How to Varnish An Oil Painting
Let’s talk varnish!
Varnishing your artwork is SO important. It protects your painting from dust, adds vibrancy to the colors and preserves the paint for many years to come. I personally love the finish it leaves, as well. It’s the perfect last step to help tie everything together. I highly recommend that artists add this final step into their process! In this post I explain how I varnish my painting, some tips I’ve learned, and product recommendations.
Step One:
The first and MOST IMPORTANT step is making sure your oil painting is completely dry before applying varnish. A lot of varnishes available often require you to wait at least 6 months. My favorite varnish to use is Gamblin’s Gamvar Picture Varnish. You can use it as soon as your paintings are dry. I typically have to wait about 1-2 weeks, depending on how thick the oil paint is.
Tips: If the oil paint isn’t drying as fast as you’d like it to, I recommend either adding a layer of galkyd medium on top of the piece (only if it’s tacky) or using Kylon’s Quick Dry spray. This stuff is amaaaazing and saves me so much time!
Important but optional: Sign your painting. I love using Oil-based Sharpies for this step! Make sure the sides of the painting have been painted before you varnish. I also like adding a wire hook to the back of the piece before.
Step Two: Prep your Painting
Once the painting is dry to the touch, I will use a clean cotton cloth to wipe off any dust particles that may have accumulated. For stubborn brush hairs (or Golden Retriever fur… ugh) I will sometimes use a tack cloth, which are typically used for furniture. It leaves a bit of a residue on the painting after so I don’t like to rely on them too often. They definitely get the job done, though! I also recommend putting a very small amount of rubbing alcohol on your cloth. This will help loosen up any dust that may still be stuck on there. Just be aware of how much you use and how much pressure you add to the cloth when you’re cleaning your paintings, as it can damage the paint. I will often put my painting up to a light to see if I’ve missed anything afterwards.
Step Three: Choose your Varnish
As I stated earlier, I love love love Gamvar. You can use it as soon as your painting is dry, it dries super fast and the finishes are beautiful. I personally love a glossier finish so I alternate between the satin and gloss finishes. If you’re going for a matte option they have one of those, as well. If you’re using a matte finish, make sure the varnish is at room temperature, as it can cause inconsistencies as it dries on your painting.
I’m also a big fan of spray varnishes. The application process is quick and they dry super fast. I’m currently using Kylon’s Kamar Varnish and I’m really liking it!
Tip: When using a liquid varnish, make sure to use a big soft brush. Bristle brushes won’t apply the varnish as evenly.
Step Four:
Lay your painting flat in a clean, well-ventilated room. Make sure there isn’t any fur flying around!
Although I’m pretty generous with varnish, I still pour little by little as I’m brushing it on. I don’t want to risk using too much and having puddles of varnish all over my painting. It’s also better to work in thin layers.
Coat the painting with the varnish evenly. Make sure you look at your painting at multiple angles so you don’t miss any spots.
Tip: Adding an extra coat of varnish after the first layer dries will add another layer of protection to the painting.
Final Step:
Let your painting dry on a flat surface for at least 24 hours.
I hope this was helpful! Thank you so much for reading. :)
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