I'm a self-taught beginner and literally just stumbled upon the whole idea of varnishing - SO glad I did as it really has an amazing effect, especially for acrylics, and I'm relieved to know I'm protecting my works better! I'm very excited and appreciate the helpful video!
Best tutorial on varnishing after the ten I've seen. His way makes me feel very calm and peaceful like the gray water and mist with the rustic swans. I do think I'll do a sealant as well before the varnish as do lots of impasto bloobs...
I usually want to go in with something I’m unfamiliar with, when creating art, on my own but I’m glad I took the time to watch your tutorial! I feel informed and confident in varnishing this painting I have, for the first time 😁
Stunning paint! Thank so much for this tutorial, all instructions are so clear. I tried already with the BEST results and varnish saving. Definitely will stick on it. ❤
Found this via a Google search and it was the perfect level of instruction and detail, also your art is stunning! Thank you so much for the time it took to make this easy to follow tutorial.
Hello Joseph, I think your paintings are truly impressive. I really love them. Thank you for sharing this video. I have been struggling as an artist to find a varnish that will bring my work out and to protect it. I make paper mache sculptures with an acrylic hardshell topcoat that I created and this will actually help protect my work as well since I use acrylic paints. Very much appriciated. 😸
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate the kinds words. I'm glad my video was helpful in finding a varnish that works well for your sculptures. I've certainly done a fair amount of experimenting with vanishes over the years so I understand the struggle it can be. Appreciate you watching, and I'm always happy to share!
@@JosephKoensgen oh thank you. I did before oil paintings and acrylic is new so I only learn.But will see, as good as you are its long way to go right now. But it is fun and I have some ideas so will see :)
Hello Joseph thank you so much for this videos and teaching us how to do an amazing job like you do ! You are a very great talent artist and i admire you so much I have learned a lot from you ! You do a wonderful paints please keep painting so we can enjoy your amazing talent! Thank you so much !
Thank you so much!! That means a lot. I appreciate you watching my videos and I'm glad that they are helpful. I'm always working on new ideas, so I'll certainly be doing more videos in the future!
Thanks for this video. It s very useful. I m not a painter but I ve just finished my first 'painting by numbers' and had no idea how to varnish it. Now I know. Thank you🤗
I loved your video on varnishing and i adore your painting. I have just finished my first ever acrylic painting on an 8' x 22" canvas. Your technique should work for applying my varnish. I am terrified to start varnishing as I have spent a year on this sea-scape. I'm wondering if I should turn it 90° and start varnishing with my small strokes along the narrow 22" side and work my way down the 8', rather than the wide side first. Also is it okay to varnish flat on my kitchen island? Rather than in the wall? Thank you so much, Judi Wild
Wow, I was so surprised to see your method, using the many small strokes! I've only ever seen people use longer strokes. So because you use such a light amount on the brush, is that why it doesn't leave a whole bunch of edges? Thank you for your lovely video and sharing your experience.
You're welcome, happy to share! Yes, because I work very thin, that seems to help with not leaving any edges. But then that also forces me to work with the smaller strokes, as it will dry incredibly fast when it's that thin. And I'd also recommend a good amount of experimenting with this kind of varnish to see what works for your paintings.
Joe, You nailed this tutorial. I also use satin. It does restore the vibrancy and captures the light perfectly. There are as many methods in this process as there are artists I think but this patient approach gets excellent results. I do thin the first coat with just a touch of water to make sure (since it does dry so fast) that I don't get any lines or chunks as you mentioned. A beautiful painting by the way. Thanks for sharing your experience. Joe @ jcadamsart
Thank you Joe! Really appreciate that! Varnishing can be tricky and so I agree, patience is the key. I'll have to give that a try to add a bit of water to the varnish and see how that works for my paintings. There are times where I find it might be helpful it was a bit thinner. Thanks for the tip and I'm happy to share!
Hi Joseph - well I really learned a lot from your video, thank you. I have an acrylic picture that is very dull and now I will have the confidence to put a couple of coats of clear satin varnish on, which (as it's a moonlit sailing scene) should hopefully make the water etc shimmer. Whilst I'm writing, what would have been good to see at the end of your video was a shot of your lovely painting 'before' and 'after' the varnishing - as it didn't quite work when I slid the viewing slider back and forward to the beginning and end of your video. Hope you don't mind my suggestion. Keep Safe! Hazel
Thank you! Glad it was helpful! I hadn't thought of doing a before and after when I made this video, but that is a good idea for me to keep in mind for future videos. I hope the varnishing of your painting goes well!
Thank you for this tutorial! Your work is amazing. I've only done a handful of paintings over the years and never considered varnishing them. I noticed you stayed with a vertical brush stroke. Do vertical brush strokes minimize the amount of light relection?
You're welcome!! Yes, I've found that there's way less reflection or glare off the varnish with the vertical brush strokes, as most lights are going to be on the ceiling when lighting the paintings. If you've never varnished before, I'd recommend doing lots of practice on scrap pieces first, so that you have a good feel for how the varnish works on your paintings before going to your original.
I applied the glossy version of this to a large acrylic and several sections of the painting smeared. It was 2 weeks dry. I applied the varnish directly onto the painting from the bottle and then spread it out with a sponge foam brush. What do you think caused the smearing?
Good video I was scared I was gonna ruin my painting I also liked u showed yourself varnishing the whole thing cuz it showed me how patient you are with a huge ass painting I gotta not try rushing or anything yk
Joseph, I recently saw on one of your more recent painting that you say you varnished with Gamblin's Gamvar. Have you now switched to using Gamvar instead of the Liquitex? Was there a reason for that? Thanks!
I still use the Liquitex, but have started using the Gamvar for certain paintings where I've adjusted my technique on how I use the paint in the last couple years. I found that when I was using very very thin layers like in my paintings with mist, (lots of dry brushing), it made those paint layers very absorbent and the liquitex was drying even quicker than it already does, making it really difficult to get an even sheen out of the varnish. So I experimented with the Gamblin Gamvar Satin on those paintings and it worked really well for them. They both have pros and cons so it was a matter of experimentation to figure out which works better on particular paintings. I would like to make a video on how I use the Gamvar, but I just want to have some more experience with it, and do quite a bit more research to make sure I know (mostly) what I'm talking about when do.
I use NOVA acrylic paints and varnishes. I get the same satin effect. I can buy it in gallon jugs. My varnish recipe is 1/2 Gloss Varnish and 1/2 Matte Varnish with a bit of water. I put the solution in a condiment squeeze bottle. I also put this mixture in the paint I'm using
Thank you for the video. I should have watched it before trying to varnish my painting which ended in disaster. I tried to do the whole thing at once and by directly pouring varnish on the painting since i didn't know that it dries so quickly and i was stupid enough not to test it on something smaller first. Now i have to try and clean the messed up chunky varnish somehow
Sorry to hear that happened to your painting. In a similar situation with one of mine, I was able to take a very fine grit sandpaper, 600 and then 1000, to sand off the chunks of dried varnish until it was smooth. Then I reapplied the varnish and that did the trick. It did affect the look of my painting, but not too much. So, depending on your painting surface you may be able to try that. You could also look into varnishes that have a slower drying time, like the Gamblin Gamvar, or Golden MSA varnishes. I'm planning on doing another varnishing video with one of those that I've been experimenting with.
I have painted with acrylic and then worked with mounding paste on the painting to give it a 3d effect, covered with 24 carat gold foil Can I varn8sh o ly the painted part?
I think spray varnishes can be great, as it's very fast and leaves a very smooth even finish. However, it didn't work for my artwork because I paint on board, so any dust that settled on the already smooth surface was very visible after it was dry. For spray varnish on canvas it probably works much better, as the texture of the canvas won't show the dust that ends up settling in varnish as it dries. And if there's a lot of texture to the paint, then the dust wouldn't be noticable. Though you could set a filtered spray booth to be extra careful. Either way, I'd recommend doing a number of tests before varnishing one of your originals!
@@JosephKoensgen thank you Joseph for a reply, that makes sense, I'm still learning about all the things I need to know, I have been painting on canvas, and maybe my teacher finds it easier with students to use the spray on varnish. However, it's good to know that they are just as good as the brush on varnish for a canvas surface and that they are just another way of protecting my painted surface, thank you, and thank you for sharing your video. Cheers!
Thank you so much for your explanation. I have an acrylic matt painting with black background. It was damaged during shipping, I tried to fix it by using gloss acrylic without knowing too much about paintings. However, now I can see the fixed marks because different finishes. I was wondering if I can vanish it using glossing vanish. Will it reduce the difference and make the painting better? Thanks in advance.
You're welcome! Yes, you could use a gloss varnish over the painting to help even out the sheen of the spots you've fixed. However, gloss varnish will change the look of the painting, especially if it's started out matte. Gloss brings out contrast and deepens the colours. Which is great if that's the look you're going for, but not necessarily if you're wanting to keep the matte finish of the original. Something you could try is going over your fixed marks with a matte paint first to see if that helps. And you'd still like to varnish, I'd highly recommend testing it first on a scrap piece if you have, to make sure that it will have the desired effect you want. Hope that's helpful!
How do you feel about the "insulator" first coat as proposed by Opus Paints you tube? I believe they say, this will prevent cracking and the ability to remove the varnish if you ever want to Love your chanel and your approach ~ just discovered it today!
Thank you!! I think isolation coats are good for removable varnishes where the solvent would be strong enough to remove the paint underneath. So I think for ones like the Liquitex Soluvar, or Golden MSA varnishes an isolation coat is probably a good idea. For something like the Gamblin Gamvar, I haven't been able to find any definitive info that says you'd need one. That one also goes on extremely thin and I've had success without an isolation coat and I didn't damage the paint underneath when I removed it. The Liquitex Varnish I'm using in this video is a permanent varnish that can't be removed, so you wouldn't need anything underneath this one. I also like to keep my varnish layer fairly thin, so it may come down to personal preference and experimenting to see what combination works best for your paintings.
@@JosephKoensgen Thanks so much for that nuanced answer. I've purchased the Liquitex Basic Gloss and don't anticipate removing it. You are the only person who used the overlapping brush movement; that worked great for the insulator. Now that I've spent $25! on the Gel Gloss and opened it, could I use that to create glazes? many thanks ~ your work is proof positive of how excellent your thoughtful approach and the underlying talent. Cheers, Diane from Exeter, NH US. I will try doing two thin varnish layers and eliminate the insulator.
You're welcome! Appreciate the kind words about my artwork! I haven't used a gel gloss before, but I believe you'd be able to use it for glazes, though it may have a bit more texture than say a gloss medium. Definitely worth experimenting with. I'm glad that it worked for an insulator coat and I hope that works well for future paintings of yours!
Thank you so much for this! Your tutorials are very helpful and you are extremely talented. Please keep creating videos! Question, do you use an isolation coat on any of our paintings and do you have anything thoughts or advice on using one? I did it on my first painting and didn’t like the look it left, thankfully the varnish helped
You're welcome!! I'm glad that it was helpful! For this particular varnish you don't need an isolation coat, as it's a permanent varnish that can't be removed, so it's essentially like an isolation coat in itself. I don't use an isolation coat on my work because I had the same issue as you - I didn't like the look the isolation coat left. I paint on board so adding too many layers to the painting meant I lost the feel the original paint had, on an already very smooth surface. For removable varnishes that require a stronger solvent to take off, an isolation coat is probably necessary. Though I've been experimenting with Gamblin Gamvar without an isolation coat and I've been able to gently remove it without damaging the original underneath. I may make a video about that varnish, but I need to do more research and testing before I do that. For me varnish should enhance the painting and not take away from it, so I want keep it to as few layers as I can, while still also providing the protection it needs. I'll certainly be making more videos so stay tuned! Thank you!
Hi Joseph, Nice posting.. Hatss off to ur Art Wil u post a video that how to start painting on the board, canvas or a wall Pls put the tutorial about how to paint background colours, how to prepare canvas for painting, colour mixing. Most of ur videos are started from the middle of ur work, So many videos are there in youtube, I saw so many videos about how to paint and how to mix and so many, That's not fair.. Why because? Your video about how to varnish ur painting is a fabulous and clear.. I hope if u put detail tutorial for the beginners, definitely many people wil get the knowledge clearly.. Thanks fr ur wonderful Varnishin video.. Keep rocking... Waiting fr ur new paintings🎨🖼
I normally see artists use a foam brush to apply the varnish, what would the pros and cons be for both the watercolor brush vs the foam applicator? I haven't used varnish before and I want to add it to my latest painting but want to make sure I do the research before i commit to it!
My first recommendation before doing your vanishing would be to practice a lot on scrap pieces before committing to your finished painting. This way you'll feel more comfortable by the time you're ready for varnishing. As for brushes or foam brushes. I like the watercolour brush as it feels like I have a bit more control. The downside would be the possibility for brush marks in your varnish, depending on how smooth your surface is. With the foam brush you may not get any brush marks, but you'd want to use a light touch and newer foam brush most of time so that you minimize the foam potentially leaving particles behind in your varnish. And though it may be a bit of an upfront cost, I would recommend experimenting with both types of brushes if you are unsure. Having confidence with your varnishing before you start on your original is definitely worth it!
Great video....but I'm still terrified of varnishing my painting.... it's a combination of acrylic, coloured pencil and white Pastel pencil.... I'm wondering if a spray affixative would be better in my case. Thank you for giving me a clue, I've never ever varnished my paintings but I can see the positives for it.
You're welcome! And it's totally understandable as you don't want to ruin your work with improperly vanishing. To this day I still have a few nerves every time I varnish. In your case with the mixed media, and especially pastel pencil, a fixative spray might be the way to go. It would help seal those elements in, and then if you wanted you could varnish over top, possibly with another spray varnish to maintain that same finished look. But, I would do lots of research and experimentation with some test pieces before taking it to the original.
Hi. I'm beginner in painting world, I think most difficult part is to choose a good acrylic varnish, there's a lot of videos where they say, gloss varnish is better, glass ,satin ,or high glass , and I'm really confused that which varnish should I buy. Cab you recommend me any good varnish as a beginner. I'm confused about the types of varnish.
Varnish can be difficult to work with in the beginning so I always recommend practicing on test pieces before using it on your originals. The finish, gloss, satin, or matte, depends on the look you want for your artwork. If you're unsure, you could look into a varnish that doesn't dry as quickly as the liquitex one, like an MSA varnish from golden, that has slower drying time.
I haven't tried a roller, but I'm not sure it would work with this varnish. Because it dries fairly quickly, it may leave ridges and marks depending on the kind of roller used. It would be good to experiment with that to see if it's something that could work.
do you wet the brush before dipping it into the varnish? perhaps this depends on what kind of varnish you use (water based, solvent based)? do you ever use that brush with any other material or paint or this brush is exclusively for varnishing?
I use this brush only for varnishing, just to make sure there aren't any pigments or other materials that could affect the clarity of it. I don't use water for this particular one - and though it is water based, Liquitex doesn't recommend mixing it with water. So I just start into it with a dry brush and go from there. I do always recommend lots of experimenting and practice on scrap pieces beforehand to make sure it works with your painting to get the look you want!
First off that's a beautiful painting I have a question I bought this wooden toy off of Etsy it was painted with acrylic paint but it feels sticky I love the piece and I don't want the painted chip away what can I put over the paint without damaging it?
Thank you!! For something like that, you may want to consider a spray varnish. And when you say sticky, do you mean that it feels as though the paint isn't dry, or that it doesn't have a smooth finish? It could be good to find out from the artist exactly what paint they were using on the toy so you can choose an appropriate varnish, or if they have a recommendation based on the materials they've used.
Is it a removable varnish? If not than you're probably stuck. If so, you'll have to (from what I know) have to go to a conservationist. Ik this is months ago but i thought I'd still answer
Your mod podge is probably good, but I'd need to look into that more. I also wouldn't recommend using anything that isn't designed specifically for using on artwork. Floor polishes or anything like that may have chemicals in them would react poorly with your paint, and may degrade your work over time. You want to find something that is for use on paintings, and is archival if you want your work to last.
I wouldn't recommend it, as there may be foam bits that can get caught up in the varnish. But I haven't done much with foam brushes, so I think it could be worth experimenting with one to see if it can work for you.
@@JosephKoensgen thank you for replying. Actually already did it yesterday with foam brush, it worked quite well and I had no issues. Will try it again and see how it goes. Thank you
@@GloriaQuansah Ok that's good to hear it went well with the foam brush! That could be something I should experiment with a bit more to see how that works.
Hey! The most useful video about varnishing I've ever seen! ..I have a painting that is cracking (°~°)and I wish to varnish it after i redo the cracking parts in order to prevent it from happening again... In your opinion, what varnish i should use? you 've really helped me with this video .( My canvas has been painted with acrylic paint if that helps) I would really appreciate your help! :)
Thank you!! Glad to hear my video has been helpful! The Liquitex varnish I'm using in this video would work, but it does dry quickly and is permanent. With your painting I would recommend trying the Golden MSA varnish, or the Gamblin Gamvar varnish for acrylic paintings. Both of those have a longer working time and are removable if you want to repair your painting again in the future. I don't have very much experience with either of these varnishes, so I'd recommend reading about them and doing a number of tests before taking it to your original to make sure you have a good idea of how they'll behave once you start applying them. I hope that's helpful!
@@JosephKoensgen sorry to bother u again....turns out I've used tempera and not acrylics 🤦♀️😅 do you know if the use of the liquitex you show in this video would do in this case as well ? I am really sorry..
Oh no problem at all! I don't have any experience with tempera, but I don't think the Liquitex will work because it is a water based varnish and it might make the tempera run when you apply it. And I'm sorry I don't know what you'd be able to use on that, and it might take quite a bit of research and testing to find something to use on tempera paint. Hope you can find something that works!
Thank you!! I'm happy to be sharing what I'm doing! And if it encourages you to start painting, then that's great! Art is certainly a journey, but it is definitely worth it.
It protects from UV, but what about other pollution? Smoke? Gave a painting away a year ago to a family member, but want to get it back to seal it from cigarette smoke or anything else. Does varnish work for that as well?
That's a good question. There may be something out there that would protect against smoke damage - I don't know if this particular varnish would protect against that. Smoke particles are so small that they can be absorbed into so many things, and that discolouration and smell can stay for such a long time. One option would be to put down an isolation coat, then apply a removable varnish on top of that. This way when that varnish inevitably discolours and absorbs those particles, it can be removed and reapplied at a later time. Not necessarily the best solution but something worth looking into further. And worth looking into seeing if there are options out there that specifically address smoke damage.
Thank you very much for captioning this video. I'm deaf and I appreciate very much knowing what you said during the video.
You’re welcome! I’m glad it was helpful!
I agree I didnt nheed them for your video, but I do sometimes. Thanks also.
I'm a self-taught beginner and literally just stumbled upon the whole idea of varnishing - SO glad I did as it really has an amazing effect, especially for acrylics, and I'm relieved to know I'm protecting my works better! I'm very excited and appreciate the helpful video!
Thanks Joseph ! Your artwork is so beautiful. A varnishing video was mush needed .
Keep painting! God bless …
What an adorable man. Love his work. But his personality is the sweetest. :)
Best tutorial on varnishing after the ten I've seen. His way makes me feel very calm and peaceful like the gray water and mist with the rustic swans. I do think I'll do a sealant as well before the varnish as do lots of impasto bloobs...
A beautiful painting! Thanks for sharing how to varnish, I will certainly use your method.
I usually want to go in with something I’m unfamiliar with, when creating art, on my own but I’m glad I took the time to watch your tutorial! I feel informed and confident in varnishing this painting I have, for the first time 😁
Hi, Joseph. Good to see your video and from a local artist! Thanks for the valuable information!
Stunning paint! Thank so much for this tutorial, all instructions are so clear. I tried already with the BEST results and varnish saving. Definitely will stick on it. ❤
Looks like a photograph to me. Amazing artist!
It's very helpful, thank you.
Your paintings are breathtakingly beautiful!
Beautiful painting. Looks so real. Informative video. Thank u
You're welcome! Thank you!
Wow, your painting is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing this. It is very helpful.
Thank you!! Glad it was helpful!!
Excellent video. So well done, so helpful.
So helpful! And oh my goodness, what a gorgeous painting!
So glad I found your site! This is very helpful, thank you. Beautiful painting; incredible. 😊
Thank you!! I'm glad it was helpful!
Joseph, great tutorial on how to varnish a painting. Thank you Have a blessed day ❤
I loved the varnish explanation. You're a great painter as well. Great video.
Thank you! That is an amazing piece!! Nice instructional video.
Thank you so much!! Appreciate it!
Thank you for sharing..your painting looks real.
Love it..
Thank you!!
The painting looks so natural so real
What a lovely painting ! Looks like a photograph !!
It looks alive! 👌 thanks very informative, I've been cringing the whole videos thinking of all the mistakes I've done! Thanks a lot!
Awesome painting and video. I’m super into birds and just started painting them. Looking forward to watching more of your vids.
Thank you so much!! I hope the new venture into painting birds goes well, and I hope some of my videos are helpful!
Brilliant painting and explanation 👏🏼
Found this via a Google search and it was the perfect level of instruction and detail, also your art is stunning! Thank you so much for the time it took to make this easy to follow tutorial.
Thank you so much!! I appreciate that! I’m glad to hear that it was helpful, and I hope that your varnishing goes well!
Excellent help. So appreciateed❤
I just fell in love with this painting. Its so beautiful 😍
Thank you so much 😀
Hello Joseph, I think your paintings are truly impressive. I really love them. Thank you for sharing this video. I have been struggling as an artist to find a varnish that will bring my work out and to protect it. I make paper mache sculptures with an acrylic hardshell topcoat that I created and this will actually help protect my work as well since I use acrylic paints. Very much appriciated. 😸
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate the kinds words. I'm glad my video was helpful in finding a varnish that works well for your sculptures. I've certainly done a fair amount of experimenting with vanishes over the years so I understand the struggle it can be. Appreciate you watching, and I'm always happy to share!
your painting is so beautiful and it really shines through with varnish!
Thank you!
Love the painting!!! Your so talented, Wow!
Thank you so much!!
Such a lovely piece of art! thank you for the tutorial!
Thank you!!
I started with acrylic painting and really thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am going to subscribe as well as I love your work. Thank you.
Thank you so much! That means a lot. I'm glad my videos have been helpful and I hope that your acrylic paintings go well!
@@JosephKoensgen oh thank you. I did before oil paintings and acrylic is new so I only learn.But will see, as good as you are its long way to go right now. But it is fun and I have some ideas so will see :)
Hello Joseph thank you so much for this videos and teaching us how to do an amazing job like you do ! You are a very great talent artist and i admire you so much I have learned a lot from you ! You do a wonderful paints please keep painting so we can enjoy your amazing talent! Thank you so much !
Thank you so much!! That means a lot. I appreciate you watching my videos and I'm glad that they are helpful. I'm always working on new ideas, so I'll certainly be doing more videos in the future!
Thanks for this video. It s very useful. I m not a painter but I ve just finished my first 'painting by numbers' and had no idea how to varnish it. Now I know. Thank you🤗
Thank you!! Glad to hear it was helpful!
Thanks for the varnishing lesson, very helpful!
Thank you Sandra! Glad you found it helpful!!
This was very helpful. Thank you. Your paintings are incredible! ❤️
Thank you
A beautiful work
First time varnishing my painting. So glad I watched this video instead of pouring it on my canvas like they do on Instagram
Very informative and descriptive, thank you!
Beautiful art work! Thanks for sharing
And that’s beautifully done.☺️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you so much for explanations.The painting is beautiful.❤️
The fuzzy haze on the back of the necks looks amazing.
Thanks Brendan! Took some time, but the outcome was great!
Thank you! Just what I was hoping to find on You Tube today.
Beautiful painting.
Great painting!
I loved your video on varnishing and i adore your painting. I have just finished my first ever acrylic painting on an 8' x 22" canvas. Your technique should work for applying my varnish. I am terrified to start varnishing as I have spent a year on this sea-scape. I'm wondering if I should turn it 90° and start varnishing with my small strokes along the narrow 22" side and work my way down the 8', rather than the wide side first.
Also is it okay to varnish flat on my kitchen island? Rather than in the wall?
Thank you so much,
Judi Wild
Think you so much! So very helpful and that painting is absolutely stunning.....
Wow, I was so surprised to see your method, using the many small strokes! I've only ever seen people use longer strokes. So because you use such a light amount on the brush, is that why it doesn't leave a whole bunch of edges? Thank you for your lovely video and sharing your experience.
You're welcome, happy to share! Yes, because I work very thin, that seems to help with not leaving any edges. But then that also forces me to work with the smaller strokes, as it will dry incredibly fast when it's that thin. And I'd also recommend a good amount of experimenting with this kind of varnish to see what works for your paintings.
I found your video very helpful.
Thank you!
Joe,
You nailed this tutorial. I also use satin. It does restore the vibrancy and captures the light perfectly.
There are as many methods in this process as there are artists I think but this patient approach gets excellent results. I do thin the first coat with just a touch of water to make sure (since it does dry so fast) that I don't get any lines or chunks as you mentioned. A beautiful painting by the way. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Joe @ jcadamsart
Thank you Joe! Really appreciate that! Varnishing can be tricky and so I agree, patience is the key. I'll have to give that a try to add a bit of water to the varnish and see how that works for my paintings. There are times where I find it might be helpful it was a bit thinner. Thanks for the tip and I'm happy to share!
Not just super helpful, but also calming! Thank you, Joe! (Liking it so much that I’ve just subscribed.)
What an amazingly realistic painting! What brush dis you use please?
Thank you so much!! The brush I'm using here is the Royal & Langnickel Flat 40. Something I was able to get at Michaels.
Thanks for sharing your tips and God bless you.☺️👍🏻🙏🏻
You're welcome!! I'm happy to share!
Hi Joseph - well I really learned a lot from your video, thank you. I have an acrylic picture that is very dull and now I will have the confidence to put a couple of coats of clear satin varnish on, which (as it's a moonlit sailing scene) should hopefully make the water etc shimmer. Whilst I'm writing, what would have been good to see at the end of your video was a shot of your lovely painting 'before' and 'after' the varnishing - as it didn't quite work when I slid the viewing slider back and forward to the beginning and end of your video. Hope you don't mind my suggestion. Keep Safe! Hazel
Thank you! Glad it was helpful! I hadn't thought of doing a before and after when I made this video, but that is a good idea for me to keep in mind for future videos. I hope the varnishing of your painting goes well!
Thanks Joseph🙏🏻
Very Beautiful Painting 👌🏻💜
Thank you so much!! Appreciate that!
Super helpful. Thank you
Thank you very much for sharing! It really finished the painting off beautifully ❤amazing painting too btw 😁 x
Thank you for this tutorial! Your work is amazing. I've only done a handful of paintings over the years and never considered varnishing them. I noticed you stayed with a vertical brush stroke. Do vertical brush strokes minimize the amount of light relection?
You're welcome!! Yes, I've found that there's way less reflection or glare off the varnish with the vertical brush strokes, as most lights are going to be on the ceiling when lighting the paintings. If you've never varnished before, I'd recommend doing lots of practice on scrap pieces first, so that you have a good feel for how the varnish works on your paintings before going to your original.
Wow ur paintings looks like a photograph 😱hyper realism overloaded😭🥺good job👍🏻🤘🏻
So glad I found your channel! Love your paintings and advice! Thank you!
Thank you so much!! Glad my videos have been helpful!
Would you please recommend a good brush brand? Thanks.
I applied the glossy version of this to a large acrylic and several sections of the painting smeared. It was 2 weeks dry. I applied the varnish directly onto the painting from the bottle and then spread it out with a sponge foam brush. What do you think caused the smearing?
Wouldn't using a roller or spray varnish leave a more even coat with no brush strokes?
After completing the varnishing process how long should one let the varnish completely dry?
Very excellent video!
Good video I was scared I was gonna ruin my painting I also liked u showed yourself varnishing the whole thing cuz it showed me how patient you are with a huge ass painting I gotta not try rushing or anything yk
Thank you! I really love this painting! ❤️👍🏻❤️
Thank you!!
Thanks for teaching how to varnish
Joseph, I recently saw on one of your more recent painting that you say you varnished with Gamblin's Gamvar. Have you now switched to using Gamvar instead of the Liquitex? Was there a reason for that? Thanks!
I still use the Liquitex, but have started using the Gamvar for certain paintings where I've adjusted my technique on how I use the paint in the last couple years. I found that when I was using very very thin layers like in my paintings with mist, (lots of dry brushing), it made those paint layers very absorbent and the liquitex was drying even quicker than it already does, making it really difficult to get an even sheen out of the varnish. So I experimented with the Gamblin Gamvar Satin on those paintings and it worked really well for them. They both have pros and cons so it was a matter of experimentation to figure out which works better on particular paintings. I would like to make a video on how I use the Gamvar, but I just want to have some more experience with it, and do quite a bit more research to make sure I know (mostly) what I'm talking about when do.
How do you varnish? How long does it last
Nice work! 👍
Thank you!!
Love the geese.
I use NOVA acrylic paints and varnishes. I get the same satin effect. I can buy it in gallon jugs. My varnish recipe is 1/2 Gloss Varnish and 1/2 Matte Varnish with a bit of water. I put the solution in a condiment squeeze bottle. I also put this mixture in the paint I'm using
Does this varnish darken the colors and yellow over time?
Thank you for the video. I should have watched it before trying to varnish my painting which ended in disaster. I tried to do the whole thing at once and by directly pouring varnish on the painting since i didn't know that it dries so quickly and i was stupid enough not to test it on something smaller first. Now i have to try and clean the messed up chunky varnish somehow
Sorry to hear that happened to your painting. In a similar situation with one of mine, I was able to take a very fine grit sandpaper, 600 and then 1000, to sand off the chunks of dried varnish until it was smooth. Then I reapplied the varnish and that did the trick. It did affect the look of my painting, but not too much. So, depending on your painting surface you may be able to try that. You could also look into varnishes that have a slower drying time, like the Gamblin Gamvar, or Golden MSA varnishes. I'm planning on doing another varnishing video with one of those that I've been experimenting with.
Wonderful painting, can you do a tutorial on that one ?
I have painted with acrylic and then worked with mounding paste on the painting to give it a 3d effect, covered with 24 carat gold foil
Can I varn8sh o ly the painted part?
What's your thoughts on spray on varnishes. Thanks for the video it was very interesting. Cheers!
I think spray varnishes can be great, as it's very fast and leaves a very smooth even finish. However, it didn't work for my artwork because I paint on board, so any dust that settled on the already smooth surface was very visible after it was dry. For spray varnish on canvas it probably works much better, as the texture of the canvas won't show the dust that ends up settling in varnish as it dries. And if there's a lot of texture to the paint, then the dust wouldn't be noticable. Though you could set a filtered spray booth to be extra careful. Either way, I'd recommend doing a number of tests before varnishing one of your originals!
@@JosephKoensgen thank you Joseph for a reply, that makes sense, I'm still learning about all the things I need to know, I have been painting on canvas, and maybe my teacher finds it easier with students to use the spray on varnish. However, it's good to know that they are just as good as the brush on varnish for a canvas surface and that they are just another way of protecting my painted surface, thank you, and thank you for sharing your video. Cheers!
Thank you so much for your explanation. I have an acrylic matt painting with black background. It was damaged during shipping, I tried to fix it by using gloss acrylic without knowing too much about paintings. However, now I can see the fixed marks because different finishes. I was wondering if I can vanish it using glossing vanish. Will it reduce the difference and make the painting better? Thanks in advance.
You're welcome! Yes, you could use a gloss varnish over the painting to help even out the sheen of the spots you've fixed. However, gloss varnish will change the look of the painting, especially if it's started out matte. Gloss brings out contrast and deepens the colours. Which is great if that's the look you're going for, but not necessarily if you're wanting to keep the matte finish of the original. Something you could try is going over your fixed marks with a matte paint first to see if that helps. And you'd still like to varnish, I'd highly recommend testing it first on a scrap piece if you have, to make sure that it will have the desired effect you want. Hope that's helpful!
@@JosephKoensgen Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I will try your suggestions!
How do you feel about the "insulator" first coat as proposed by Opus Paints you tube? I believe they say, this will prevent cracking and the ability to remove the varnish if you ever want to Love your chanel and your approach ~ just discovered it today!
Thank you!! I think isolation coats are good for removable varnishes where the solvent would be strong enough to remove the paint underneath. So I think for ones like the Liquitex Soluvar, or Golden MSA varnishes an isolation coat is probably a good idea. For something like the Gamblin Gamvar, I haven't been able to find any definitive info that says you'd need one. That one also goes on extremely thin and I've had success without an isolation coat and I didn't damage the paint underneath when I removed it. The Liquitex Varnish I'm using in this video is a permanent varnish that can't be removed, so you wouldn't need anything underneath this one. I also like to keep my varnish layer fairly thin, so it may come down to personal preference and experimenting to see what combination works best for your paintings.
@@JosephKoensgen Thanks so much for that nuanced answer. I've purchased the Liquitex Basic Gloss and don't anticipate removing it. You are the only person who used the overlapping brush movement; that worked great for the insulator. Now that I've spent $25! on the Gel Gloss and opened it, could I use that to create glazes? many thanks ~ your work is proof positive of how excellent your thoughtful approach and the underlying talent. Cheers, Diane from Exeter, NH US. I will try doing two thin varnish layers and eliminate the insulator.
You're welcome! Appreciate the kind words about my artwork! I haven't used a gel gloss before, but I believe you'd be able to use it for glazes, though it may have a bit more texture than say a gloss medium. Definitely worth experimenting with. I'm glad that it worked for an insulator coat and I hope that works well for future paintings of yours!
Thank you so much for this! Your tutorials are very helpful and you are extremely talented. Please keep creating videos! Question, do you use an isolation coat on any of our paintings and do you have anything thoughts or advice on using one? I did it on my first painting and didn’t like the look it left, thankfully the varnish helped
You're welcome!! I'm glad that it was helpful! For this particular varnish you don't need an isolation coat, as it's a permanent varnish that can't be removed, so it's essentially like an isolation coat in itself. I don't use an isolation coat on my work because I had the same issue as you - I didn't like the look the isolation coat left. I paint on board so adding too many layers to the painting meant I lost the feel the original paint had, on an already very smooth surface. For removable varnishes that require a stronger solvent to take off, an isolation coat is probably necessary. Though I've been experimenting with Gamblin Gamvar without an isolation coat and I've been able to gently remove it without damaging the original underneath. I may make a video about that varnish, but I need to do more research and testing before I do that. For me varnish should enhance the painting and not take away from it, so I want keep it to as few layers as I can, while still also providing the protection it needs. I'll certainly be making more videos so stay tuned! Thank you!
@@JosephKoensgen thank you so much! This is great information. I think I’m going to get the same varnish. Will definitely stay tuned!
Great video, mate. Thanks a lot!
Sir water based or oil based varnish used to protect the acrylic painting
Hi Joseph,
Nice posting..
Hatss off to ur Art
Wil u post a video that how to start painting on the board, canvas or a wall
Pls put the tutorial about how to paint background colours, how to prepare canvas for painting, colour mixing.
Most of ur videos are started from the middle of ur work,
So many videos are there in youtube,
I saw so many videos about how to paint and how to mix and so many,
That's not fair..
Why because?
Your video about how to varnish ur painting is a fabulous and clear..
I hope if u put detail tutorial for the beginners, definitely many people wil get the knowledge clearly..
Thanks fr ur wonderful Varnishin video..
Keep rocking...
Waiting fr ur new paintings🎨🖼
Very helpful, thanks for the lesson.
You're welcome!
I normally see artists use a foam brush to apply the varnish, what would the pros and cons be for both the watercolor brush vs the foam applicator? I haven't used varnish before and I want to add it to my latest painting but want to make sure I do the research before i commit to it!
My first recommendation before doing your vanishing would be to practice a lot on scrap pieces before committing to your finished painting. This way you'll feel more comfortable by the time you're ready for varnishing. As for brushes or foam brushes. I like the watercolour brush as it feels like I have a bit more control. The downside would be the possibility for brush marks in your varnish, depending on how smooth your surface is. With the foam brush you may not get any brush marks, but you'd want to use a light touch and newer foam brush most of time so that you minimize the foam potentially leaving particles behind in your varnish. And though it may be a bit of an upfront cost, I would recommend experimenting with both types of brushes if you are unsure. Having confidence with your varnishing before you start on your original is definitely worth it!
I love this pic! Please do a tutorial of this beautiful painting.
Great video....but I'm still terrified of varnishing my painting.... it's a combination of acrylic, coloured pencil and white Pastel pencil.... I'm wondering if a spray affixative would be better in my case.
Thank you for giving me a clue, I've never ever varnished my paintings but I can see the positives for it.
You're welcome! And it's totally understandable as you don't want to ruin your work with improperly vanishing. To this day I still have a few nerves every time I varnish. In your case with the mixed media, and especially pastel pencil, a fixative spray might be the way to go. It would help seal those elements in, and then if you wanted you could varnish over top, possibly with another spray varnish to maintain that same finished look. But, I would do lots of research and experimentation with some test pieces before taking it to the original.
Hi. I'm beginner in painting world, I think most difficult part is to choose a good acrylic varnish, there's a lot of videos where they say, gloss varnish is better, glass ,satin ,or high glass , and I'm really confused that which varnish should I buy. Cab you recommend me any good varnish as a beginner. I'm confused about the types of varnish.
Varnish can be difficult to work with in the beginning so I always recommend practicing on test pieces before using it on your originals. The finish, gloss, satin, or matte, depends on the look you want for your artwork. If you're unsure, you could look into a varnish that doesn't dry as quickly as the liquitex one, like an MSA varnish from golden, that has slower drying time.
Can you varnish with roller?
I haven't tried a roller, but I'm not sure it would work with this varnish. Because it dries fairly quickly, it may leave ridges and marks depending on the kind of roller used. It would be good to experiment with that to see if it's something that could work.
@@JosephKoensgen thank you for replying back🙂
do you wet the brush before dipping it into the varnish? perhaps this depends on what kind of varnish you use (water based, solvent based)?
do you ever use that brush with any other material or paint or this brush is exclusively for varnishing?
I use this brush only for varnishing, just to make sure there aren't any pigments or other materials that could affect the clarity of it. I don't use water for this particular one - and though it is water based, Liquitex doesn't recommend mixing it with water. So I just start into it with a dry brush and go from there. I do always recommend lots of experimenting and practice on scrap pieces beforehand to make sure it works with your painting to get the look you want!
Thank you very much!@@JosephKoensgen
First off that's a beautiful painting I have a question I bought this wooden toy off of Etsy it was painted with acrylic paint but it feels sticky I love the piece and I don't want the painted chip away what can I put over the paint without damaging it?
Thank you!! For something like that, you may want to consider a spray varnish. And when you say sticky, do you mean that it feels as though the paint isn't dry, or that it doesn't have a smooth finish? It could be good to find out from the artist exactly what paint they were using on the toy so you can choose an appropriate varnish, or if they have a recommendation based on the materials they've used.
I have over varnished on the first coat can I rectify this please?
Is it a removable varnish? If not than you're probably stuck. If so, you'll have to (from what I know) have to go to a conservationist. Ik this is months ago but i thought I'd still answer
How do you clean the brush after it was used for vanishing ?
For this varnish, which is water based, you can use soap and water. For a solvent based varnish you'd use mineral spirits.
Thanks for the information ☺️
You're welcome!
can you use pledge/future floor polish this on a canvas painting also? they use on airbrush models i airbrush on canvas i presently use the mod podge
Your mod podge is probably good, but I'd need to look into that more. I also wouldn't recommend using anything that isn't designed specifically for using on artwork. Floor polishes or anything like that may have chemicals in them would react poorly with your paint, and may degrade your work over time. You want to find something that is for use on paintings, and is archival if you want your work to last.
Hi Joseph, do you recommend varnishing with a foam brush?
I wouldn't recommend it, as there may be foam bits that can get caught up in the varnish. But I haven't done much with foam brushes, so I think it could be worth experimenting with one to see if it can work for you.
@@JosephKoensgen thank you for replying. Actually already did it yesterday with foam brush, it worked quite well and I had no issues. Will try it again and see how it goes. Thank you
@@GloriaQuansah Ok that's good to hear it went well with the foam brush! That could be something I should experiment with a bit more to see how that works.
Hey! The most useful video about varnishing I've ever seen! ..I have a painting that is cracking (°~°)and I wish to varnish it after i redo the cracking parts in order to prevent it from happening again... In your opinion, what varnish i should use? you 've really helped me with this video .( My canvas has been painted with acrylic paint if that helps)
I would really appreciate your help! :)
Thank you!! Glad to hear my video has been helpful! The Liquitex varnish I'm using in this video would work, but it does dry quickly and is permanent. With your painting I would recommend trying the Golden MSA varnish, or the Gamblin Gamvar varnish for acrylic paintings. Both of those have a longer working time and are removable if you want to repair your painting again in the future. I don't have very much experience with either of these varnishes, so I'd recommend reading about them and doing a number of tests before taking it to your original to make sure you have a good idea of how they'll behave once you start applying them. I hope that's helpful!
@@JosephKoensgen Thank you so much for the help!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@JosephKoensgen sorry to bother u again....turns out I've used tempera and not acrylics 🤦♀️😅 do you know if the use of the liquitex you show in this video would do in this case as well ? I am really sorry..
Oh no problem at all! I don't have any experience with tempera, but I don't think the Liquitex will work because it is a water based varnish and it might make the tempera run when you apply it. And I'm sorry I don't know what you'd be able to use on that, and it might take quite a bit of research and testing to find something to use on tempera paint. Hope you can find something that works!
@@JosephKoensgen oh that's okay! I am still very grateful for your advices! Best wishes 👍👍👍
You are truly an incredible artist.
Love your clear explanations, makes you feel, like to could start painting. LOL
Thank you!! I'm happy to be sharing what I'm doing! And if it encourages you to start painting, then that's great! Art is certainly a journey, but it is definitely worth it.
It protects from UV, but what about other pollution? Smoke? Gave a painting away a year ago to a family member, but want to get it back to seal it from cigarette smoke or anything else. Does varnish work for that as well?
That's a good question. There may be something out there that would protect against smoke damage - I don't know if this particular varnish would protect against that. Smoke particles are so small that they can be absorbed into so many things, and that discolouration and smell can stay for such a long time. One option would be to put down an isolation coat, then apply a removable varnish on top of that. This way when that varnish inevitably discolours and absorbs those particles, it can be removed and reapplied at a later time. Not necessarily the best solution but something worth looking into further. And worth looking into seeing if there are options out there that specifically address smoke damage.