Luckily Ive been paying attention to your posts on isolation coats, etc so not too much of a disaster if things go badly, Good one Nick, glad the gallery could add an extra coat, hope the show goes well! As much as I am an artist biased against the use of varnish on oil paintings, I found your tips worthy. If youve ever worked with acrylics, you know that almost all of them are somewhat shiny as they dry. Hi Will, This is a bit of a sealing+varnishing question. Thinning with water (ideally distilled water): Pro tip: If youre having problems working quickly enough with water-based varnishes, then you can use a large sponge to apply. let me know if you find out anything from the manufacturer. So the base coat is somewhat hardened before getting painted on top of it. Sign up now to get the latest posts, news about products & art inspiration straight to your inbox. I live in Calgary Canada and sometimes its harder to find the full range of the products of these brands, but i will find the ones you recommend. If the CPM Matte dries too flat - both in terms of sheen and depth - for your taste, you can modify the medium with Color Pouring Medium Gloss (CPM Gloss). If you try to apply a satin or matte varnish to a black painting, the blackness level will be lifted. I was thinking about varnishing because I have some very visible brush strokes and what not that I want to even out. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Thanks, Will. I use oil and a lot of liquin. 10. Gamvar from Gamblin is a good choice. Matte acrylic mediums provide a rougher surface to work on than gloss medium, but they may dry cloudy. If not, what is the best ratio that you would recommend? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Top tips once again! For semi-gloss or matte mediums a white matting agent is used to create the matte finish, so a gloss medium is preferable because it would give the cleanest film, especially if youre going for a high gloss finish. Alternatively, due to the size of the canvas and the fact that the canvas could be moved around a lot you could also use yacht varnish. Shellac is the best sealer for wood, will stick to any undercoat, and is great if you want a clear coat. Currently, I painted an 8 ft. campaign sign, acrylic on a wooden sliding door. Read the instructions beforehand as you might have to mix medium and paint in a specific ratio. Your picture appears. Im curious also about trying wax varnish I know this would give it a whole other effect, but im curious if that affect could be beautiful vs. what I find with spraying taking away from the beauty. Its best in a warm environment, if youre spraying keep the spray next to the radiator before you varnish so you have a more consistent temperature between spray can and painting. I have been trying to search for that type of information for ages without success! A 1000 grit is a super fine paper so would only be very gentle. This blog post will teach you how to use a matte medium with acrylic paint for various techniques. I bought acrylic liquid glazing gloss and Golden soft gel Gloss, thinking that that is what I needed to complete my varnish. Today, Im going to talk to about my go-to medium: matte. It would be worth the cost of varnish lost, rather than a painting finish ruined! The matte medium can work great if youre using extremely thick paint, such as those used for oil paintings or something similar, and want to create some texture with it. My question regards acrylic ink. Cheers, Will, Great article Im new to painting and just finished a reverse painting on glass to use as a backsplash I used oils and I think I should seal the back so the paint wont stick to the wall. Here is my silly question, what happens to glitter? I always think of portraits and paintings handed down to generations in the future it is definitely worth varnishing with an old school technique. 4. In order to add depth without necessarily creating a glossy paint layer, mix 7 parts CPM Matte with 3 parts CPM Gloss. Thanks in advance Anna. This was very informative and very helpful. Crazy question . Overall they will lower water-sensitivity, limit air exposure, and provide substantial UV protection. Will. Is matte medium a varnish? Hi Monique, Golden paints recommend just using the Soft Gel Gloss medium for an isolation coat. This Christmas I am giving away paintings as gifts. A holiday gift, to find this in my e-mail inbox!! The gloss will dry the clearest of the gels. I did some floral painting directly on my old sanmica table top using acrylic colours. Thanks. . Do you ever use a sponge to apply an isolation coat? I intend to paint with oil over it.do I have to worry about peeling once it dries? The result was I had to paint the whole thing in an afternoon.. Pleased you enjoyed it Carol, yes it is quite amazing the similarities of problems with varnishing with artists through the ages! Gloss Medium Gloss mediums are handy if you want to enhance the natural sheen and luminosity of acrylic paint. Thanks for any help. Some acrylic pigments dry shinier than others. I currently don't have a proper varnish but I do have matte medium. As long as your varnish is dry, bubble wrap is one of the best ways to go. I have some Winsor and Newton Gloss Gel. Q. She has a passion for the arts and crafts, which she developed from a young age. The varnish provides a non-porous, protective layer that is removable for conservation purposes; it serves its aesthetic purpose whilst also providing protection. Personally, I always work with a removable varnish to ensure the future preservation of the aesthetics of my paintings. Theyre pretty easy to clean and are suitable for candle making. Also, how soon after spraying the varnish can I ship the piece? A. Very insightful and useful info. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I want to know how to use my acrylic white matte paint, Found you looking for info on Matte Medium. Hi Brendan, gloss varnish will give you the most wet look to your paintings, you just might need a number of coats to build up the layers. The main difference is that the Matte Varnish is formulated to preserve paint film clarity, by using less matting agents in the formulation. How can I avoid that? Trying to re-use old unsuccessful canvases. Hi Monica, for the high gloss varnish you can keep on adding coats, so yes, you can apply a few more thin layers of varnish to even out the brush strokes from the stiffer bristles. Third time round (this time fully sure it was finished ;) I decided to go for a satin version of Talens varnish (spray can again). Cheers, Will. The barrier coat physically separates the acrylic painting from the Liquitex Soluvar Varnish and seals the surface. 5. Once I get this painting safely out the door and on its way to the show to, irony, raise money for art education I plan on really looking over your site. I stumbled onto your site looking for information about different types of varnishes and hit the jackpot. UV Top Coat Can be used as a non-removable finish but not as durable as varnish: The UV Topcoats, when used as a final layer, should greatly increase the longevity and lightfastness of whatever media you are working with. This will prevent any dust or airborne particles from settling into varnish as it dries. Hi Daylin, nice to hear from you. Hi Megan, a modern varnish that can be applied to oils when the surface it touch dry for oils is Gamvar from Gamblin. Then you can have an edge to edge clean image as once framed (depending on your lighting) you can have shadows from the edge of the frame fall onto the canvas. Will. So far I have made mistakes, but am learning with every attempt. One painting not has dry bubbles on its surface, many equidistant to each other. I have a silly question. Some ways to use a matte medium with acrylic paint: You can use the matte medium in various ways, even with light colors. This sounds crazy. remove and replace the varnish then you need to apply an isolation coat first. And not framed, and I cant varnish it for at least six months.. What do I do wrong? Yes, thats right, the isolation coat is an acrylic polymer, painted over acrylics not oil paints. Thanks for sharing Will :) Can I ask will you be sharing similar tips for oil Paintings? It can also be mixed with some water for an even more fluid painting experience. Devon. Great information Will! It helps to smooth out texture that is too rough or grainy. (I said I was a beginner) Could you advise me as to how to properly package an acrylic painting? If this happens, adding a few drops of white coloring to the medium and mixing well will restore its clear appearance. I dashed to the Salon and found the picture almost beyond recognition it looked as if it were melting away. After an isolation coat, it seems safer than removalble varnish, but I wonder whether cold wax is adequate protection. I didnt varnish mine because it was still wet, but he thought I was being economical! How could that be remedied? Dont apply with a roller or sponge brush Dont thin with water Dont apply in one thick coat, but several thin coats, to avoid brush marks, drips and cloudiness Dont go back over areas you have already done, as this can cause clouding Dont attempt to remove once applied Do not use with any non-acrylic media. Water changes the consistency of acrylic paint but it also changes the pigment density of the paint. Best, Carolyn, Brilliant to hear Carolyn, so pleased you enjoyed it. Am I expecting too much, or should I apply more coats? For example, watering down your color and stirring in just a few drops of the matte medium can create a nice, flat base color for underpainting. Then in the future, if you ever need to replace the varnish, you can apply a varnish remover, and it will go back to the isolation coat and never hit the acrylic paint surface. I thought as much myself and went ahead today and applied another coat of the Matt varnish. It looks great and is water proof. S, Hi Sonia, by its nature, a matte varnish will always give a slightly lighter black than if you used a gloss varnish. In today's mixed media tutorial I've got some super EASY mixed media art for you to do along with me as I talk you through the differences between mod podge vs matte medium. Horizontal surface application is best with less chance of varnish running. Love your tips! Good luck! Will varnish make the glitter not so glittery? Transparency: Glazing liquid can create thin, translucent paint films - ideal for classical painting techniques such as glazing. You can see in this painting there are uneven levels of sheen due to parts where Ive mixed a gloss glazing liquid into my paint and then worked water-thinned paint over the top. Will varnish help even out? Learn how your comment data is processed. Thanks Marty; I didnt find a clear answer to the physical differences between acrylic matte medium and acrylic matte varnish so I have emailed Liquitex. Another somewhat related problem is that I found that a little linseed oil in the paint. Thank you for your help.. Next questiongot an old half finished oil painting sitting aroundlast night I smothered it with acrylic gesso primerleaving lots of texture. Soft Gel Gloss Can be used as an isolation coat (to separate the final paint layer and the removable varnish layer), Heres a dilution video from Golden using Soft Gel Gloss. Thanks for I ask will you toget tips for oil Paintings Regards. Put the finishing statement on your paint color of choice by selecting a sheen that enhances the look of the surface. Matte medium is beneficial when glazing. Hello Will, Im in my mid forties and have just begun painting and Im loving every minute of it. However, if exhibiting pieces without glass, we strongly recommend also applying one of our removable varnishes to facilitate cleaning and future conservation. Should I frame the piece, photograph it, take out of the frame, apply the final coats, then reframe? This makes it particularly handy for glazes and blending. Thanks, Toby, Hi Toby, yes, you can match the different sheens by matching diferent varnishes (matte, saton or gloss) to the different areas of the painting. Gesso is basically acrylic medium with the addition of a white pigment such as calcium carbonate. This aids in a more even application of Liquitex Soluvar Varnish and protects the painting if the Liquitex Soluvar Varnish needs to be removed. Can I use any varnish on the painting? But I am now confused. It helps to prevent cracking and warping when working with thick layers of paint. As always Will, you have given such helpful information! Heres a video of how to soak with the solution. Ive read that Golden MSA varnish is the way to go to prevent tarnishing, but can it be painted over with acrylics? That would be my top pick, but dont think its safe. Any suggestions for me in future?