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Varnishing, Protecting, Storage & Display

Once you finish with your painting you will want to protect it. Unvarnished gesso is coarse and tends to collect dust. Black gesso in particular shows dust build up and even some streaks may remain from cleaning.
Acrylic gloss medium and varnish is the basic material for protecting paintings. Once several coats are applied a final coat of matte or other protectant can be used.

*Make sure you peel off all masking including any tape around the edge as a boarder.

Fixing

Any airbrushing must be fixed with a protective spray. Without it any over spray that is not firmly adhered tot the surface can loosen and streak with the first brush application of varnish.

Fixing can be accomplished in two ways. Either by airbrushing on a later of acrylic medium and varnish (thinned 1:1 with water (distilled recommended)) or by using acrylic spray can fixative such as krylon crystal clear. Be sure what you use is specifically compatible with acrylics.

Allow any fixative to dry overnight.

Varnish

Use a very soft 1" or 1-1/2" inch brush. I use a quality water color brush reserved only for varnishing. It does not get used for any thing else.

Acrylic gloss medium and varnish is best for protective varnishing. Slightly thinned gloss medium (20-30% distilled water) spreads easier and leaves fewer brush strokes. Be sure to use distilled water for thinning. Remember this varnish is the permanent protective coat that must remain clear for the rest of your artworks existence.

After thinning the varnish, wet your brush with water and remove the excess. (I find it works best to apply the varnish in a squeeze bottle.) Using a squeeze bottle apply heavy drops of varnish over a square foot (or so) area of the painting. Immediately start spreading the medium into an even thin coat using brush strokes in only one direction. (back and forth / side to side or up and down) Be careful to not move too quickly or scrub with the brush as this will form air bubbles that must be immediately removed. They usually can be remove by brushing over them more slowly.

Remember Acrylics dry fast. Quickly work to cover the entire painting. Do not go back to try and rework areas that are already drying. This can cause a haziness that will now be permanent in the varnish.

When finished, go around the edge of your board and wipe away any bead of varnish that collected. Be especially aware of any medium that may have seeped underneath and will glue your artwork to whatever is underneath. (put paper down first).

Allow the artwork to dry horizontally in the cleanest place you can find. (dust free, pet free, etc.) Varnish layers should dry for a few hours to overnight. Do not be surprised if the first layer is very uneven and streaked. In some areas the varnish hay seem to completely soak into the board. This first coat will completely seal the surface. Illustration board may also bend or warp slightly. It will usually flatten out when completely dry. I have never had a piece so warped it could not be mounted or framed.

When the first coat is dry carefully inspect it for dust, hair or other contamination that may have settled on it. This can usually be removed by scratching at it lightly with a finger nail. Be sure not to mistake brush strokes or other paint build up for contamination. If something cannot be easily removed it may be better to leave it rather than damage the painting.

Apply a second coat of varnish brushing in the opposite direction as the first. (if you applied the first coat side to side then brush on the second coat up and down.) You may find the second coat to flow on smoother since the surface is now sealed. Allow the second coat to dry same as the first.

Again inspect this layer for contamination. Any contamination in any one layer can seem insignificant but the build up in 3 to 4 layers becomes noticeable.

Allow the final layer to dry for at least 3 days. Never allow two paintings to come into contact with each other until both have dried for 3 or more days. I once damaged one painting that was dry for a week by lying another that was dry only 1 day. on top of the first. The next day they were stuck together and when I pulled them apart the top painting peeled up a line along its edge from the bottom painting. Thus there is some advantage (especially for storage) to applying a final special varnish.

Final Varnish

The artwork is reasonably well protected once the final coat of gloss medium and varnish is dry for 3 days. (Barring unreasonable circumstances.) The artwork can now be mounted and framed for display or stored.

Some people prefer a dull matte appearance to a glossy one. This reduces reflection which can be particularly noticeable on a black background space painting. I on the other hand prefer a glossy finish. The black of space look deep and infinite and colors are more saturated. I have even had people mistake my originals for photographic prints of deep space sky objects. Keep in mind that once acrylic matte varnish is used it is permanent. You may want to consider a removable varnish instead.

Acrylic gloss medium varnish does remain slightly tacky even after completely dry. Although, I have never had any damage separating paintings stored together even under weight if they were completely dry before being stacked.

I recently have been storing artwork with a matte removable varnish. Removable varnish usually uses mineral spirits as a solvent. I use a small clean rag just big enough to pinch between my finger to apply this varnish. I dampen the rag with mineral spirits and then pour a small amount of removable varnish in the center of the painting. Using circular swirling motion I spread the varnish around adding more as needed.

Be sure to have adequate ventilation when using mineral spirits. For storage I use as little matt varnish as I can. I do not mind the streaks since it is meant for storage anyway. It does not seem to take much to eliminate any tackiness of the surface. Removal of the matt varnish takes some work and a number of application of mineral spirits each time using a fresh clean piece of rag.

For display I use glossy removable varnish. This provides the gloss finish I prefer and a extra protective layer that can be removed. This might be particularly useful in a house hold with children that might get access to permanent markers or paint (such as acrylic) that would be permanent on a surface that was not otherwise removable.

Do not use gloss removable varnish for storage as it is extremely tacky and will adhere to whatever it comes into contact in a short period of time.

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