroughly, working it around and under the fingernails. Then I wash my hands with warm water and soap. The baby oil comes off easily, and over the course of several days it seems my hands stay cleaner and are not as dry.