There's a question on the Forum about varnishing today - asking whether it's an urban myth that oils should not be varnished before 6 months is up. Well the answer is no, it's no myth. You can ruin an oil painting by varnishing it too soon - much better to oil it out if it's looking dull and you want to exhibit it. See the oil thread for a brief explanation of all this; or go to YouTube and look for Winsor and Newton's very useful video on oiling out. Failing that, or as well as that, I wrote a short document a few years ago winningly entitled Protecting Your Paintings and Drawings - and this isn't a sales plug: I'd be happy to send a download of this for free to anyone who wants it. Email me on [email protected], or [email protected]. It would be worth any minor inconvenience to me if it saves anyone from having their oil paintings crack, craze and otherwise deteriorate; and I will send you a plug for my e-book at the same time, but you don't have to buy it.... The point is, oil paint takes a long time to dry all the way through - it needs exposure to air (and light). By laying an inflexible, permanent varnish on top, you're asking for trouble - the drying paint will contract and expand and pull on the varnish - it may not happen immediately; it probably won't: but once the process starts it can cause horrendous and irreparable damage to the paint film. www.wightpaint.blogspot.co.uk