Tammy’s Take On Varnish
Hi friends!! I’ve been asked so many times on Instagram or in my classes about whether paintings should be varnished or not. This week, I decided to tackle this technical question that many beginners and even seasoned painters consider.
“All you need to paint is a few tools, a little instruction, and a vision in your mind.”
Varnish is a liquid preparation that when applied to a surface dries to form a hard lustrous and usually transparent coating. While you can use varnish in many different applications in life from furniture to decks, varnish can be very important to fine art paintings as well. Varnishes have been applied for centuries to oil paintings and more recently to acrylic paintings. The main reason that an artist would be interested in varnishing a painting is to provide a protective layer to a painting from moisture or environmental pollutants. Many people say that acrylic paintings do not need to be varnished, because the paint is plastic and will uphold against these problems, but I’m not sure I agree. I feel that anything that can be placed on a painting to keep the original intent of the artist intact is worth doing. I don’t have to worry about paintings getting dusty, because I can wipe them off with a soft rag without worrying about the underpainting being damaged.
There is another reason that I varnish my paintings that I thought I would share. I use primarily acrylic paint, but I have my favorite colors from a few different paint manufacturers. Each one has a differing sheen when dried. You can add gloss medium to the paint before applying it to the canvas to make it more glossy, but they never dry the same. So besides adding a protective layer to my paintings, this final layer harmonizes the sheen between all the mediums and creates a final cohesive piece. This I find so beautiful!! But of course, that’s just my opinion. The right answer is whatever the individual artist thinks, and another artist may have as many reasons why they don’t varnish.
When considering varnish, there are two types of varnish - spray or liquid - and many different manufacturers to choose from. All of these things can be so daunting as a beginning artist. I thought I would share with you my journey of discovering what works best for me in the hopes that it might give you some direction.
The first varnish I every used was Polycrylic, which is a varnish you can purchase from a big box hardware store. It was recommended to me by an established painter and so I went with it. While I loved the finished product so much and the convenience of purchasing it, I decided against it. I know many artists use this product, but I quickly learned that it is not a good idea for artists in Florida or artists who want to sell their work in Florida. Apparently, Polycrylic can yellow a painting if it is stored in a non-airconditioned space due to the high heat and humidity here in Florida. An artist friend of mine told me she had a gallery store several of her paintings in a shed behind their gallery that was unairconditioned space when they were not hanging her pieces on the gallery’s wall. She did not know that the gallery was doing this. When the gallery pulled the pieces out of storage, they had yellowed and were ruined. My friend lost the paintings and that was all I needed to hear to change my mind. While there could have been other things at play, my friend changed her varnishing practices and never had this happen again. Since the varnish coat is to protect a piece, the last thing I want to worry about is the varnish causing the piece to be ruined. So that’s when I moved on to a different choice.
The next highly recommended products I tried were spray varnishes. They were really great because they had a nice smooth finish, the sheen I wanted, and we UV protected. They came from art stores and were a fine art quality. I’m not stating a particular product here because I tried several. I wanted to love them, but honestly they just didn’t work for me here in Florida. They need to be applied in a ventilated area or outside. This is fine during the winter months when the temperatures are reasonable and the humidity is low. The other problem I had is that when I sprayed them outside, they seemed to attract gnats/fruit flies which are so prevalent in Florida. Plus, standing outside and spray varnishing 3 or 4 pieces in the summer 900 degree with 100% humidity in the Florida summer is definitely not my favorite thing. So yet again, I needed to search for another product.
Finally, I settled on the fact that I was going to need a brush on varnish that I could apply inside. I test quite a few varnishes and gloss mediums. The one that I settled on and have used for years now is Liquitex Satin Varnish. I can put it on in thin coats inside without the need to have special ventilation. I apply in differing directions with each coat to provide adequate coverage, and I apply 2 to 3 coats to provide adequate coverage. They now come in very large containers and I buy them when one of the online art stores has a sale to stock up. Choosing the sheen preference is definitely a personal choice. I like the Satin the best, because it has just the right amount of sheen without being too shiny and casting reflections of the paintings surface. It is UV protectant which I also love for a long lasting protective coat. While I don’t have to worry about bugs landing in my varnish coat, you do have to look out for loose hairs from your brush. To me, that is better option. I really just love the final product that looks rich and professional.
So that’s my take!! I hope you’ve learned something new about varnishes and my process. Would love to hear about your experiences with varnishes and if you have any tips or tricks on applying it. No, I am not paid by Liquitex, but wish I could be!! Happy Varnishing!!
