I recently received an email from one of the regulars on this blog, who wrote:
“I have recently started painting in oils again after a long stint with acrylics.
Would you consider a blog topic about how artists approach the need to varnish the finished work (especially when using oils). Do they actually wait the recommended six months to sell a finished work so it can be varnished? Do they use retouch varnish first then the final varnish - or do they even varnish at all?”
What I do: wait as long as I possibly can before varnishing. Sometimes a painting needs to go out to a show or gallery within a few weeks of its completion, but I’ll make sure the surface feels hard-dry everywhere before varnishing. I recently read that it’s better to protect the surface with varnish, even if you’re not waiting months, than not to do so at all.
I don’t use retouch varnish; my understanding is that it’s intended for use on a painting in progress, so that the artist has a similar level of sheen everywhere (no ’sunken’, dry areas).
I do two thin coats of final picture varnish, and I like the spray stuff - no fussy brushes, bubbles, etc.
OK - how about everyone else?
Entries (RSS)