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DO you varnish?
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Message
Posted
Having posted the link to an article about varnishing, which has received replies to the tune of none - so I presume you're all happy with your varnishing practice and don't know what the fuss is about - DO you varnish your oils?
I know some people don't - and indeed I haven't always done so. These days, many fewer people smoke, and few have open fires in their homes in these days of central heating - but I still smoke cigars, not that I've noticed much effect (there certainly used to be, to my mum's despair, when I smoked a pipe and kippered her living room.... blush); I learn that Monet didn't varnish his paintings, because he wanted people to see the brush-marks... but sometimes, if we use a colour like Burnt Umber, paint will sink-in - and varnish will counteract that, protect the surface, enliven the colours....
It would be interesting to know what most people do.
Posted
I saw this a few days ago and it vanished!
I generally try and find something, usually totally irrelevant, to say to your posts… working on the principle that time and effort has gone into the making of it…
The age old question… to varnish or not to varnish, an interesting question!
Yes and no for me; let me clarify that - I do varnish all work that is selected for exhibition… so not that many I hear you say! And you’d be right of course.
I don’t use Damar varnish because I do know that it can yellow over time, but without searching in the studio, and I haven’t the inclination, I can’t give a definitive manufacturer at this time, but I buy decent size tins of the stuff, and have gone from matte to gloss, a completely different look, but I like it better… never thought I would!
But for the few paintings that I feed into my gallery outlet, I don’t tend to varnish, primarily because they’re usually still drying out - but I do give instructions on the back of each painting, that it may be advisable to varnish after six months or so… but not strictly necessary!
Then there’s the ‘also rans’ … dozens of paintings that don’t make the grade and are destined for the cupboard - and it’s a large walk-in cupboard!
But each one of these has given me some pleasure in their production, so not an issue…
Obviously, I don’t varnish these!
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
I didn't see it either, Robert. Which kind of backs up my observation on another thread about items not appearing in the "recent posts" queue.
Mine so far are in the also-ran category that Alan mentions. Hopefully the one I'm working might be worthwhile...but it's on canvas paper, so may end up under glass.
Discussing the Mall Galleries submission rules at my art group yesterday (no glass), we oil painters have decided to stick to canvas proper or canvas boards. Just in case we produce a masterpiece on paper by accident 😄.
Although what I'm going to do with my various pads of canvas paper...start to really mess about perhaps.
Posted
I use the canvas blocks for what I call ‘oil sketches’, which are generally rapid compositional studies rather than finished pieces in their own right.
I prefer the blocks against pads, you get a good sturdy flat surface which is an encouraging starting point.
For finished oils, I’m still plugging away with either the Belle Arti canvas on 3mm MDF, or Jackson’s equivalent, similar spec, same top quality!
I’ve recently been trying out the synthetic stretched canvas box boards from ACF Canvases, I can’t fault them but they do take up more storage space.
Posted
Sandra - acrylics often need varnishing, because the paint can dry very flat - particularly if painted thinly and used with water (many of mine are). Those painted more thickly, eg with a painting knife, may not need varnish, particularly if you've used an acrylic medium with them - it just depends on the look you want. The one thing I would say there is - do use a varnish intended for acrylic paintings; and don't use a varnish made for acrylics over an oil. Especially not the latter, but using a varnish which might contain an element of Turps/Turp equivalent on an acrylic could produce unfortunate results.
Sorry the subject got lost - it always pays to click on the subject heading to see what might have been posted, because the intrusion of spam can not only push items down, it can also bring outdated or just much older posts back.
Space - oh dear yes: I have canvases and boards all over the place; it's easy to be ruthless with the duds, which I chuck, but - though I says it as shouldn't .... they aren't ALL duds; I'm running out of wall space, I can't be bothered to hold an exhibition at which I might shift a few, so: my own fault.... as my late mother said, "I pity whoever has to clear this place out when you die...": we were very close....................... (and she could talk: my brother had to sort out her collection of ceramic piggies; and she collected, and annotated, leather bookmarks, which I now have ... I fear she passed the hoarding gene on to me, though she was, admittedly, much tidier than I am).
Posted
Re varnishing oils, I used to but haven’t bothered recently. As Alan said, for my own stash I wouldn’t bother but I have four water miscible/mixable oils (sorry Robert!) ready for an exhibition in September and now you’ve made me think maybe I should! However they are all painted using a knife and therefore the paint is generally thicker. Does this make a difference? Any thoughts, views welcome.
I normally use traditional oils but this series started with a demo where the other version were suggested.
Thanks all.
Posted
I have varnish for both oils and acrylics but it’s years since I used them. I tend to use retouching varnish for an exhibition and the “ finish” seems to last - I know this because I have some paintings of mine hanging on the walls - they still look fine. Tessa - if your paint is thick/ palette knife etc I wouldn’t think you need varnish. I think it works best to bring out the darks and these are generally painted more thinly.
Re ACF canvases…I’m not a fan. They are too smooth for me, I prefer Belle Arti canvas boards or fine linen canvases. I’ve never had problems with “ sagging”. The material also feels too “ man- made”, I prefer the real deal.
Posted
Marjorie, I hadn’t realised that you had tried the ACF canvases, I have told the owner Graham, that they need a more coarser grained canvas in their range.
We’re traditional painters who have used nothing else but the real stuff and I agree, it is difficult to accept this new synthetic material.
However, I’ve persevered and produced a few reasonable pieces on it - but I’ve gone back to my Belle Arti boards now!
No experience of sagging either, certainly not with the canvas anyway!
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