The acrylic paintings are the beautiful creative art of the painters. But with the passage of time, the paintings start losing their quality, color, and freshness. To overcome this problem, you need to “varnish” your paintings to keep them as new for a long time.
Varnishing of paintings basically refers to add a protective coat or “seal” over your finished painting. The varnish will protect your painting from UV rays, dust, and yellowing. Also, it adds a layer of shine that makes it looks amazing, bringing out the gorgeous vibrancy of the colors.
There are some ways and materials you can use to varnish your painting. Varnish comes in satin, matte, or gloss finish. You can choose up to your own preferences. You can mix any of the styles of varnish to get the exact finish that you are seeking. So let’s begin the process of varnishing your painting:-
Lay the painting flat while varnishing
1. Always lay your painting on a flat surface and undisturbed for few hours while varnish dries. If you try to varnish the painting while hanging on the wall, the varnish will straight away run down the canvas and drip all over the floor, creating a mess. To make sure that while the varnish is applied and drying, the painting is in a place inaccessible to pets and children.
2. There is a chance that any excess varnish may drip down the side of the painting. So always place down the wooden board to protect the surface underneath. If varnish drips over the side of your canvas or wood panel, there is a chance it may stick to the surface. It can be removed but there is a risk of slight damage to varnish on painting.
3. Now dip the brush into the varnish around 1/3 to 1/4 way down the length of the brush and gently tap off the excess. Hold the brush at an appropriate angle and start applying the varnish in even strokes across the painting, moving the brush in the same direction each time.
4. Begin at one corner and work your way across the whole painting in a parallel fashion. When you are complete, look at the surface of the painting from a different angle. If there are any areas that are not shiny and wet, gently go over them with few drops of varnish. It gives shine a light on it because the wet, varnished parts sparkle in the light.
5. If you see any dust or other dust particles that might have fallen into varnish, gently pull it out with the help of a toothpick or some other pointed object.
Allow few hours for the varnish to dry
1. According to the time indicated on the package, you need to apply another coat of varnish. But sometimes varnish does not cover completely evenly the first time around, so apply another coat will give you nice look. Remember after applying the first coat dry for about 3-4 hours, then gently touch the surface with your finger to ensure it is dry. Then apply the second coat of varnish in the same way as above.
2. When you are finished up with the process, carefully and thoroughly clean the jar and brush, and keep them someplace safe where they are safe from dust.
