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How to Varnish an Oil Painting
von Author: Jamie_Williams_Grossman
When a painting dries, some areas appear glossier than others due to variations in the types of pigments and/or mediums used. A coat of Damar varnish will unify the painting's sheen, bring your color up to the brilliance it had when the painting was wet, protect the artwork, and give it that final professional touch. Varnishing a painting may seem like a mysterious and difficult process, but in actuality it is quick, simple and foolproof, especially when performed as recommended by Wetcanvas member Luis Guerreiro, who is the owner of Oils-Studio Ltd. In addition to Damar varnish, the technique outlined in this article can be used with any other fine arts varnish for oil paintings, such as synthetic varnish.
This article details the steps that I have developed following Luis' varnishing advice in the forums. Although I'd previously varnished with great trepidation, I have varnished over 30 paintings in the past six months using an approach similar to his, without a single mishap. Be sure you have the right materials, plenty of ventilation, and a block of time when you will not be interrupted. The paintings you select to varnish must have had at least six months to dry, or perhaps even more for heavy impasto work. Because there is some setup time involved, and I get a better feel for doing the varnishing as the session progresses, I like to do at least 8 paintings once I'm set up. Let's go do it!
Step 1 - Vorbereitung
You'll need to find a well-lit work area with great ventilation. For this reason, I like to varnish outside on a screened porch when weather permits. Be sure your work surface will accommodate your materials and at least two paintings simultaneously, if you are planning to varnish more than one during the session. I cover my table with a white paper, plastic-lined, disposable tablecloth. ("Warehouse" type stores sell these in 3-packs inexpensively.) You will need some Damar varnish thinned 50% with turpentine. Turpenoid or mineral spirits will not dissolve the Damar; it must be real turpentine. I use this Weber varnish, which is already thinned with turpentine. I just happened to buy this brand the very first time I varnished a painting, and since I've never had any problems, I've always bought the same thing. I like the smaller containers so that the varnish is not exposed to so much air in the bottle itself between varnishing sessions. Always be sure you have an extra bottle on hand. (You can guess why I feel the need to say that!)
Step 2 - Firnis vorwärmen
Fill a measuring cup with hot (not boiling) water, and let Mayweather vs Cotto Tickets the bottle of Damar varnish sit in it while assembling your other materials. Periodically, refill the measuring cup with more hot water, until the varnish has reached the temperature of the water. This photo shows the bottle lying on its side; there wasn't much left in it when I took this picture. When the bottle is full, I stand it upright in the container of hot water.
Step 3 - der Extra-Pinsel
Make sure you have the right brush selected! This one is a good 2" gesso/varnish brush. Be sure to use a high quality brush that is not apt to drop bristles all over your paintings. It is important to be able to get the varnish onto the entire painting rather quickly---within a few minutes, so don't use a brush that would make it impossible to apply all the varnish before it starts to dry! I labeled my brush "Damar" with a permanent marker and I don't use it for anything except varnish.
Step 4 - das Extra-Gefäß
Set out a small ceramic pot, or other glass/ ceramic container to hold the varnish. Be sure the mouth is wide enough for the brush. I like this one because it is heavy, has a wide base that won't tip, and holds heat well when I warm it up. (It serves triple duty as a brush holder and still life object when not in use for varnishing!) It's about 3" square. After heating it up by running hot water over it, and drying it thoroughly, set it into a container of hot water to help keep it warm. (See below.) Pour about 1/2-3/4" of varnish into the pot to get started. Every time I add more varnish to the pot, I also change the hot water that the bottle warms in, and the hot water that the pot sits in, to maintain the varnish temperature. Varnish is highly flammable, so electric heating/ warming devices are not recommended while using varnish! The hot water method has always worked fine for me.
Step 5 - die richtige Lage
Double-check that all your supplies are where you need them to be before you begin. Here is the table set up to begin varnishing. The container that holds my varnish pot, the varnish brush, and a pad made from several sheets of paper towel sit atop a sheet of aluminum foil covering the table. I keep a tweezer handy in case brush hairs or anything else falls onto the varnished surface. A space is cleared to place the next painting to be varnished. Paintings that have just been varnished are set out on the table or another flat surface. Be sure before you start that you have cleared ample flat surfaces for your newly-varnished paintings. They will need to lie flat for awhile.
Step 6 - der Firnis-Auftrag
Let's start varnishing! Now that you're all set up, your varnish is warmed, and your paintings are next to you ready to go, select a painting to begin with and place it on the table next to the varnish. Dip the brush into the varnish pot to saturate the bristles. Rub it on the side of the pot lip as you pull it out to get off excess varnish, then lightly tap the bristle ends on the paper towel. Beginning in a corner, brush all the way across the painting and then back across the same section. Reload the brush. Start from the other side of the painting this time, slightly overlapping the last varnished strip, and repeat. Wow, look at that color pop out, just like it did when you initially painted the picture! Continue this procedure, reloading the brush with each new strip, working fairly quickly, and alternating which side you begin the stroke on, until you have covered the entire painting with varnish. Then without reloading the brush, start in the same corner and brush, slower, in the perpendicular direction, overlapping strokes and working your way across the entire painting. The whole painting has now been brushed in both directions, and should be evenly covered with varnish.
Step 7 - letzte Arbeiten
At this point, you may consider your varnish job complete if you like a high gloss finish. I prefer less gloss on my paintings. You can remove some of the sheen by following this additional step. Wait a few minutes for the varnish to get slightly tacky. How long this takes depends on many factors, including temperature and humidity. Since I varnish many paintings at once, I generally put varnish on another painting during this waiting period. To lower the sheen, when the painting is very slightly tacky (5 or 10 minutes usually), take your brush, without replenishing the varnish on it, start at one corner, and brush across the painting in a single direction, overlapping rows like you did when you were applying varnish. You will feel a very slight tug as you pull across the tacky varnish. This procedure will eliminate the glassy look of the gloss varnish. The tackier the painting, the less gloss you will have. Although this step sounds tricky and a bit intimidating, you will quickly get a feel for how tacky the painting needs to be. If too much gloss is still present, just do it again. Be careful not to overbrush, as that can cause cloudiness.
There...all done! That wasn't so hard, was it? Let your painting sit flat for awhile before lifting it upright. Then admire your day's work! It only took me an hour to varnish all of these.
Clean your varnish brush in the jar of turpentine as soon as possible.
Materials List
- Damar Varnish
- Turpentine in a jar (to dilute varnish and clean brush)
- Varnishing brush
- Pot to pour varnish into (wide enough mouth for brush)
- Container for warm water to hold varnish bottle
- Container for warm water to hold varnish pot
- Aluminum foil
- Paper towels
- Tweezer
- Large work surface
- Paper tablecloth or other covering for work surface
