Susan, I’d bet brushing the single coat on is thicker than my two spray coats. I’m not crazy about ‘obvious’ varnish on paintings; similar gloss over the whole surface is enough for me.

Marti, I’m using W&N final picture varnish spray stuff. I’m intrigued by the Gamvar that Kelly and Don mentioned. May have to try that. Some of what scares is me is that brushes shed, period. I’ve never had one that didn’t - even a good gesso brush - and I can’t stand the idea of picking hairs out of a varnish coat.

As for retouch varnish - Winsor-Newton recommends using a retouch varnish IF you cannot wait the full 6 months for a final varnish. Their “thinking” is that a retouch varnish is better than no varnish to protect the surface of the painting. Of course, they may just be trying to sell their product. Their retouch varnish can either be removed before the final varnish is applied - or the final varnish can be done right over the retouch (as long as the painting is kept clean).

I have always varnished my acrylic paintings using a SOFT brush which I found less likely to leave marks - at least on acrylic paintings.

I am wondering if I should be doing two coats though, instead of just one. Thoughts?

Man, I love those old painters.

According to Gamblin’s website, it does not yellow with age and while waiting 3 -6 months is best, painters using Gamvar can safely varnish sooner because Gamvar’s mild solvent will not dissolve the glaze layers of paintings and paintings today dry quicker.

Don, your answer is what I’ve always understood - some varnishes yellow over time. Also, some paintings are rendered shmoodged by environmental effects and need the varnish stripped and paint restored - think of some of the work that’s been happening on Da Vinci’s paintings, among others.

I know a couple of artists who dont wait at all. They varnish as soon as the paint is dry enough to press on. I know others who dont varnish at all and just tell the client that it will need to be done. I’ve seen some that put on a coat of Liquin once the paint is touchable. The theory, I suppose, is that it dries quickly and adds a little protection while bringing the colors back to original vibrance. I’m an in-betweener, I suppose. I have done the Liquin thing (not anytime recently), but I’m afraid it will yellow over time.

This is kind of a segue to Christy’s question about removing varnish. Over time, some varnishes will yellow and/or darken. When this happens, as I understand it, the only option is to remove the old varnish and redo.

I used to use the same WN varnish that Susan mentioned, but changed last year to Gamblin’s Gamvar. No real reason, other than it was handy and I hadnt tried it before. It was developed by “conservation scientists at the National Gallery”, for use in refurbishing antique paintings. I figure, if it’s good enough for them, it should be good enough for my clientele. Guess we’ll see in a hundred years or so.