Varnished my first paintings - that was scary!

There is an absolutely huge thread on this subject on a certain painter's blog-page or website (or both) - look up Martin Kemp (or at least I think it's Martin Kemp, I'm forgetting names and getting them wrong all the time, so if I find I have, I'll come back and correct myself). He recommends Golden acrylics, and applying something called an isolation coat before varnishing, the theory being that this will protect the painting beneath the varnish, the varnish will need to be replaced one day (arguably) and when it is the isolation coat will still be there, protecting the paint from harsh solvents. (It so happens that I don't really agree with this, but read the thread and see for yourself.) There is also much information of the Golden Paints website, it's a high quality American brand which many acrylic painters swear by. For myself, though - I confess to being less particular, and I'm not so sure that acrylic varnish ever needs more than a rub over with a damp cloth and perhaps a bit of washing-up liquid in it, then to be wiped over with a clean, damp cloth; then polished with a duster; and if necessary, re-varnished. This does all sound a bit basic, I know, but I've been painting in acrylic for 50 years and have never found the need for all this excess attention yet. To your actual questions! Yes, the varnish does start to get tacky quite quickly, but as you've discovered you can deal with this if you spot the bits you've missed and have another go at it before it dries too much. Failing that, wait until it's bone dry - that, despite appearances, can take a day or two - and then go back to it with a fresh coat. You can find spray varnishes, the snag being they go everywhere and can sputter, but I think a better way is to pour some varnish into a saucer or plate, let it warm a little (just to room temperature, don't heat it) take a broad, quite soft brush which doesn't shed hair, and do just what you've done. Ideally, one coat one way, another coat another way, so you cover everything without leaving obvious brush marks (though they will level out). If you want a really high-gloss finish, I would come back when the coats are dry and add another rather than keep slapping the stuff on. You did the right thing using the Galeria varnish - acrylic paintings can be varnished with other products, but better to use an acrylic varnish on the whole.

WILL Kemp, not Martin Kemp. (Martin Kemp is a) an art historian, b) an actor...) Will Kemp Art School, take a look at his advice.

There seems to be a fashion for thick high gloss varnish currently. Seems to give some depth to otherwise not so great paintings.

I have never varnished my acrylic works, and only temporary on the oils. I don't exhibit these days and if someone likes a piece I give it to them raw.

Reasons to varnish: it perks up the colours; protects the surface; acrylic isn't as strong as it looks and can absorb a certain amount of dirt over time. Reasons not to varnish: Acrylic can be cleaned with plain soap and water, if on a robust surface and painted quite thickly (heavy bodied paint like Cryla being quite easy to clean); not everyone likes the gloss finish; probably even more dislike matte varnish; you can always frame acrylics under glass. You takes yer choice .... I do usually varnish, but have a painting done with Cryla which I keep for test purposes (to see how it ages) without varnish: and after 40 years or more I can see no deterioration, and wish I could say the same for myself.

Morning Lucy. When I first started varnishing I used a 1 inch decorating brush. It wasn't too bad, but later on I bought a few new brushes for oil painting which were softer than a hog made by Winsor & Newton - Monarch range. They do a beautiful 1 inch glazing brush which works a dream on varnishing. Not too cheap but worth saving up for. But anything that is fairly soft should work fine.