Varnish
Varnish protects the painting from dirt and dust and evens out the painting's final appearance, making it all equally glossy or matt. Over the years, dirt and dust adhere to the varnish, rather than the painting surface. The varnish can be removed and the painting re-varnished to restore its original appearance.
Although wax has been used for centuries as a wood finish and sometimes as a finish for pictures, wax does not provide the same protection as a varnish. However, wax has been used on top of varnishes to reduce surface gloss and protect the varnish from dirt. It is also useful as a protective coating on paintings that are not typically varnished, such as tempera or watercolor...
The age-old advice to wait at least six months before varnishing oil paintings is a good practice but one that many artists resist. And it is understandable why because when a painting is completed, it often needs to be delivered immediately for exhibit or into the customer’s hands. This article reviews the reasons for this advice and determines whether this is true or not...
An irregular sheen on an oil painting often produces a patchy gloss after applying the varnish. This article considers how to fix this on an existing painting and how to avoid it in the future. “Sinking in” is a common phenomenon among oil painters and is one of the most frequent issues encountered while teaching artists in my Painting Best Practices workshop. The causes of sinking in can be reduced to a few causes examined in this article...
An unvarnished painting is vulnerable to dirt and dust that will eventually become embedded in the paint. It is also subject to deterioration caused by ultraviolet light, oxidation, and abrasion from handling and transport. A varnish can protect the painting from dirt, ultraviolet light, and abrasion. Applying varnish to your painting is important to maintain its appearance and value. If you decide to apply a varnish to your painting, you must decide on the type of varnish, method of application, and desired final appearance. The following discussion can help you make the right choice for your artwork...
When used in its most specific sense, the word “resin” is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. The resin produced by these plants is a viscous liquid composed mainly of volatile terpenes. Oleoresins are naturally occurring mixtures of oil and resin. Other resinous products in their natural condition are a mixture of gum or mucilaginous substances and are known as “gum resins.” Mastic gum is a good example of a gum resin...
Welcome to Natural Pigments' Glossary of common and not so common Paint and Art Terms. Here we hope to give you a brief definition of various art terms which might be unfamiliar. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, please contact us...
Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, Kerria lacca (Order Hemiptera, Family Coccidae), on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. The insect secretes resin forming tunnel-like tubes as it traverses the branches of trees. This insect is in the same family as the insect from which cochineal is obtained. The resin is collected, processed, and sold as dry flakes that can be dissolved in ethyl alcohol to make liquid shellac. Shellac forms a durable natural coating that is useful as a primer, sanding sealant, tannin-blocker, odor-blocker, and high-gloss varnish...
Dammar (or damar) or soft copal varnishes are soft, very flexible, and transparent but dry slowly. These varnishes have a bright appearance and a faint pale yellow color. The color may be varied from golden yellow to yellowish brown by gamboge, dragon's blood, and asphaltum...
Varnish is a transparent, hard, protective film that provides a protective layer over artwork. Varnishes are traditionally a combination of drying oil, resin, and solvent. Varnish finishes are usually glossy but may be made to produce a satin or matte surface by the addition of “flatting” agents. Varnish has little, or no color, is transparent, and has no added pigment, as opposed to paint or stain, which contains pigments or dyes and generally range from opaque to translucent. Varnishes are also applied between layers of paint to isolate them or over substrates, such as wood, to seal them and reduce absorbency...
Formulas for varnishes and mediums call for measurements that are often confusing for artists. For example, in his formula for a glazing medium, Ralph Mayer calls for a “5-pound cut” of dammar (or damar) varnish. How do you know what is a 5-pound cut?
Formulas for varnishes and mediums call for measurements that are often confusing for artists. For example, in his formula for a glazing medium, Ralph Mayer calls for a “5-pound cut” of dammar (or damar) varnish. This measurement refers to the amount of dry dammar resin with spirits of gum turpentine in a ratio called a “cut,” which refers to the amount of resin in pounds dissolved in a gallon of turpentine. This measurement is simple enough to use when preparing your own varnish, but what if you want to use a commercially-prepared dammar varnish, such as Rublev Colours Dammar Varnish or...
Congo copal is no longer available commercially (at least as it was available in commerce formerly), because the suppliers have long stopped trading due to strife in Africa since the last quarter of the 20th century. Trade of Congo copal was once controlled by the Belgian government, but as this region of Africa gained independence and the demand for copal resins diminished during the last half of the 20th century, the commerce of Congo copal has all but ceased...
