Sunday, July 1, 2012

Varnishing 101

Wait 6 months to allow the paint to dry fully. Some recommend a year. I apply my varnish with a synthetic brush from Lowes or HD dedicated solely to varnishing. A mixture of Winsor Newton Artists' Original Matt Varnish with Winsor Newton Artists’ Gloss Varnish gives a nice buttery finish. Use a double boiler to heat the mixture in order to melt the wax in the Matt varnish. Some people use the microwave for this step, but I feel the mixture is too volatile for that.

Paint in one direction with overlapping strokes. After 10 hours apply the second coat in strokes perpendicular to the first coat. Clean your brush with mineral spirits and let your varnished painting dry over night. Varnishing your paintings protects them from dust and scratches. If scratches happen after the painting is varnished just re-varnish the area and poof they disappear.

If anyone has any other recommendations for varnishing, let me know by posting a comment.

No comments:

Post a Comment