Are use Minwax water-based polyurethane which you’ve already told me I shouldn’t do but I have two cans of it but I don’t mix it with water so I’m going to try it with water and I use a sponge brush so I’m gonna whip up one of my ex-husband‘s T-shirts (I don’t have any of them) and try it your way… We used to use rags when we refinished furniture (when I say way that’s me and my mom) but we always finished it with a brush but the brush is not good on a flat surface so you gave me a lot of good pointers this week… I know I’m late watching you but I do sit here waiting for you to come on! I really do enjoy you I really enjoy your channel I like your contact and even more you acknowledge your community that means so much to us… And I can’t even tell you how much you’ve helped me✌️👍Thank you so very much
Hello. So do you use watered down, liquitex gloss varnish? I've only ever used it straight out of the bottle, with a brush, but sick of getting brush strokes. Thank you 😊
@@alexnichol9248 Correct. I water it down. Sorry, RUclips doesn't do a good job of notifying one comments. I know this was 6 months ago but I figured you still deserved an answer.
This is the method that I use as well. A little trick that I do when varnishing is when I am in between varnishing, I will use a spray bottle of water and spray my t-shirt inside the zip lock bag to keep the varnish from drying out and get out as much of that air as possible. Your varnish cloth can last for weeks!
Hi I tried your method on a painting I thought I destroyed by my first varnish that left a lot of streaks so I have tried your way several times and saved the painting except I didn’t water down the varnish. Thank you as I will use your method all the time now no streaks!!!😊😊😊😊
This!! ❤❤ Thank you for this. You've made me WAY less fearful of varnishing now! I've been so scared to do this because I thought each layer needed to be perfect. You are awesome my man 😊😃🎨
Since watching this video, not only do I use this method and only this method to finish my canvas pours. But I’ve shared it in the pouring groups I am in on FB almost every day. People are always asking about how to finish their paintings without ________________. Thank You
You’re my hero, David! I’ve only been at this for about a year (yikes!) and by some weird twist of fate and can occasionally pour out a good one. Then go to varnish and ruin it with streaks, dullness,etc until I have too many coats on and it’s plastic. Seems not to matter too much because by that time a cat hair will surely have fallen in. Argh!! I think the trick will be diluting the varnish. Always an optimist!! Thanks for all the great tutorials.
Another really helpful video. Thank you. Personally I've gone to using spray varnish, so much easier (although it does work out a bit more expensive). Love the painting you used here btw.
I just find and watched this video and I’m so happy. Because varnish is my biggest problem😄 thank you so much 🙏 I will watch your all videos after this 😌🌺
Thank you so much for this video! You're literally my hero. I've been wanting to varnish a few paintings for a while now but it scares me to death. I had bad experiences before 😔 so I'm really thankful to you. You're a great teacher.
Thanks J Rop. Just make sure if you used silicone you clean it well without a lot of rubbing (silicone will have suspended paint so it will potentially smudge).
I recently had to varnish 140 paintings over a coupe of months for an exhibition. I watched Gina Deluca’s video on varnishing. She used a car wash sponge inside a stocking. I improved on that with a rounded edge oval microfibres sponge. I went through a few stockings but used the same sponge for the 700 coats - I put on at least five thin coats, sometimes 7 coats, of Liquitex varnish and they looked great. You DON’T saturate the sponge with water - don’t use any water at all! That affects the gloss look of the varnish and it’s probably why your cloth starts to dry as you showed us. It can also make the varnish cloudy. You need to wet it thoroughly with varnish but you don’t oversaturate it - it will last for a very long time. I also achieved a good look over the last 3 or 4 years using a wide black sponge brush and floating it over the top in even rows from top to bottom, then back the other way. The thing is you don’t try to squeeze any varnish out - it stays moist, and after the initial waste you don’t need to use any more. It was still good after many coats unless it was snagged, but you only soak up the varnish initially, then you add what you need to the painting - it’s not wasted as it stays in the sponge. I don’t think rinsing with water is the way to go - especially if you want a clear gloss look on your painting - they look very professionally done without any water at all. I find water can contaminate the sponge and affects the varnish. Most varnish bottles have a warning that it shouldn’t be mixed with water. Another tip - I always store my sponges in the fridge in a ziplock bag with the air squeezed out, and date it. Because it has a lot of varnish in it you don’t get wet and dry areas as you do with cloth. The reason I had to replace the stocking was because it would occasionally snag on a corner. It left a line behind. The rounded edge sponge was brilliant as it didn’t leave any sort of mark. The sponges were 2 for $1 in Shiploads - a reject type store in Tasmania, Australia, but the car wash sponges are perfectly ok - thanks Gina. I’d recommend everyone watch her video if they want to give your paintings a professional varnish. Another tip: there is a difference between dry and cured. I wait 6 weeks before I varnish as you can still pick up pigment when it isn’t cured. I recently dragged orange pigment over a negative white space. Be careful with bold colours. You can always spray a gloss coat on first to seal it if you think it might blend. Matt finish varnish is more forgiving but I do them with the wide, black sponge brushes and then keep the brush in the fridge. Once again, if it’s wet with varnish it won’t dry out. Don’t use the same sponge for Matt as you do for gloss. If I want a truly thick gloss coat in one go, I use ‘Liquitex Pouring Medium and varnish’ and pour it over in one lot and tilt the medium over the canvaslike a basecoat. This is demonstrated in ‘Pouring Your Heart Out” with Julie Cutt. She’s an Australian Pourer. It’s quite an old video and it does waste a lot of varnish/medium but if you do it perfectly it looks like it’s had 50 coats. If it’s not perfect you can redo it. I buy the large buckets for this technique. It looks like resin but is much cheaper - especially if you’re in the US and get your Liquitex products far cheaper than they are in Australia. Practise on smaller canvasses first. There aren’t a lot of videos on varnishing but I find the sponge/stocking method very quick - you can add another coat the same day. You should never overwork your varnish or you might come back the next day and find they are cloudy, the warning is in fine print on the label if you use Liquitex. It says you shouldn’t add water too. I hope this helps people who have large numbers to varnish together. The finish makes a huge difference when they are for sale.
I know this video is not recent but I have been struggling with varnish. I watched your video and just finished four costs on four paintings and I see no streaks. Thank you very much!!
I have just used spray varnish as I need to finish fast what ever I have finished, but the mess its horrendous... I move house, so I need it a fast solution, but once I am settled, I will definitely try your style. So THANK YOU once for doing this video...
This is how I do all my paintings except ones that have a tone of white and I used silicone. Rubbing is no good then so I usually clean them really carefully and well and then use a spray varnish as my interefence and then varnish over that.
I use a rendition of this…I use a small squirt bottle and bigger wipes spreading it around with great results. So much better than a brush or sponge. 😊
One word of caution. If you painting with glue and silicione you really want to clean it good and don't rub hard as the glue can come off unlike other professional pouring mediums.
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thank you, luckily I do not. I am in agony with varnishing, and I've sold one which looked perfect, but next few, I had to sand it down, and start again, and again... which is money I cannot afford to keep spending...
Thank you very much for all the information you share. Finally some things are beginning to make sense! May I ask you to do a video about the terminology used in paint names. Such as Azo, Othello, Quinacridone, Prussian, etc. And then some are light, some are heavy, and so on. Thanks again. Keep up your efforts for our sake! Otherwise, we'll all have nothing but mud!
Nice! I'll try your method next, (...have had a bit of ptsd after ruining 2 of my best paintings). If I get leftover varnish that I watered down can I save & use that for later or should I toss it and mix new each time? And do you think I could just rinse the cloth out thoroughly with water after I'm done if I don't think I'll use it within a couple of months? Thanks!😄
I mix it in a sealable container and use it till it's gone Marika. I try not to make too much at a time (3 or 4 painting's worth) but it lasts weeks or months in a sealed container.
I have in the past. it was more expensive and I could only do it 2/3 of the year (too cold in my garage or outside in winder in salt Lake). It is easy to do for sure and usually creates a great coat.
@@LeftBrainedArtist thanks. I’ve done ok with the regular paint brush and the sponge brush but I always get streaks. I’ve done the spray on medium and small pieces but none bigger than a 16x20” canvas yet. I’ll let you know how the 4 giant 24”x30” canvases go when finished.
Looks amazing! Just had a thought watching you. What if you folded your cloth in half again. I would think that the sides of the cloth without varnish would mop up some of the varnish or leave marks.
I could but then my fingers hit the canvas more Roberta. You just have to work with the size you like. Also, the more it gets folded the more potential to squeeze out excess paint which you definitely don't want as that will streak.
Thank you David. First your Piece is so Beautiful Second your way of varnish your paint is very helpful, but if I have Silicon oil on my painting can I use the same method? Thanks
Yes you can but you have to make sure you remove all the silicone first. There are a bunch of ways but I find a makeup removal wipe (multiple times) or a slightly damp cloth with dish soap water work best. If you painted with Glue you can't run too much or you'll pull off the paint which makes it more tricky.
That’s a beautiful picture I love it I think it’s gorgeous… I’m still having a hard on trying to get cells And lacing … I also haven’t done very well with the heat gun it moves the paint around… And I am really bad super bad with the hairdryer I mean wicked bad… I have use flood glue and water silicon oil (I’ve gone through a half a bottle in one week) coconut oil WD-40 alcohol and Anti- frizz hair oil
If the heat gun moves paint around you are way too close. You just barely want to heat the surface of the paint. What type of gun are you using? Send me some pictures on my contact us form on the website. Lets help you figure this out Jean.
I’m in the middle of an experiment right now on finishing 4 paintings … They all came out a little bit weird… I was trying to make a bloom but that didn’t work I was working with a straw and I ended up making crevices… I didn’t want to scrape the canvases because what I ended up with what kind of cool so I decided to keep them… If I see all of them with the Minwax then the crevices would remain So I decided to try Marge podge and put a few coats of that on there build up the crevices and then Seal it with the Minwax I’m in the middle of it now I’m on my fourth coat and the paintings are starting to become smooth… I just don’t know how mixing the different sealing material are going to react 🤷♀️
if you let them dry they will work just fine. If I want to keep a painting I fill them with white/black/gold/silver or another high value color to accent them and make them a feature instead of a mess up. Some of those paintings are pretty amazing.
@@LeftBrainedArtist ooow That sounds interesting maybe a video on that because I just destroyed blowing with the straw …am so bad with the hair dryer … I can hold it high I can hold it low it’s on cold it’s on hot It’s on low it’s on high…it just doesn’t do Anything other than a mud pile… I went to the straw because I thought I would have better control and I did better control to screw it up… I wonder if you could put color in Marge podge ?
Thank you for the extremely helpful video. I have the Daler Rowney acrylic mediums soluble gloss varnish but I've been putting off varnishing as I'm afraid of ruining my painting. I'd like to ask, is my soluble gloss varnish suitable to be diluted with water? Thanks.
Every varnish is different but I believe that one should be fine to dilute. You might try a small bit on a piece of wood or something to verify before doing a painting.
Yes, absolutely Angie. However, if you are going to use tiles and coaters and no for decoration you need something thicker. And for hot drinks a heat resistant resin.
Yes I did Mary. You could use straight varnish too but I find this uses much less varnish and I don't have issue like the sandpaper effect or ridges from excess varnish.
Hi David, sorry this is a different subject but I’m planning on pre making some paints and mediums. How long are they good tightly covered, on the shelf?
If you add tap water 1 - 2 weeks. Distilled water 1 - 2 months. Those are the least amounts they'll be good. Depending on you local water and climate it might last even longer.
David Is there anyway I can save a resin painting from a nice size divot in the corner. I rarely use Risen. But I thought this set of 3 would look really good with resin. So I thought...Now I have to deal with this problem. I checked and double checked before leaving the studio, All three looked great. It is 6 in the morning and I am so disappointed, that there is a divot in one of them.🙄
@@LeftBrainedArtist David I am sorry for all my questions..I don't use resin on painting much, For other things like vases. But is it possible to put another coat on the painting as is?? Instead of waiting for it to dry and sand??? Guess I am impatient.
@@doloresdrury8018 You need to wait till it cures. 24 - 48 hours usually. The bottle should say. Also, you can't save leftover. Once mixed with the hardener it will just thicken up so find another small piece of art to use it on. 8)
Satin and Matte varnish don't work like this. The matting agent in them means you really need to use a soft bristle or foam brush. Gloss and High Gloss work great diluted and applied in mutiple thin coats.
@@LeftBrainedArtist I have a painting that I want to hang, However, if I put resin on it and it’s too reflective in that room then I’m wondering if a satin finish would tone that reflection down.
@@Grateful2Him It will tone it down yes. Don't put too many layers of satin on though or it will start to look semi-gloss becase of the additive nature of duller varnishes.
I find that a circle causes much less streaks. Especially when they are done in a different direction and a different patter (side to side, opposite side to side, up and down, down to up, etc).
When you clear coat anything (floors, furniture...cabinets... anything) you want to do each coat in the opposite direction as the last. Going in circles and doing each coat in the opposite direction will pretty much totally eliminate any streaks because it fills in any voids.
![Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024 | Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (INA) [5] vs. Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) [2] | F](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EIjZybhsWqA/mqdefault.jpg)
I have yet to mess up a finish using this method. What is your favorite method?
Are use Minwax water-based polyurethane which you’ve already told me I shouldn’t do but I have two cans of it but I don’t mix it with water so I’m going to try it with water and I use a sponge brush so I’m gonna whip up one of my ex-husband‘s T-shirts (I don’t have any of them) and try it your way… We used to use rags when we refinished furniture (when I say way that’s me and my mom) but we always finished it with a brush but the brush is not good on a flat surface so you gave me a lot of good pointers this week… I know I’m late watching you but I do sit here waiting for you to come on! I really do enjoy you I really enjoy your channel I like your contact and even more you acknowledge your community that means so much to us… And I can’t even tell you how much you’ve helped me✌️👍Thank you so very much
Hello. So do you use watered down, liquitex gloss varnish?
I've only ever used it straight out of the bottle, with a brush, but sick of getting brush strokes. Thank you 😊
@@alexnichol9248 Correct. I water it down. Sorry, RUclips doesn't do a good job of notifying one comments. I know this was 6 months ago but I figured you still deserved an answer.
This one 🎉!
T@@jeanmastrangelo1157
This is the method that I use as well. A little trick that I do when varnishing is when I am in between varnishing, I will use a spray bottle of water and spray my t-shirt inside the zip lock bag to keep the varnish from drying out and get out as much of that air as possible. Your varnish cloth can last for weeks!
Great tip Rose. I can totally see how that would help.
Hi I tried your method on a painting I thought I destroyed by my first varnish that left a lot of streaks so I have tried your way several times and saved the painting except I didn’t water down the varnish. Thank you as I will use your method all the time now no streaks!!!😊😊😊😊
Glad I could help Carol.
This!! ❤❤
Thank you for this. You've made me WAY less fearful of varnishing now! I've been so scared to do this because I thought each layer needed to be perfect. You are awesome my man 😊😃🎨
You can do it for sure Shelly. Just keep the time in between layers so you aren't ripping up the previous coat.
Excellent! Now it will be easier to finish my paintings, fabulous outcome!
Wonderful Holly. That was always my fear but with this method, that is no more.
Since watching this video, not only do I use this method and only this method to finish my canvas pours. But I’ve shared it in the pouring groups I am in on FB almost every day. People are always asking about how to finish their paintings without ________________. Thank You
Thanks for sharing! Glad this has been useful.
Brilliant tutorial. Thanks 💚☮️🏴
Glad you enjoyed it Clare. TYVM.
You’re my hero, David! I’ve only been at this for about a year (yikes!) and by some weird twist of fate and can occasionally pour out a good one. Then go to varnish and ruin it with streaks, dullness,etc until I have too many coats on and it’s plastic. Seems not to matter too much because by that time a cat hair will surely have fallen in. Argh!! I think the trick will be diluting the varnish. Always an optimist!! Thanks for all the great tutorials.
You can definitely do it Suzanne!
Again love your teaching technique!
So glad to hear this. I blame my mom! (decades as a middle and high school techer)
Another really helpful video. Thank you. Personally I've gone to using spray varnish, so much easier (although it does work out a bit more expensive). Love the painting you used here btw.
Thanks. This was my painting for the Painting with the Fellas but I didn't record the second part of tilting and so I had to scrap it.
Absolutely awesome my friend! I really enjoy watching! See you soon
Thanks so much.
Thank you for your wonderful tips. The varnish brings out the vibrance of the colours more, as well as protects the art.
Yes it does! Especially for the darker colors.
I just find and watched this video and I’m so happy. Because varnish is my biggest problem😄 thank you so much 🙏 I will watch your all videos after this 😌🌺
Welcome 😊. It was a serious paint point of mine too Ezgi.
My "favorite method" doing it your way!! Like always, great video. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching Martha! You are too kind.
Great, specific tutorial. AND love the music - don't care for trance music. This is fun AND helpful!
Thanks Marna. I figured I pep up my sped up content with a little fun. Glad it was appreciated.
Thank you so much for this video! You're literally my hero. I've been wanting to varnish a few paintings for a while now but it scares me to death. I had bad experiences before 😔 so I'm really thankful to you. You're a great teacher.
Thanks J Rop. Just make sure if you used silicone you clean it well without a lot of rubbing (silicone will have suspended paint so it will potentially smudge).
@@LeftBrainedArtist Ok. Thank you for the advice. 😁
Awesome video thank you so much for sharing❣️👍😁👩🎨
My pleasure 😊 Sandra.
So glad saw you do this way to add varnish as was getting lines from the brush! Now know need to have the rag just a tad wet!
it will wet itself over the course of 4 layers but it starts out much nicer if you wet it a little.
Thank you for this tutorial. The painting you used here is beautiful. I love it.
Thank you so much 😀 Ms. Newyawker I.
@@LeftBrainedArtist You're welcome
Your piece is gorgeous and the varnishing tutorial is very helpful. Thank you for sharing. 🎶💞🎶
You are so welcome Jan. Hope it helps you on your big pours.
Varnished my 30x40 this way with several coats. Turned out great!👌. I was definitely nervous in the beginning.
Great to hear Cynidi. I haven't messed on of these up yet. Which I can't say for any other varnish method I've used except spray on.
@@LeftBrainedArtist , I actually wondered about spray on how that would work but I was afraid to try
I recently had to varnish 140 paintings over a coupe of months for an exhibition. I watched Gina Deluca’s video on varnishing. She used a car wash sponge inside a stocking. I improved on that with a rounded edge oval microfibres sponge. I went through a few stockings but used the same sponge for the 700 coats - I put on at least five thin coats, sometimes 7 coats, of Liquitex varnish and they looked great. You DON’T saturate the sponge with water - don’t use any water at all! That affects the gloss look of the varnish and it’s probably why your cloth starts to dry as you showed us. It can also make the varnish cloudy. You need to wet it thoroughly with varnish but you don’t oversaturate it - it will last for a very long time.
I also achieved a good look over the last 3 or 4 years using a wide black sponge brush and floating it over the top in even rows from top to bottom, then back the other way. The thing is you don’t try to squeeze any varnish out - it stays moist, and after the initial waste you don’t need to use any more. It was still good after many coats unless it was snagged, but you only soak up the varnish initially, then you add what you need to the painting - it’s not wasted as it stays in the sponge. I don’t think rinsing with water is the way to go - especially if you want a clear gloss look on your painting - they look very professionally done without any water at all. I find water can contaminate the sponge and affects the varnish. Most varnish bottles have a warning that it shouldn’t be mixed with water.
Another tip - I always store my sponges in the fridge in a ziplock bag with the air squeezed out, and date it. Because it has a lot of varnish in it you don’t get wet and dry areas as you do with cloth. The reason I had to replace the stocking was because it would occasionally snag on a corner. It left a line behind. The rounded edge sponge was brilliant as it didn’t leave any sort of mark. The sponges were 2 for $1 in Shiploads - a reject type store in Tasmania, Australia, but the car wash sponges are perfectly ok - thanks Gina. I’d recommend everyone watch her video if they want to give your paintings a professional varnish.
Another tip: there is a difference between dry and cured. I wait 6 weeks before I varnish as you can still pick up pigment when it isn’t cured. I recently dragged orange pigment over a negative white space. Be careful with bold colours. You can always spray a gloss coat on first to seal it if you think it might blend.
Matt finish varnish is more forgiving but I do them with the wide, black sponge brushes and then keep the brush in the fridge. Once again, if it’s wet with varnish it won’t dry out. Don’t use the same sponge for Matt as you do for gloss.
If I want a truly thick gloss coat in one go, I use ‘Liquitex Pouring Medium and varnish’ and pour it over in one lot and tilt the medium over the canvaslike a basecoat. This is demonstrated in ‘Pouring Your Heart Out” with Julie Cutt. She’s an Australian Pourer. It’s quite an old video and it does waste a lot of varnish/medium but if you do it perfectly it looks like it’s had 50 coats. If it’s not perfect you can redo it. I buy the large buckets for this technique. It looks like resin but is much cheaper - especially if you’re in the US and get your Liquitex products far cheaper than they are in Australia. Practise on smaller canvasses first.
There aren’t a lot of videos on varnishing but I find the sponge/stocking method very quick - you can add another coat the same day. You should never overwork your varnish or you might come back the next day and find they are cloudy, the warning is in fine print on the label if you use Liquitex. It says you shouldn’t add water too. I hope this helps people who have large numbers to varnish together. The finish makes a huge difference when they are for sale.
👍
Very helpful tips, Rael. Thanks!
Love to watch you work. 😁 Thank for showing us how to do this.☮️💖🎶
My pleasure Marcey. Thanks for watching again. 8)
Thanks, David, really doesn't look scary at all! I'm going to go give this a try. Beautiful painting.
You can do it for sure Nancy. Thanks for the compliment.
Thanks for this. I had a 24 x 36 commission and didn't want to mess it up. Your way worked just right.
Nice work Karen!
I really appreciate you sharing your method and in such great detail!
You are so welcome Mama Bear Blue. So glad it is helping someone.
Excellent, excellent advice!!
Now I can tackle this w/much more confidence & info by doing it this way.
Thank you!
You can do it for sure Suzy!
I know this video is not recent but I have been struggling with varnish. I watched your video and just finished four costs on four paintings and I see no streaks. Thank you very much!!
Glad I could help Cheryl. It doesn't work as well with satin and matte but gloss and semi-gloss it is awesome.
I was having this thought this morning. How to varnish paintings.
Thank you for this video
My pleasure Catherine. Definitely not something to be afraid of.
@@LeftBrainedArtist I’ll be getting to varnishing soon 🤗 used resin but don’t like when it looks a little plastic.
Loving your work🤗
I have just used spray varnish as I need to finish fast what ever I have finished, but the mess its horrendous... I move house, so I need it a fast solution, but once I am settled, I will definitely try your style. So THANK YOU once for doing this video...
Thanks for watching. Every circumstance is different so glad you were able to work with what you have.
❤️ thank you for sharing your tips!
You are so welcome Geiselle.
This one!! This is the size I'm talking about on my previous comment on your other video!!
This is how I do all my paintings except ones that have a tone of white and I used silicone. Rubbing is no good then so I usually clean them really carefully and well and then use a spray varnish as my interefence and then varnish over that.
Great tips! Thank you!
You bet Valerie. Thanks for watching.
Thank you. This was very helpful.
You're welcome Pilj.
@@LeftBrainedArtist When cutting your t-shirt swatches, how do you keep the edges from have little dust balls?
This was helpful, thanks 👍🙂
My pleasure. Love the name BTW.
@@LeftBrainedArtist thanks
I use a rendition of this…I use a small squirt bottle and bigger wipes spreading it around with great results. So much better than a brush or sponge. 😊
I totally agree Kathy. Thanks for the tips.
Lol. Love your tee shirt
Haha thanks Donna. My friends and family keep my closet full of sarcastic tees.
@@LeftBrainedArtist. You and me both
Really need this thank you!
You're so welcome Tyler.
I am going to try your style for sure, as I made a mess of every other style!
One word of caution. If you painting with glue and silicione you really want to clean it good and don't rub hard as the glue can come off unlike other professional pouring mediums.
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thank you, luckily I do not. I am in agony with varnishing, and I've sold one which looked perfect, but next few, I had to sand it down, and start again, and again... which is money I cannot afford to keep spending...
Thank you very much for all the information you share. Finally some things are beginning to make sense! May I ask you to do a video about the terminology used in paint names. Such as Azo, Othello, Quinacridone, Prussian, etc. And then some are light, some are heavy, and so on. Thanks again. Keep up your efforts for our sake! Otherwise, we'll all have nothing but mud!
Thanks PAM. I need to do some brushing up on that. I haven't even done a deep dive like a traditional acrylic artist would.
Thank you so so much. This is so helpful. Wow
I didnt thinking a t shirt lol
You are so welcome Waheeda.
Nice! I'll try your method next, (...have had a bit of ptsd after ruining 2 of my best paintings). If I get leftover varnish that I watered down can I save & use that for later or should I toss it and mix new each time? And do you think I could just rinse the cloth out thoroughly with water after I'm done if I don't think I'll use it within a couple of months? Thanks!😄
I mix it in a sealable container and use it till it's gone Marika. I try not to make too much at a time (3 or 4 painting's worth) but it lasts weeks or months in a sealed container.
Do you ever do spray varnish???
I have in the past. it was more expensive and I could only do it 2/3 of the year (too cold in my garage or outside in winder in salt Lake). It is easy to do for sure and usually creates a great coat.
@@LeftBrainedArtist thanks. I’ve done ok with the regular paint brush and the sponge brush but I always get streaks. I’ve done the spray on medium and small pieces but none bigger than a 16x20” canvas yet. I’ll let you know how the 4 giant 24”x30” canvases go when finished.
Looks amazing! Just had a thought watching you. What if you folded your cloth in half again. I would think that the sides of the cloth without varnish would mop up some of the varnish or leave marks.
I could but then my fingers hit the canvas more Roberta. You just have to work with the size you like. Also, the more it gets folded the more potential to squeeze out excess paint which you definitely don't want as that will streak.
Thank you David. First your Piece is so Beautiful Second your way of varnish your paint is very helpful, but if I have Silicon oil on my painting can I use the same method?
Thanks
Yes you can but you have to make sure you remove all the silicone first. There are a bunch of ways but I find a makeup removal wipe (multiple times) or a slightly damp cloth with dish soap water work best. If you painted with Glue you can't run too much or you'll pull off the paint which makes it more tricky.
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thank David i will do that 👍☺
Thank you for showing this great post. My question is do I need to dilute the gloss before you use it?
I do 50% gloss and 50% water. I find it doesn't dry as fast and gives me better results.
@@LeftBrainedArtist 50% by weight or volume?
OK first I love the T-shirt… For a New Yorker I need that….
Hahaha - for a grump teddy bear like me it fits perfect. Eeyore is my spirit animal.
@@LeftBrainedArtist And according to my ex-husband the wicked witch of the west is my spirit animal… And this court documents state that… LOL
That’s a beautiful picture I love it I think it’s gorgeous… I’m still having a hard on trying to get cells And lacing … I also haven’t done very well with the heat gun it moves the paint around… And I am really bad super bad with the hairdryer I mean wicked bad… I have use flood glue and water silicon oil (I’ve gone through a half a bottle in one week) coconut oil WD-40 alcohol and Anti- frizz hair oil
If the heat gun moves paint around you are way too close. You just barely want to heat the surface of the paint. What type of gun are you using? Send me some pictures on my contact us form on the website. Lets help you figure this out Jean.
I’m in the middle of an experiment right now on finishing 4 paintings … They all came out a little bit weird… I was trying to make a bloom but that didn’t work I was working with a straw and I ended up making crevices… I didn’t want to scrape the canvases because what I ended up with what kind of cool so I decided to keep them… If I see all of them with the Minwax then the crevices would remain So I decided to try Marge podge and put a few coats of that on there build up the crevices and then Seal it with the Minwax I’m in the middle of it now I’m on my fourth coat and the paintings are starting to become smooth… I just don’t know how mixing the different sealing material are going to react 🤷♀️
if you let them dry they will work just fine. If I want to keep a painting I fill them with white/black/gold/silver or another high value color to accent them and make them a feature instead of a mess up. Some of those paintings are pretty amazing.
@@LeftBrainedArtist ooow That sounds interesting maybe a video on that because I just destroyed blowing with the straw …am so bad with the hair dryer … I can hold it high I can hold it low it’s on cold it’s on hot It’s on low it’s on high…it just doesn’t do Anything other than a mud pile… I went to the straw because I thought I would have better control and I did better control to screw it up… I wonder if you could put color in Marge podge ?
Thank you for the extremely helpful video. I have the Daler Rowney acrylic mediums soluble gloss varnish but I've been putting off varnishing as I'm afraid of ruining my painting. I'd like to ask, is my soluble gloss varnish suitable to be diluted with water? Thanks.
Every varnish is different but I believe that one should be fine to dilute. You might try a small bit on a piece of wood or something to verify before doing a painting.
Great video, thank you 😊! Would you also do tiles this way? Thank you again.
Yes, absolutely Angie. However, if you are going to use tiles and coaters and no for decoration you need something thicker. And for hot drinks a heat resistant resin.
@@LeftBrainedArtist great thank you so much. Appreciate you getting back to me and your help! Have a wonderful day 🦋
Hi, could you tell me how much water you thin the varnish down with please....thank you
50% varnish and 50% water is what I use Christine.
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thank you :)
My apologies to Othello! Auto correct doesn't know what Pthalo is!
Haha. I hear that. Siri hates my voice so I get AC problems all the time.
Thank you David 😊 Just checking - for this one did you use the 50% varnish 50% water mixture for every coat?
Yes I did Mary. You could use straight varnish too but I find this uses much less varnish and I don't have issue like the sandpaper effect or ridges from excess varnish.
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thanks so much for clarifying :)
Hi David, sorry this is a different subject but I’m planning on pre making some paints and mediums. How long are they good tightly covered, on the shelf?
If you add tap water 1 - 2 weeks. Distilled water 1 - 2 months. Those are the least amounts they'll be good. Depending on you local water and climate it might last even longer.
@@LeftBrainedArtist thank you SO much!
Cute shirt!
😊😊
David Is there anyway I can save a resin painting from a nice size divot in the corner. I rarely use Risen. But I thought this set of 3 would look really good with resin. So I thought...Now I have to deal with this problem. I checked and double checked before leaving the studio, All three looked great. It is 6 in the morning and I am so disappointed, that there is a divot in one of them.🙄
Lightly sand the top and then add another thin layer is probably the best thing to do.
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thank you. I have to wait until the Resin is completely dry. Than I'll sand.
@@LeftBrainedArtist David I am sorry for all my questions..I don't use resin on painting much, For other things like vases. But is it possible to put another coat on the painting as is?? Instead of waiting for it to dry and sand??? Guess I am impatient.
@@doloresdrury8018 You need to wait till it cures. 24 - 48 hours usually. The bottle should say.
Also, you can't save leftover. Once mixed with the hardener it will just thicken up so find another small piece of art to use it on. 8)
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thanks..
Do we dilute satin varnish with water? And then apply? Please advise
Satin and Matte varnish don't work like this. The matting agent in them means you really need to use a soft bristle or foam brush. Gloss and High Gloss work great diluted and applied in mutiple thin coats.
Thanks for your reply.
Can this be done on normal acrylic paintings?
It can for sure.
Thank yo so much
You're welcome Lulu. Glad to be of service.
Will this work with any material?
By material you mean varnish Sharon? Most of the ones I have tried this works with but that isn't very many (Liquitex, Polycrylic, Triple Thick)
Sorry I wasn't clear 🤦♀️. The material of the cloth...I didn't know if it had to be cotton etc
Where did you get the T Shirt?
I don't remember specifically for this one. Normall Kohls, Walmart, or Amazon.
Can you varnish over resin?
You can but I don't know why you would. What additional protection would you be looking for?
@@LeftBrainedArtist I have a painting that I want to hang, However, if I put resin on it and it’s too reflective in that room then I’m wondering if a satin finish would tone that reflection down.
@@Grateful2Him It will tone it down yes. Don't put too many layers of satin on though or it will start to look semi-gloss becase of the additive nature of duller varnishes.
@@LeftBrainedArtist Thank you so much. I’m loving your video’s. Such great information.
Why a circle motion? Why can’t you you just go back and forth like a brush? Learning!😊
I find that a circle causes much less streaks. Especially when they are done in a different direction and a different patter (side to side, opposite side to side, up and down, down to up, etc).
@@LeftBrainedArtist someone on here I think you said not to use ultimate polyurethane. May I ask why. I have a can of it
When you clear coat anything (floors, furniture...cabinets... anything) you want to do each coat in the opposite direction as the last. Going in circles and doing each coat in the opposite direction will pretty much totally eliminate any streaks because it fills in any voids.
Why add water to the Varnish? Wouldn't it make it cloudy or at least less glossy? Good video though.
It doesn't make it any less glossy for the final product. I find I get much less streaks doing it this way compared to straight varnish.
@@LeftBrainedArtist oh okay very cool. Thanks.
👍
Thanks Jean.
purple dots?🤪😝
😂