I went out and bought Dorland's Wax after my son's dog was in my office and licked a Christmas card I made in September LOL! I then used it when giving my 2 year old granddaughter's Halloween cards and other paintings that they want to put on the fridge. They are always holding them! Love this stuff it is very protective and easy to use. I just use my fingers to apply. I've not buffed it after drying to get it shiny. I'll check that out next time. Thanks Sarah!
⚠️ This is very toxic. Don't breathe it, if you are asthmatic and also be very careful if you are epileptic, it can cause epileptic seizures. Don't forget to wear a mask and gloves. Notice that it don't disolve well if you have it on fingers and wash, a residue could still on your fingers. In any case, work beside or in front of an open window. Because I got epileptic seizures using it, it disgusted me to use it again. 😒 I bought that pot by amazon and it came without notice.
I have been doing that with my watercolours for a long while, I also spray with a UV varnish first to add extra UV light protection. I fix my paintings to a board with gel medium and then I hang without glass. Not purist, but a different way to protect and display watercolours.
I recently just tried this same thing and am loving it. I also sprayed with UV varnish first as I’d added some water soluble mixed media marks on top of the watercolor, which would have smeared when applying the wax. The varnish then sealed the marks before I applied the wax. I mounted them on a board just as you did and was able to wire them for a gallery show. Way better than behind glass in my opinion.
I love this wax medium to protect my watercolor paintings, however I have noticed that it blocked the shimmer of Daniel Smith’s Amethyst Genuine after sealing. I’m not sure if it does the same for metallic paints as they are a bit different than the Primatek paints. I would highly recommend doing a test run on swatches of any shimmery paints before sealing to see how it affects your particular paints. I had to redo the card where I used Amethyst Genuine and not seal it so the shimmer would be visible. Just wanted to throw that out there!
I had the same experience with the LMA dual tone pigment powders--the wax dulled the shimmer right out. I had better luck with the primatec paints, but there was still some dulling with those as well.
The wax interferes with the lights ability to refract with inference and shimmers as they are transparent. But I haven’t had an issue with metallics , Watercolors as they are opaque.
I'm glad you shared this. I've always worried about my watercolors getting ruined when given to others. So many good comments regarding application methods and buffing!
I've also seen wax used over address sections of a mailing envelope to protect the ink from becoming smeared or washed away by rainfall, dew, etc. If you use a ballpoint pen, there's no worry of the addresses becoming unreadable, but if you use inks, markers, etc., it's a handy trick--much better than covering the address with packing tape. It's also great if you're sending mail overseas--when my husband was deployed I always covered the "To" and "From" sections with packing tape (didn't have wax available back then).
@@nancedeichman5757 Years ago I saw a video showing this kind of wax used over dried alcohol ink swatches and it was stunning, almost 3D effect. BUT, I have absolutely no idea about using it with Distress or Oxide inks. Just in case, you might want to go to the top of the comments and enter your question as a brand new comment so it doesn't appear under my comment and will instead go straight to Sarah Cray--she seems very, very knowledgeable and may have an answer to your question. Good luck!
When I was researching Dorland's Wax Medium about 2 years ago, it took a while to find that while wax is terrific for watercolor, gouache, pencil, and even oil paintings (which I have not tried yet), they were emphatic to NOT use it on ACRYLIC paint. Dorland's is mostly beeswax with some solvent, and evidently the solvent can dissolve acrylic paint. NOTE: I have not tested this on acrylic paint, but believe it is true.
This is a real eye opener, didn't know this was an option for protecting watercolor pieces. Just wish I'd known about it before sending out my watercolor Christmas cards. Will be ordering this immediately for all of my future card making, and that's a lot.
I have used Dorland's Wax successfully on my gouache paintings. The first time I nearly hyperventilated because gouache reactivates so easily. However, I make tiny paintings when I'm practicing (still learning) so it wouldn't have been a great loss if it smeared. Well, it didn't budge! The only thing that happened was a little bit of the indigo blue paint colored the paper towel. Now I totally trust it. And Jacquard does make excellent products. :)
❤Thank you for sharing, Sarah. I made cards for each of my family members last year but I didn’t know about the protectant wax. I have a number of chronic illnesses which keeps me homebound most of the time so I was going to paint their cards this year because I’m not able to give any gifts. I have some cards made but they all have mess ups on them. We have to do Christmas on the 22nd which is also my nieces birthday for reasons we cannot avoid. This gives me only 3 days to try to paint something simple yet special however I awoke this morning really unwell. Will at least try to do one for my niece’s Christmas and I have a birthday card my sister picked up for me. I hope your family has a beautifully blessed Christmas. Sorry for yakking so long. I rarely comment though. I am so thankful to have found you. I’ve watched them back to 5 or 6 years stated by some of them. 🙏🏻❤️🎄🎅🏻
Love this product. You made me think about what type of cloth I use to apply and buff. It seems a lot of things come with a little cloth, to clean lenses and screens. I have so many I've tossed in a box to save. I wonder how that fabric would work in this application. I don't think it has lint which is why it comes to clean glasses?
Brilliant. I didnt know about sealing. Maybe in a frame in case moisture builds up behind glass and fixing on surrounding paper could be prevented. Thanks
I started doing this because I had the wax pot and it begged for more use. I love the sheen finish, however I was never sure if the wax actually was supposed to go on the paper as opposed to canvas/substrate designed to take oil paint? It's been on the paper a while now and I've seen nothing to worry over. I also seal collage and colour pencil work but you need a little more care not to smear pencils, sometimes? Don't want to break down the oils/wax. I wouldn't polish on a first layer? I use a silicone scraper brush, which is easy to wipe clean after. Great to know it's a legit way to seal our work, thanks!
I like using Kamar Varnish. Simple, easy spray without a lot of work. Just make sure you're in a well ventilated area. Again, quick, easy, no work... ❤
Thank you for sharing this wax treatment. Total control applying it. Soo much better than spray cans cause it has a harsh odor and too cold for going outdoors. Have a fantastic, safe and healthy New Year.
I paint / calligraphy envelopes I make using mostly cellulose watercolour paper. Often the ink I use is waterproof, but not always, but the paint needs protection. Cheapest, easiest method I’ve found is petroleum jelly or Vaseline. Gently rub all over with finger tip … AFTER you’ve added stamps! You can prop up (I use a toast rack) and leave to absorb for a day or speed up absorption process by melting Vaseline into paper with a hair dryer. Gently “polish” off any excess with paper towel if necessary.
Thank you so much Sarah, I really really enjoyed watching you talk about Dowland wax medium. And I’m very impressed with your style and you too. I’ve subscribed and given you a thumbs up too
I may try this as it's more cost effective than what I've used in the past which is Tim holtz micro glaze. I always figured someone else sold it for less. One tip is that i also used the micro glaze over my addresses on the envelope. Some got wet on the way to their destination & without that the ink would have smeared making the address illegible. Due to the glaze they arrived safely
Love this product!! It works great and is easy to use. Have you done a tutorial on the card with the sleigh and packages?? I'd love to see one (could not find it so maybe not yet??) Thank you so much!!
Yes, that project is a project included in our Season's Greetings Digital Card Making Box. You can check it out here: www.letsmakeart.com/products/seasons-greetings?_pos=1&_sid=d07aa157e&_ss=r
Question: Once the painting is cured. If placed in glass. Can heat affect the coating and stick to the glass? Can this wax be used with other paint mediums like soft chalk drawing? Thank you from r the video. Learned something new.
Sure, just do not let the wax touch glass. The whole point of using a wax sealant is so the painting is protected and does NOT need to go under glass. I am not sure about a sealed surface touching a frame around the edges. If the wax is well-cured and you do not squish it into the frame really hard, my guess is it will be fine.
can you do this on coloured pencils or w water soluble wax crayons (like Caran d'Ache Neocolor ii)? im assuming not, cz both coloured pencils and art crayons are wax based... ty
I noticed there are 2 formulas of that. One includes oil paint with other mediums but doesn't mention watercolor. The other includes Watercolor but not oil paint. If watercolor isn't listed, will it still work? I appreciate you sharing! 😊
I bought this at the suggestion of some RUclips artist,but I’ve never used it and didn’t know how to…. thanks for the info! I’ve now subscribed and look forward to sealing and buffing. 😊
Can you please recommend something to keep a painting from fading. I have a spray Degas Fixative but I was wondering if you have any other suggestions.
I used Dorland’s on a 16x20” for my first time using it. I gave an original painting to a family member and did a float frame mount, and didn’t want to put glass over it so as to avoid reflections from interfering with the intensity of the watercolor image from any angle. When I applied the wax, I tried to keep the area clean, but still got lint into the wax from… who knows where. The lint probably won’t show up on painted areas, but will on the unpainted areas.
You might look into anti-reflective museum acrylic or glass -- very little reflection. One note: you do need to keep track of the front when you frame.
@ appreciate the suggestion, but I’ll accept a little dust and an unobstructed view of the watercolor over any sort of glass coverage that will always take away from the intensity of the original image. Also (for those interested) look up Kim Crick - her glass tests show little to no benefit of UV coated, as well as Museum grade glass in terms of providing protection against degradation of watercolor pigments from light exposure. The longevity of a watercolor is far more about the quality of the pigments used and whether it’s in a constantly sun lit spot, or not.
I made a bunch of bookmarks for wee Christmas gifts and have been laminating them to protect them. I'm not that keen on the plasticy finish though. Does anyone have experience with using wax as a protector on thinks that are regularly handled?
Very helpful information thank you! I have a question for anyone. I have been making gift cards using my watercolor paper and folding it but it creates cracks at the fold. How do I correct this? Are there watercolor folded cards to purchase ? Or any simple solution I am not thinking of? I would prefer a card vs postcard style.
Score the paper first by running a blunt but thin knife edge along your desired fold line on the RIGHT side of the card. (I have an old paté knife I found in a thrift store which is perfect for this.) Then gently fold and crease well with a bone folder tool or something smooth and a bit heavy.
So will this smear if the paints are metallic watercolor? Also some of my cards have sparkles on them, do you think that will be a problem? I only have access to some Dorland Wax for one day then leaving for a week and taking the cards with me, so if anyone has an answer, I would appreciate it. TIA
@@BarbaraAnne51 I don’t think it would smear, but would likely dull the shimmer. I would leave them unwaxed, especially if you are hand delivering. The painting that I redid with the shimmery paint was totally fine when I mailed it without waxing it. Good luck!!
Do you know if you can then put it under glass to frame it, or will it stick to the glass and then be ruined years later when you try to remove it from the frame?
I've used a small "framing mat" under the glass to keep it off the glass just in case. So far it's ok. I haven't tried to take it out so I don't know if the mat will stick to it.
I have some nice paintings my mother essentially sealed with wax paper back in the 1970s. I think the process involved putting the wax paper from the grocery store on the art face down then heating it somehow--low heat iron or hair dryer, maybe. Student grade materials that seem to be pretty lightfast still. Personally, I'm wondering if car wax in minute amounts would work.
When I was researching Dorland's Wax Medium about 2 years ago, it took a while to find that while wax is terrific for watercolor, gouache, pencil, and even oil paintings (which I have not tried yet), they were emphatic to NOT use it on ACRYLIC paint. Dorland's is mostly beeswax with some solvent, and evidently the solvent can dissolve acrylic paint. (I have not tested this, but believe it is true.) But if you avoid acrylic paint, I see no reason it cannot be used on a stretched canvas.
My experience with it is kind-of different: I applied 4 thin layers of Dorland's Wax -- several days apart -- buffing after each one. It was alarming that the wax remained sticky for so long, because there is a lot of dust in the air that would stick to it. It took almost 4 MONTHS for the wax to cure and be hard, not sticky. But after it hardens the watercolor painting is well protected. Maybe other people get it to cure in 24 hours, but that was not my experience. I live in a dry climate.
@@leanna46364 I have been playing around more, and I was applying it too thick. I still don't care for it, though, I am only using it for postcards. Everyone else seems to love it, but they never answer my questions about it, and I have asked around 🤷♀ Thanks for telling me your experience with it!
I use this myself for bookmarks. I use the makeup foam sponge to apply it on the paper. A caveat tho, some People who are going through treatment (Cancer, or etc) and with Compromised Immune System, Dorland Wax may give them hives. I did Bookmark (giveaway) for a friend who had just finished her Cancer Treatment. As TY, she wanted me to make Watercolor Painting Bookmarks as giveaway for the Medical Team/Staff, n Friends who helped her through her Treatments. She offered to help me apply Dorland Wax on the finished bookmarks. Unfortunately, she developed nasty hives. I took her to Emergency. After several tests, turned out that there's a chemical in Dorland Wax that she's ALLERGIC to. So just keep in mind who are receiving your Dorland Treated cards/bookmarks. On my case, I put the bookmarks in a Plastic sleeves instead. There's another Organic Wax that behaves similar like Dorland and seals Watercolor Painting just as good. Beeswax also great for sealing exposed Watercolor Painting. Otherwise, for me anyway, for my own use, I love and use Dorland Wax.
You can also use book covering protective plastic films, like Contact paper, that you can then run through a laminator to seal it on your painting. It makes your cards extremely robust.
I use coffee filters to apply it!
Did you try various methods of application?
Thanks so much. One extra suggestion is to do the final buffing with a coffee filter. It really glides over the wax surface. Super cheap, too!
Love that it's archival and non-yellowing. Yay for museum-quality!
FYI, blue shops towels are lint free so great for this.
Yes blue shop towels wax on and coffee filters buff out
I use make-up sponges. Great coverage.
I went out and bought Dorland's Wax after my son's dog was in my office and licked a Christmas card I made in September LOL! I then used it when giving my 2 year old granddaughter's Halloween cards and other paintings that they want to put on the fridge. They are always holding them! Love this stuff it is very protective and easy to use. I just use my fingers to apply. I've not buffed it after drying to get it shiny. I'll check that out next time. Thanks Sarah!
That's awesome
Oh dear! I’m so sorry 😢
⚠️ This is very toxic. Don't breathe it, if you are asthmatic and also be very careful if you are epileptic, it can cause epileptic seizures. Don't forget to wear a mask and gloves. Notice that it don't disolve well if you have it on fingers and wash, a residue could still on your fingers. In any case, work beside or in front of an open window.
Because I got epileptic seizures using it, it disgusted me to use it again. 😒
I bought that pot by amazon and it came without notice.
I have been doing that with my watercolours for a long while, I also spray with a UV varnish first to add extra UV light protection. I fix my paintings to a board with gel medium and then I hang without glass. Not purist, but a different way to protect and display watercolours.
I recently just tried this same thing and am loving it. I also sprayed with UV varnish first as I’d added some water soluble mixed media marks on top of the watercolor, which would have smeared when applying the wax. The varnish then sealed the marks before I applied the wax. I mounted them on a board just as you did and was able to wire them for a gallery show. Way better than behind glass in my opinion.
@ I agree, lighter to carry and less risk of damage in clumsy hands like mine, ha, ha.
Great idea, any resources for a demo of the process?
@ There are videos from RUclips other creators, that’s where I learned it from. If you search for it you will find some.
@@lindablackerby9819 What type of board are you referring to? Thanks
I love this wax medium to protect my watercolor paintings, however I have noticed that it blocked the shimmer of Daniel Smith’s Amethyst Genuine after sealing. I’m not sure if it does the same for metallic paints as they are a bit different than the Primatek paints. I would highly recommend doing a test run on swatches of any shimmery paints before sealing to see how it affects your particular paints. I had to redo the card where I used Amethyst Genuine and not seal it so the shimmer would be visible. Just wanted to throw that out there!
I had the same experience with the LMA dual tone pigment powders--the wax dulled the shimmer right out. I had better luck with the primatec paints, but there was still some dulling with those as well.
So did you repaint, paint a new one, or just where your shimmery paint was?
@ I completely started over again on another piece of paper. I don’t think you can paint on top of the wax, but I haven’t tried it.
@ right I should’ve thought of that. Thanks for replying.
The wax interferes with the lights ability to refract with inference and shimmers as they are transparent. But I haven’t had an issue with metallics , Watercolors as they are opaque.
I'm glad you shared this. I've always worried about my watercolors getting ruined when given to others. So many good comments regarding application methods and buffing!
Thank you very much for making this video, I didn't know such a thing existed. Very useful.
I've also seen wax used over address sections of a mailing envelope to protect the ink from becoming smeared or washed away by rainfall, dew, etc. If you use a ballpoint pen, there's no worry of the addresses becoming unreadable, but if you use inks, markers, etc., it's a handy trick--much better than covering the address with packing tape. It's also great if you're sending mail overseas--when my husband was deployed I always covered the "To" and "From" sections with packing tape (didn't have wax available back then).
Brilliant idea, thanks! All my pretty pens tend to get smeared
So you can use this wax over Distress or Oxide inks?
@@nancedeichman5757 Years ago I saw a video showing this kind of wax used over dried alcohol ink swatches and it was stunning, almost 3D effect. BUT, I have absolutely no idea about using it with Distress or Oxide inks. Just in case, you might want to go to the top of the comments and enter your question as a brand new comment so it doesn't appear under my comment and will instead go straight to Sarah Cray--she seems very, very knowledgeable and may have an answer to your question. Good luck!
This is great; I make my own greeting cards and I don't bother sealing them. It's good to know this technique! Happy Holidays!
I NEED a Sarah Cray sketchbook tour now!!!!
Me too (new subbie)
When I was researching Dorland's Wax Medium about 2 years ago, it took a while to find that while wax is terrific for watercolor, gouache, pencil, and even oil paintings (which I have not tried yet), they were emphatic to NOT use it on ACRYLIC paint.
Dorland's is mostly beeswax with some solvent, and evidently the solvent can dissolve acrylic paint.
NOTE: I have not tested this on acrylic paint, but believe it is true.
👍🏻 I dedicate a flat wash brush for applying the wax, and then use a lint free towel for the circular rubbing/buffing on the surface.
This is a real eye opener, didn't know this was an option for protecting watercolor pieces. Just wish I'd known about it before sending out my watercolor Christmas cards. Will be ordering this immediately for all of my future card making, and that's a lot.
LOTS of good information in this video... thank you so much!!
I love those cards! Great info. I haven’t painted in a year or so and want to get back into it. Thanks for the inspiration.
This great for your sketchbook too.
I have used Dorland's Wax successfully on my gouache paintings. The first time I nearly hyperventilated because gouache reactivates so easily. However, I make tiny paintings when I'm practicing (still learning) so it wouldn't have been a great loss if it smeared. Well, it didn't budge! The only thing that happened was a little bit of the indigo blue paint colored the paper towel. Now I totally trust it. And Jacquard does make excellent products. :)
I will definitely get myself some of this stuff 👍🏼👍🏼
Do we know the long term effect of the wax? Like yellowing?
It’s archival, so no yellowing!
Wonderful, I love the tip and the explanation and the postcards you seal!
❤Thank you for sharing, Sarah. I made cards for each of my family members last year but I didn’t know about the protectant wax. I have a number of chronic illnesses which keeps me homebound most of the time so I was going to paint their cards this year because I’m not able to give any gifts. I have some cards made but they all have mess ups on them. We have to do Christmas on the 22nd which is also my nieces birthday for reasons we cannot avoid. This gives me only 3 days to try to paint something simple yet special however I awoke this morning really unwell. Will at least try to do one for my niece’s Christmas and I have a birthday card my sister picked up for me. I hope your family has a beautifully blessed Christmas. Sorry for yakking so long. I rarely comment though. I am so thankful to have found you. I’ve watched them back to 5 or 6 years stated by some of them. 🙏🏻❤️🎄🎅🏻
Love this product. You made me think about what type of cloth I use to apply and buff. It seems a lot of things come with a little cloth, to clean lenses and screens. I have so many I've tossed in a box to save. I wonder how that fabric would work in this application. I don't think it has lint which is why it comes to clean glasses?
Brilliant. I didnt know about sealing. Maybe in a frame in case moisture builds up behind glass and fixing on surrounding paper could be prevented. Thanks
I started doing this because I had the wax pot and it begged for more use. I love the sheen finish, however I was never sure if the wax actually was supposed to go on the paper as opposed to canvas/substrate designed to take oil paint?
It's been on the paper a while now and I've seen nothing to worry over. I also seal collage and colour pencil work but you need a little more care not to smear pencils, sometimes? Don't want to break down the oils/wax. I wouldn't polish on a first layer? I use a silicone scraper brush, which is easy to wipe clean after.
Great to know it's a legit way to seal our work, thanks!
I was gifted this product and had no idea how to use it, until now! Thanks Sarah Cray!! I am always using so much from you!!
I like using Kamar Varnish. Simple, easy spray without a lot of work. Just make sure you're in a well ventilated area. Again, quick, easy, no work... ❤
Does it dull the metalics
I was wondering why not just use the fixative varnish spray.
@@PatriciaThompson-m8f I'm not sure. Maybe do a test before using it on your art.
Thank you for sharing this wax treatment. Total control applying it. Soo much better than spray cans cause it has a harsh odor and too cold for going outdoors. Have a fantastic, safe and healthy New Year.
This stuff is the best!! I’ve been using it for years now and always love the results 😊
Thanks! It doesn't yellow at all?❤
Thank you so much for sharing this sealing tip 🤗❤️👍🏽💯
I paint / calligraphy envelopes I make using mostly cellulose watercolour paper. Often the ink I use is waterproof, but not always, but the paint needs protection. Cheapest, easiest method I’ve found is petroleum jelly or Vaseline. Gently rub all over with finger tip … AFTER you’ve added stamps! You can prop up (I use a toast rack) and leave to absorb for a day or speed up absorption process by melting Vaseline into paper with a hair dryer. Gently “polish” off any excess with paper towel if necessary.
Do you know if using Vaseline will cause the paper to "yellow" over time?
Burnishing!
Thanks so much! Great tip!❤
Thank you so much Sarah, I really really enjoyed watching you talk about Dowland wax medium. And I’m very impressed with your style and you too. I’ve subscribed and given you a thumbs up too
Thanks, this was super helpful 🙏😊
It is nice on colour pencils
This is appreciated! I always worried about postcards, especially. Thank you!
Many thanks for this excellent info!! ❤
I may try this as it's more cost effective than what I've used in the past which is Tim holtz micro glaze. I always figured someone else sold it for less. One tip is that i also used the micro glaze over my addresses on the envelope. Some got wet on the way to their destination & without that the ink would have smeared making the address illegible. Due to the glaze they arrived safely
Didn't know it was an application that could be used for other mediums. Thanks!
Thanks for this Sarah - I was wondering what to use instead of a spray. And, you also answered my question about UV protection....
Thank you so much for your video. Blessings for you sharing your knowledge. Have a wonderful Christmas and an awesome new year. ❤️
I just bought this to seal watercolor and was so worried it would pick up paint or smear. Thank you for this!
Love this product!! It works great and is easy to use. Have you done a tutorial on the card with the sleigh and packages?? I'd love to see one (could not find it so maybe not yet??) Thank you so much!!
Yes, that project is a project included in our Season's Greetings Digital Card Making Box. You can check it out here: www.letsmakeart.com/products/seasons-greetings?_pos=1&_sid=d07aa157e&_ss=r
Do you think you could use this for paper collage?
Question:
Once the painting is cured. If placed in glass. Can heat affect the coating and stick to the glass?
Can this wax be used with other paint mediums like soft chalk drawing?
Thank you from r the video. Learned something new.
thanks for showing this I usually use a matt spray thats just as good but I have to spray it outside everytime and it stinks
Thank you for this video!
Thank you for this useful tip. Question though, after using the wax, can a painting be put into a frame???
Sure, just do not let the wax touch glass. The whole point of using a wax sealant is so the painting is protected and does NOT need to go under glass.
I am not sure about a sealed surface touching a frame around the edges. If the wax is well-cured and you do not squish it into the frame really hard, my guess is it will be fine.
Can it work for oil pastels?
can you do this on coloured pencils or w water soluble wax crayons (like Caran d'Ache Neocolor ii)?
im assuming not, cz both coloured pencils and art crayons are wax based...
ty
I noticed there are 2 formulas of that. One includes oil paint with other mediums but doesn't mention watercolor. The other includes Watercolor but not oil paint. If watercolor isn't listed, will it still work? I appreciate you sharing! 😊
Will the wax dampen the reflective sheen of metallic watercolors?
I make watercolor bookmarks to accompany gift books, but I use a white birthday candle to seal them. No trouble so far.
Would the wax leave residue if were used on a bookmark?
I never thought of doing this.
Thank you so much that is awesome to know about this wax sealant so your precious painting is kept secure! Have a great day 🤗
Will this work on photos facing each other in a journal to keep them from sticking together?
Yes!
Does this yellow over time or crackle?
I bought this at the suggestion of some RUclips artist,but I’ve never used it and didn’t know how to…. thanks for the info! I’ve now subscribed and look forward to sealing and buffing. 😊
Can you please recommend something to keep a painting from fading. I have a spray Degas Fixative but I was wondering if you have any other suggestions.
You could try Krylon Fixative spray.
Very nice video. Thank you. Your videographer’s comments and questions are fun. Could you share the brand. I didn’t catch it. Thanks.
Jacquard
@ thank u for sending this. I found it right after I sent this query. 🥴
I used Dorland’s on a 16x20” for my first time using it. I gave an original painting to a family member and did a float frame mount, and didn’t want to put glass over it so as to avoid reflections from interfering with the intensity of the watercolor image from any angle.
When I applied the wax, I tried to keep the area clean, but still got lint into the wax from… who knows where. The lint probably won’t show up on painted areas, but will on the unpainted areas.
You might look into anti-reflective museum acrylic or glass -- very little reflection. One note: you do need to keep track of the front when you frame.
@ appreciate the suggestion, but I’ll accept a little dust and an unobstructed view of the watercolor over any sort of glass coverage that will always take away from the intensity of the original image.
Also (for those interested) look up Kim Crick - her glass tests show little to no benefit of UV coated, as well as Museum grade glass in terms of providing protection against degradation of watercolor pigments from light exposure. The longevity of a watercolor is far more about the quality of the pigments used and whether it’s in a constantly sun lit spot, or not.
I made a bunch of bookmarks for wee Christmas gifts and have been laminating them to protect them. I'm not that keen on the plasticy finish though. Does anyone have experience with using wax as a protector on thinks that are regularly handled?
How does this affect metallic or shimmer paint? All the seals I’ve tried reduce the effect
I want to know this too!
Can this be used over colored pencils? What is the name of this wax and where can I buy it? Thanks for the tutorial.
It should work over colored pencils. The name is Dorland's Wax and you can get it on Amazon or your local art store.
Very helpful information thank you! I have a question for anyone. I have been making gift cards using my watercolor paper and folding it but it creates cracks at the fold. How do I correct this? Are there watercolor folded cards to purchase ? Or any simple solution I am not thinking of? I would prefer a card vs postcard style.
Score the paper first by running a blunt but thin knife edge along your desired fold line on the RIGHT side of the card. (I have an old paté knife I found in a thrift store which is perfect for this.) Then gently fold and crease well with a bone folder tool or something smooth and a bit heavy.
What about for granulating watercolor? I feel like it could rub off the granules....🤔
Good to know that... Thank You !!!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2025 !!!
Would hair wax work?
Strange i should find this as im just trying out some bokeh effect today! Thanks for the tutorial!
Where can you find this?
I found Daniel Smith’s version for 1/2 the price!, Amazon
So will this smear if the paints are metallic watercolor? Also some of my cards have sparkles on them, do you think that will be a problem? I only have access to some Dorland Wax for one day then leaving for a week and taking the cards with me, so if anyone has an answer, I would appreciate it. TIA
@@BarbaraAnne51 I don’t think it would smear, but would likely dull the shimmer. I would leave them unwaxed, especially if you are hand delivering. The painting that I redid with the shimmery paint was totally fine when I mailed it without waxing it. Good luck!!
Does it act the same no matter the quality of WC paint?
Do you know if you can then put it under glass to frame it, or will it stick to the glass and then be ruined years later when you try to remove it from the frame?
I've used a small "framing mat" under the glass to keep it off the glass just in case. So far it's ok. I haven't tried to take it out so I don't know if the mat will stick to it.
Thank you for sharing this tip. Would any kind of wax work? Where I'm from we don't have access to many things
I have some nice paintings my mother essentially sealed with wax paper back in the 1970s. I think the process involved putting the wax paper from the grocery store on the art face down then heating it somehow--low heat iron or hair dryer, maybe. Student grade materials that seem to be pretty lightfast still. Personally, I'm wondering if car wax in minute amounts would work.
Will a postcard sealed with the wax create any problems with the USPS sorting/processing machines?
Not that we've experienced and we've been doing it for a few years for our Let's Make Art Matter postcards each month.
Can this be purchased in any art shop?
It should be.
Does it work on canvas paints too? Thank you!
When I was researching Dorland's Wax Medium about 2 years ago, it took a while to find that while wax is terrific for watercolor, gouache, pencil, and even oil paintings (which I have not tried yet), they were emphatic to NOT use it on ACRYLIC paint.
Dorland's is mostly beeswax with some solvent, and evidently the solvent can dissolve acrylic paint. (I have not tested this, but believe it is true.)
But if you avoid acrylic paint, I see no reason it cannot be used on a stretched canvas.
Can this work for colored pencils?
It should. We haven't tried it... so we recommend experimenting with a scrap piece of paper at first.
@ thank you so much, I’ll give it a try
Watercolor mounted on canvas or wood cradle is protected with wax too.
Can also just spray with Krylon Workable Fixative spray from any art/craft store.
Do you get a wax haze on your painting after awhile?
What kind of wax is that? What it's name? Where do I can get it? I belong from Pakistan but I never seen that wax which you were using on cards.
Dorland's Wax. There is a link in the description.
So this is not a gloss!? What's a fixative spray?
Would Vaseline work?
I’ve heard from many folk to not use it on colored pencil or any wax based medium. It will melt and smudge wax based mediums.
It seems like old cotton sheets, turn into rags, might be best for applying. But i wonder.
Two questions: 1. Do you buff the wax after drying or curing? 2. Does the wax layer stick to a frame, if you do put it behind glass? Thanks
has anyone used this on Neocolor II or Inktense?
But the Dorland's Wax makes my paintings waxy to the touch....am I applying it on too thick?
My experience with it is kind-of different: I applied 4 thin layers of Dorland's Wax -- several days apart -- buffing after each one. It was alarming that the wax remained sticky for so long, because there is a lot of dust in the air that would stick to it. It took almost 4 MONTHS for the wax to cure and be hard, not sticky. But after it hardens the watercolor painting is well protected.
Maybe other people get it to cure in 24 hours, but that was not my experience. I live in a dry climate.
@@leanna46364 I have been playing around more, and I was applying it too thick. I still don't care for it, though, I am only using it for postcards. Everyone else seems to love it, but they never answer my questions about it, and I have asked around 🤷♀ Thanks for telling me your experience with it!
Did you hear me? I’m talking to the video, “I can see the drops!!”
We heard you!😉
Can you link the name of the wax please
Dorland's Wax
Dorland's Wax: store.jacquardproducts.com/products/dorlands-wax
Do I need a special brand
We recommend Jacquard's Dorland's Wax.
Will the wax protect from or react to sunlight?
No
I use this myself for bookmarks. I use the makeup foam sponge to apply it on the paper. A caveat tho, some People who are going through treatment (Cancer, or etc) and with Compromised Immune System, Dorland Wax may give them hives. I did Bookmark (giveaway) for a friend who had just finished her Cancer Treatment. As TY, she wanted me to make Watercolor Painting Bookmarks as giveaway for the Medical Team/Staff, n Friends who helped her through her Treatments. She offered to help me apply Dorland Wax on the finished bookmarks. Unfortunately, she developed nasty hives. I took her to Emergency. After several tests, turned out that there's a chemical in Dorland Wax that she's ALLERGIC to. So just keep in mind who are receiving your Dorland Treated cards/bookmarks.
On my case, I put the bookmarks in a Plastic sleeves instead.
There's another Organic Wax that behaves similar like Dorland and seals Watercolor Painting just as good. Beeswax also great for sealing exposed Watercolor Painting.
Otherwise, for me anyway, for my own use, I love and use Dorland Wax.
You can also use book covering protective plastic films, like Contact paper, that you can then run through a laminator to seal it on your painting. It makes your cards extremely robust.
Has anyone tried this with their marker illustrations?