Comments on: Varnishing http://portland.utrechtblog.com/2008/01/04/varnishing/ Just another Utrechtblog.com weblog Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:46:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.0 by: kellym http://portland.utrechtblog.com/2008/01/04/varnishing/#comment-666 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:26:12 +0000 http://portland.utrechtblog.com/2008/01/04/varnishing/#comment-666 All paintings, whether acrylic or oil should be varnished to protect the surface of the painting and facilitate cleaning. There are a multitude of coatings which can be applied to either oil or acrylic works, and it is up to the artist to decide which is best for the final appearance they want. There is a popular trend to pour thick, high gloss resin over artwork to create a heavy coating, but this should not be thought of as a varnish, as it would not be easily removed. We sell a product called Envirotex, which is a two part epoxy resin, and it creates a thick, glossy surface. Unfortunately these types of resins will often yellow over time, so they should not be thought of as archival finishes for fine art. For archival, fine art applications, one can apply acrylic or natural dammar resins to obtain a high gloss finish. Dammar is a tropical tree resin which is disolved in turpentine and is easily removed by conservators. It can be applied in multiple coats to create a high gloss finish. Acrylic resins are not as easily removed as dammar, and can be more prone to scratching. They are available in both water soluable or solvent based formulas, and in my experience, the solvent based varnishes tend to perform better. I recommend using distilled water if you are using the water soluable variety, as the chlorine, metals and minerals in tap water can cause acrylic varnishes to turn cloudy. We always tell artists that varnishing is a challenging, difficult task and recommend you experiement before attempting a final varnish on a prized work. All paintings, whether acrylic or oil should be varnished to protect the surface of the painting and facilitate cleaning. There are a multitude of coatings which can be applied to either oil or acrylic works, and it is up to the artist to decide which is best for the final appearance they want. There is a popular trend to pour thick, high gloss resin over artwork to create a heavy coating, but this should not be thought of as a varnish, as it would not be easily removed. We sell a product called Envirotex, which is a two part epoxy resin, and it creates a thick, glossy surface. Unfortunately these types of resins will often yellow over time, so they should not be thought of as archival finishes for fine art.
For archival, fine art applications, one can apply acrylic or natural dammar resins to obtain a high gloss finish. Dammar is a tropical tree resin which is disolved in turpentine and is easily removed by conservators. It can be applied in multiple coats to create a high gloss finish. Acrylic resins are not as easily removed as dammar, and can be more prone to scratching. They are available in both water soluable or solvent based formulas, and in my experience, the solvent based varnishes tend to perform better. I recommend using distilled water if you are using the water soluable variety, as the chlorine, metals and minerals in tap water can cause acrylic varnishes to turn cloudy. We always tell artists that varnishing is a challenging, difficult task and recommend you experiement before attempting a final varnish on a prized work.

]]> by: Catherine http://portland.utrechtblog.com/2008/01/04/varnishing/#comment-665 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:12:46 +0000 http://portland.utrechtblog.com/2008/01/04/varnishing/#comment-665 Hi, I was wondering if you know what product to use to apply over acrylic or oil paintngs to get a high gloss finish? I have seen some artist's work and it says it has a "resin finish." I would be painting on a hardboard frame as opposed to a canvas. Thanks, Catherine Hi,

I was wondering if you know what product to use to apply over acrylic or oil paintngs to get a high gloss finish? I have seen some artist’s work and it says it has a “resin finish.”

I would be painting on a hardboard frame as opposed to a canvas.

Thanks,

Catherine

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