Acceptable Products

Artists often ask, “What products are acceptable for artwork submitted to the annual CPSA exhibitions?

ALWAYS ALLOWED

Colored pencils as defined by the Colored Pencil Defined page.

• Graphite used beneath or between layers of colored pencil.
• Blending colored pencil layers of with solvents, colorless blenders, water, heat, or powdered blender.
• Solvents such as odorless mineral spirits, alcohol, water, and powdered blender to dissolve and blend colored pencil.
• Colorless blenders composed of predominantly wax, oil, or other binders (solid or powdered form), and blender markers in thin layers to blend colored pencil. Products which combine waxes and solvents, such as cold wax medium, in thin layers to blend and dissolve colored pencil.

CAUTION: Blenders designed for use with oil paint sticks contain linseed oil, which is acidic. These blenders should be used only on surfaces that have an appropriate primer or ground to protect the substrate from deterioration.

• Fixatives and varnish used between layers of pencil and as a final protective layer. These products should not change the texture of the base drawing surface.

REQUIRED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION
Artwork must be 100% colored pencil on a 2-dimensional manufacturer-prepared surface.

PROHIBITED IN THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION 

• Textures or blenders which significantly alter the surface
• Exposed graphite and water-soluble tinted graphite
• Artist-created or artist-modified surfaces
• Liquid highlighting
• Solid pigment in pans, and any loose pigment without a binding
• Pastels in any form (stick, pencil, pan, powder, oil)