Art Supplies I Regret Buying 

If you think of some of your purchases as "experiences" rather than things, it feels better. You might go on an outing and spend a few bucks on lunch, an admission to something, etc. that you'll never see again. Same with art supplies. You bought the supply so you could experience it. Some of the art supply experiences, you will revisit, some you won't. Sell it and forget it. Healing with art means not letting your supplies stress you. Just a thought. Interesting video!

I like to take my soft pastels, shave some off into a small mixing dish and add medium. They create beautiful glazes and transparent colors!

I am also a migraine person who can be instantly triggered by certain smells. When you described how it smelled it reminded me of how things that trigger me smell. A triggering smell seems to linger in my nostrils for days. No filter, mask, or fan will prevent this since once I am sensitized to a smell it is all over. To avoid this in my art supplies, I really limit what I use and prefer watercolors. I have saved a lot of pain and money by being VERY strict with myself by buying only the high-quality brands that are "safe". The sooner those are out of your house, the better. Just give them to someone or a school.

I've actually really come to be grateful that I have art supplies that I don't really like as much. It allows me to think of ways that I can still use them to experiment and practice with and just try stuff out. Like "Ooh, I wonder what happens if I use this pen with water color?" or "Hmm, I normally wouldn't use these colors together, but let's see what it looks like!" Even made a little scrappy sketchbook that I can switch out the pages as I like with different kinds of paper, old scribbles etc. to just play in. ^^

With your "colour studies" sketchbook I do wonder if it might be worthwhile trying to turn it into an area where you work with a limited colour palette? It could help achieve similar goals (finding out what colours look like when they're mixed together) but be more engaging because you're doing it with the intent of making mini paintings/studies. Also it's good to see purchases from before this year because it might be that a supply that seemed to be good deteriorates after some time, or you find that it's not as great as you initially thought 🙂

The Shinhan watercolour is great. You can mix it with some white gouache to get more pastelly colours and the shade that you want. There's a decent bunch of primary pastel colours there.

1. If all else fails donate to a school. 2. I use cotton gloves due to hating the feel of certain media and throw into wash. 3. Use wax paper between oil pastel & other paper. 4. Not sure about hypersensitivity of smells. Do you keep a fan in basement? Wearing a mask? 5. Does pouring medium work as a sealant? 😊

The Sennelier is so creamy and a bit challenging - I only use them for final touches. If you wanted to try oil pastels that are a bit less messy, I would suggest Mungyo or Caran D'Ache. Also the Sennelier oil pastel fixative does a great job of "drying" the pastels. There are several fine artists I follow that use oil pastels on wood panel, use the fixative, and sell them in galleries without glass. But the fixative has an odor for sure.

I think you’re overthinking it. Just use it for something. Even if it’s to sketch out an idea. Just rotate through your unfavorites until they’re used up and you can move on

For the journal with the thin pages, gesso will cover up the ink leakage and if you want to watercolor over it, you can use watercolor ground. It isn't optimum for watercolors; however, it is great for acrylic or ink sketches.

Sell all the stuff on ebay/whatever. Someone will get all of it for cheaper than new, and you'll recoup some of your money to buy stuff you might enjoy.

Take a little gum arabic, or watercolor medium, and turn the soft pastels into gouache/watercolor.

It might be worth taking a look at the ingredients lists on the substances that have odors and/or cause migraines; perhaps there is one (or more) common compound that you would know to avoid. Such compounds may vary by whether you’re dealing with a paint vs. a medium, etc., so it could take some work to suss out. Also agree with the comment about viewing buying new supplies as an experience. The soft pastels were a great example of this - how could you know you wouldn’t like the chalkiness until you tried it? (We do this at restaurants, too, right?) I’d also suggest to folks not to be afraid to return items that don’t work for you (migraine-inducing) or aren’t as advertised (ShinHan paints). Most reputable stores have good return policies - but it does require using the product right away and making a reasonably rapid judgement - setting it aside for weeks or months can result in the refund period expiring.

I’m sure near where you live there are a lot of artists that would love to receive some of these supplies. For free or for a lower price. I wish I could know someone that didn’t like some of their art materials. Many times I have to choose between paper or whatever and medicine. Or food. 🤷🏻‍♀️ When I don’t like something - which of course happens to all with us - I usually give them. My 2 y old niece and 7 y old nephew have a lot of art materials because of this. I have a 14 old niece that most of her art materials at first she got because I couldn’t stand the smell of them. She didn’t feel anything. So I gave them to her. I think that it’s better than the materials go to waste.

Regarding the gloss medium, you could use a smooth roller (I get the mini rollers that are changeable). This will get rid of brush strokes. Regarding oil pastels, you can use color shapers to blend instead of touching them. There are also tools for soft pastels so you don’t have to touch them. You may like Pan Pastels better - less dust and they have tools for applying them. I suggest checking out some videos on them. I sympathize with you on the migraines - strong smells also trigger migraines for me. I hate migraines. Miserable things.

I have allergies and asthma. The only varnish I use on my acrylic paintings Is Jo Sonja’s brush on varnish. My favorite is the satin. I apply 3 thin coats spaced a few hours apart. It may look weird as it starts to dry, but just leave it alone and trust it will dry flat. It does have an odor, but it is non- toxic and it does not bother me.

Your pouring mediums are fine, thin out your thick heavy body paints with a bit of water and then you can mix them with the pouring medium. Add more water if needed and do a drip test to make sure the colours have similar consistencies for best results. I've successfully done this, so you shouldn't have any issues. Hope this helps!

I like what another commenter said about these purchases being experiences rather than things. Some purchases are mere whims that you buy spur of the moment, but it sounds like you had plans for many of these supplies and they just didn't work out. But how will you know unless you try? As others said, you could donate these to your local school, they would be glad to have them. Or check on the return policy from Jackson's. My local art store will let me return things, even if I've used them.

I use gloss medium mixed with water as an isolation coat before varnishing and also between some layers of paint. I mix maybe a 1/5 ratio of medium and water, it is very milky thin and does not leave brush strokes. If it does leave brush strokes, the mix is too thick, just add a little more water.

No regrets - you win or you learn. Maybe package up all the regrets and do a give away. We can then try them and decide if we agree with your opinions and findings from your experiences. I notice you sigh with regret. I have spent a lot of money over the years finding things I don’t like lol lol 😂 Thank you for doing this video Leah.

I got the book from Kristy Rice called "Free-Spirited Watercolor" And the "Art for Joy sake Journal" I don't think you have to use any particular paint medium to use those books. Her approach is very playful and helped me a lot to reengage. Thank you for sharing a review of those things that are hard for you to use and why.

Thanks for sharing, def we need videos like this.

Some stuff gives me headaches like when thay paved the road. But like smelling gas when u are filling up stuff like weedeaters or chainsaws. Or stuff for oil paints and stuff don't cause a headache to me. Edit. Some model plastic cement will give me a headache to

To vanish with gloss medium and avoid brush marks, add 50/50 with water. Brush over a thin layer, wait until it is completely dry and repeat. You can add more layers if you want. It is important to let it completely dry between layers or it can go cloudy.

It’s like when we are snowboarding in less than ideal conditions. You can complain and have a lousy day or use it as an opportunity to hone your skills. Enjoy the adventure. Use unfavorites to hone skills. Just use for ten minutes during unfavorites time. Skill building. If you find it’s not having any benefit at all then give it away. Don’t leave it in your space bring the object of your dissatisfaction 🙂

Box up the art supplies you don’t love and drop them off for your local middle school art teacher. They will be a huge blessing and will take the burden/guilt away from you. If the art teacher can’t use them in class they may know a budding artist that would CHERISH them. As artists we often operate from a point of scarcity thinking that we may need a supply in the future. Let it go and bless someone else now and open you up for future things.

A tip for using heavy body paints for paint pouring - mix the paint with a little bit of water or regular medium to thin the paint down a bit before adding the pouring medium. I have a mixture of heavy and soft body paints and they do play well if you experiment a but with water or other medium ratios.

Ooh...Sennelier Oil pastels...these are considered some of the best ops...I have a a portrait set that I haven't made much use of. (I just did a small size oil pastel piece w/Cray-pas SPECIALIST ...harder, but great blending, artist quality ops on heavy tone paper and was wowed & LOVE them now.) A couple of years ago I did use Sennelier's D'Artigny spray fixative made esp for op's on another piece I did with a different brand of ops and it worked fabulously. It's aerosol w/strong fumes and you do have to spray outside, but follow directions on the can and it will seal your work beautifully. There are other fixative brands, but Sennelier's version seems to have the best success. Cons: pricey and it (or any fixative) may change the colors slightly. 😊

1)my daughter suffers from migraines also-- might I suggest you include a reference to this in your title... might help a lot of ppl from making same expensive purchases of the products with odors 2) post and resell your products.

You can use the sketchbook as a journal for new art supplies that you buy and test out. I have one just for that. You can then use it as reference when buying new art supplies. That also lets you know what you tried and have not tried

this is old video but for anyone havign issue of smell art supplies but not wanting to waste them - try getting some mask with filter (like ones art conservators use)

Life is to short spending time with art supplies that you do not like. We all buy supplies that are not working for us - well, I guess so ;o). What work for one person might not work for someone else. Without buying though, we would never find the right art supplies that feels like a dream to us. Do not spend time on the art supplies that are not working for you. Sell them or donate them. Forcing oneself to use someting is not useful. Art should be plesant and someting that you love doing. Liked your video!

for varnishing, you might try Dorlands Wax Medium. It has a very subtle scent, slightly citrusy.

Get a respirator for using materials that trigger your migraines. Also having a way to get smells out of your studio in your case would be worth looking into.

Just watching at the part where you're telling us about the small "daffodil" book. You describe ghosting and not sure what u do with it.........what about using it for pastels? Or gouache (only)? Iv just found your channel so gonna hop around and have a look at ur other stuff x

I am watercolor newbie. I have a sketch book (not watercolor paper) I use to do ink square doodling. I didn’t know what came over me to practice watercolor scene study in 1.5” radius circles on this sketch book lol. They are so tiny that became a challenge, like facing a 12*9 paper feeling intimidated.

What a clever idea! I just purchased a Beechman sketchbook, paper is wonderful and thick but just too big so I tend not to use it. So simple and smart

I spray my oil pastels paintings with Krylon Workable Fixatif and it seals them.

Set a kitchen timer. I found this helpfull for momentum. Also take the picture that you are using as inspiration and have it blown up to 11in by 17in. A colour copy at a stationary store can be around 90 cents. When you have this it gives the inspiration to do several paintings, variations. Also the thin paper means you can use carbon paper taped down on the canvas . That makes it less about drawing and lots of time for colour.

Thanks. I do crafts, sometimes things that are beautiful but not for me are great for someone else. I gave some yarn to a senior citizen crafts group. Tina, Al's wife

Perhaps this has been said before in the Comments, but why don't you return them, exchange them, or give them away to someone who would use them?

I use some of my bigger sketchbooks to "paste" in with archival double stick tape smaller individual pieces of artwork. One of the bigger sketchbooks holds my gouache and oil pastels pictures. Another holds tinted paper.

I know people will get angry but I don't like oils or pastels. Both are messy, oils smell badly, take a lot to dry and I don't like the texture. Pastels look nice but they don't stay in the paper ... Only. I used fixators but It doesnt work. I just bought them because I was forced to in Art School. Gouache is one of those techniques that I want to love but I never get it right, the fact that it reactivates with water drives me insane (yes, I'm a watercolor artist, how did you know? Lol). But I adore gouache artists, it's so clean and vibrant

Just add water to your heavy body paints and the pouring medium to get the consistency that you need for pouring.

I’m also a migraine person so it’s good to know what brands are ‘smelly’ 😅

Where I come from, it would be so natural to put up these items for sale and there are discerning buyers who would grab them at discounted prices. So impt to declutter and not the stuff languish or 'go bad'

If you haven't already why don't you do a giveaway of the supplies you no longer like and want rid of?

Those of us with asthma also wish there warning labels.

I was given a sketchbook as part of a Secret Santa gift. The problem? I do not draw nor do I like to. I mostly use a light pad and will occasionally sketch if I don't see the sketch as time consuming. So I had no clue what I was going to do with this sketchbook, but I was super grateful for it because I feel like a lot of my co-workers just know me as the "PT student." It was really nice that the person who gave it to me paid attention to my other interests. Turns out even though it's a 100 gsm sketchbook, it is great for watercolor swatches for pieces I work on. I lay down the color I just mixed to see if it's the color I want. And also, since I'm an intermediate, if I'm not sure how I want to paint, for example, a log that's in the piece I want to do, I can practice different variations until I come across a strategy I'm pleased with. I have a watercolor sketchbook, but I don't want to use something pricey like that for mere technique practice.

Gloss medium is not a varnish. GamVar from Gamblin is more archival and removable.

you could just sell what you don’t need anymore, someone would love to use them.

As many people have said, you can sell or donate the art supplies and it will make someone else very happy. As for buying supplies and it just not clicking, that is just something that happens. Whether it is with clothes, shoes, or art supplies, sometimes we try something and it's just not for us. If we never try we will never know. You were brave enough to try things outside your comfort zone and it's okay if you didn't like them or they didn't suit you. It's all a part of life. Edit: Regarding acrylics, some brands do have a scent and even if it's not strong they do affect people with sensitivities. I'm sorry that the acrylics that you enjoy trigger migraines. It always sucks when stuff like that happens. Regarding the oil pastels, I support the suggestion of others to try Mungyo or Caran d'ache. Also, you can make envelopes out of wax/baking/parchment paper. They will help protect your artworks. My favourite solution is a binder filled with sheet protectors that I put my oil pastel paintings in. The Sennelier oil pastel fixative is another good solution, but please only use outside to help prevent exposure to the fumes if you do.

You can create triad color studies in the large book

wrt your oil pastel storage problem, have you tried using glassine? Maybe get a roll and tape a sheet over your painting (just on one side, so you can flip it up)? It's fairly thin and translucent, so you could still see what you have and it wouldn't add a whole lot of bulk. Can protect soft pastel work, too.

Can you try selling the supplies? let us know what you want for the products and I'm sure we can message you which items people want. /and with the pouring medium, they have paints you can buy, but I find them expensive so I just thin my acrylics out, using airbrush medium and it works great and is less expensive. 😊

The obvious answer for "what to do" with these unwanted supplies is to donate them. Do you have any local art clubs? High schools? That will help free yourself of the burden of relentless consumerism.

I only varnish in the spring/ summer because its warm outside as I don't have a well-ventilated area to varnish inside. lol Gac 100 I only use on wood panel. I have a ton of art supplies I don't use, because it was either a gift or I thought I was going to use them but never. I have to give them a good honest try before getting rid of them though. This was nice to see! Good to know I'm not the only one who wastes money lmao.

Suggestion for your big swatch book: literally cut it down smaller into 2-3 small swatch books. You will enjoy the travel sizes more. Tape before slicing to avoid splitting. Wear protective gear. Sand edges. Seal them. Walla. Not perfect, but your own tailed usable creation. If your edges become raw, raw out all four and sand the cover. Paint something lovely and modge podge over. Even more lovely.

I had that same Global Arts Travelogue (square shaped) and I agree with the paper being too porous for brush pens, I wasn't a fan. But I still got to use it up with different techniques - I'm stubborn and always find a way to work with crappy sketchbook paper :) so I hope you will do that too! I feel you with the slow drying waterproof ink... I'm impatient too and waiting overnight just won't do.

i love my shinhan paints so much please try them again ,the mission gold and art whales are all so great and affordable.i only found a few bad paints and i have lots ,magic fly and arteza were so poorly made .i play with my painting everyday and have for 27 years yes its a gift to create for the mind and spirit ,dont regret just find other ways to use them,bless you i just subscribed today ,thank you

Use the migraine inducing paints outside?

Re: GAC100, I have used it for years now and I have never felt that it has any kind of smell. I know that you are hypersensitive to smells and chemicals, but maybe your bottle has gone bad somehow? I use GAC 100 alone or mixed with water to thin heavy body acrylic paints, to increase their fluidity, or to extend them. I also use it in a 50-50% water mixture to wet dry pigments. It is literally the stuff acrylic paints are made of. About the Gloss medium: it is not intended to be used as a varnish, hence your struggles with brush marks. But if you’d still like to use it as a varnish maybe go the other way and try to thin it with water to a very flow-y consistency and then apply it. When it comes to protecting your finished acrylic paintings there is a workflow recommended by Golden Paints: after you finished a painting apply an isolation coat made of Golden Soft Gel Gloss diluted with water. When the isolation coat(s) are cured you are ready to apply the final, removable varnish. Details on dilution rates, number of isolation coats, types of varnishes, and all other info and considerations about this subject are in the following link: www.goldenpaints.com/technicalinfo/technicalinfo_polvar I hope all this information doesn’t discourage you, nor will it keep you from continuing to experiment in your art. Good luck!

A great way to get rid of some of the art supplies you’re not real fond of, is to do a surprise grab bag on your channel. Threw a couple of things in there and offer it for five bucks.

Yep been there done that, I can’t take smelly things.

We need more videos like this one. Thank you

"if you have a problem with odour, don't buy these.......Odour"----😂 same

I bought that same alpha series book but not for color studies but to use as a water medium swatchbook. It is perfect for me to have a central location when i want to see what i have in one book. i still have swatch cards in my palettes, but i dont have to open each one when looking for specific colors. This book stays on my desk along with my dry media swatch book for quick access.

We all make some "bad" purchases when it comes to art supplies. If I get something that I don't like, I just find someone I know who might be able to use it and gift it to them. A good rule of thumb is try for SMALL quantities (of gloss, paint tubes, etc) to check consistency and smell. In regards to the oil pastels, that's a case of maybe doing a bit more research on drying time and such before purchasing.

9:26 Just pull the nib with tweezers on that pen and fill it with Indian/Bombay ink… cheap and waterproof… those “disposable” pens can actually be refilled 🤗 12:28 Also with supplies you don’t want but also don’t want to give away…. They’ll look good as art in shadow boxes… you can make a cheat one by using the back of a cheap canvas… glue the paints and stuff on and make it pretty 🤗🤗

For sealing acrylic on canvas, I just use Mod Podge! It’s pretty cheap, comes in a few different finishes, no brush strokes left behind, dries quickly and makes the colors more vibrant. Only get the liquid though, that you brush on - it has no smell. The spray version smells horrific and lingers for a long time.

It’s really interesting to hear your thoughts on the items you don’t like 🤔 I completely understand about the soft pastels, sometimes messy materials just aren’t fun for some people

Thank you for the video=) I understand that feeling - not all the supplies click. I hope in 2023 there'll be a lot of nice and fun supplies=)

Okay, so I wanted to offer some advice since you asked. The acrylic pouring medium, as long as it's gloss, can actually be used as a varnish. Just pour it thinly and let it dry in a non-humid environment and you can put a box over it to slow the drying, so it doesn't crack and also keep out dust. Pouring medium does take a long time to dry, so don't be surprised if it takes a few days to dry. My other suggestion is to try the gloss medium again as a varnish but this time add water to it, that should thin it enough so that there shouldn't be brush strokes. I don't know the exact ratio, but Golden has a phone number you can call and ask a materials technician and they will tell you how to do it. They are very helpful and best of all it's free. I know you're sensitive to smells and unfortunately all acrylic has some ammonia in it, so some people can't even tolerate using acrylic and I have basically phased it out of my art routine. So what do I use instead of acrylic? I use mostly watercolor and when I want to make the watercolor thicker and use it more like acrylic, I use Windsor Newton Aquapasto, you can mix into your watercolor paint like an acrylic medium. What do I use as a fixative and also as a varnish that is completely non-toxic? I use something by a company called Spectrafix they have a completely natural varnish that does not leave brush strokes and has a beautiful finish and it's called Natural Glass. If you do enough coats you can actually fix something like Sennilier oil pastel. They also have a fixative that I use called Spectrafix Final Fixative and I can use that on my watercolor or oil pastel and then varnish with the natural glass product. The ingredients of both the final fixative and the Natural Glass product are casein, that is a milk protein, and beeswax. The spray final fixative does have alcohol and water in it as well. You can buy the Spectrafix Fixative as a concentrate and then just add vodka and put it in your own spray bottle I've done that before as well. I don't do large canvases, so I don't really have a large area to varnish, but for my watercolors I really love the natural glass product. Best of luck to you. And PS. I do end up selling the art supplies that I regret buying on eBay for half the price. If you bought your art supplies from a retailer like Blick's you can return items up to a year sometimes I just return them as well.

Those "too large books" can have the pages removed and used to make smaller books or pamphlets. Or just use the pages individually. Please give away any supplies that give you headaches - you don't need that in your life. Good luck finding supplies you love.

Strange. I have a lot of matisse and can't smell anything. Maybe something happened in transport? I'm in Australia.

To me the only thing worse than the chalky, filmy feel of soft pastels, is the greasy, staining, sliminess of oil pastels.

Donate unused supplies to local high school.

I want to say spray varnish is the best but even for me, who have a weak sense of smell gives me headache because it just stinks 😅💔 I'm sorry you felt disappointed with many art supplies💔 hopefully you find ones that suits you more 💖

Re:pastel paints - I’ve found, so far, at least, (and sorry if you’re already aware) Holbein has an excellent array of true pastel colors in watercolor and gouache and acrylic gouache (I haven’t tried all their colors, since they’re rather pricey.) I’ve heard both good and bad about Shinhan and never used them.

Try using a foam brush with the Gloss medium. It may eliminate the brush strokes. I hope this helps you. And look for a water based varnish

Tape off little squares in the book and paint in those squares. :)

I am so, soooo glad this vid came up in my feed, because I have tendencies to get migraines. But now I know that to avoid!

Gesso the poor quality paper, and use the sepia pen for your grocery lists.

Watching this again a year later...I didn't comment on the migraine triggering ...ouch 😖! I deal w/that some too. I've been lucky 🍀 with various color media I've bought in terms of odors. But if I use something one time and it triggers a headache or a nasty migraine, I won't likely try it again...but I understand why you wanted to try w/these lovely acrylics. Too bad. Wondering if you ever tried an electric desktop air filter? I bought one to use when I'm using pastels and they really do capture a lot of the fine particles of dust, (I don't like wearing a mask) and I think they may help with odors too? Not sure. The HEPA filtration (replacement filters are available) that most of the brands use these days is very good. Amazon has a lot to choose from and they're not that expensive. Mine is a Clorox brand and was around $40. Take care.

Sennelier oil pastel’s fixative work pretty well. I work on sketchbook and it protects my paint from smuggling

Shinhan PWC regular watercokor sets are gorgeous and great to work with. They now come in open stock.

I enjoy seeing these videos bc everyone might rave about something but doesn't make it right for you like you said its personal preference. But if a supply you paid for / have and dont like it for what whatever reason, make it work for you and what you like. The 1 thing I dislike about purchasing things @ Jackson's is there are no reviews,extra pictures and whatnot like on basically everyother site. Have a great day

Pick 3 colors and do several paintings using only those colors.

Have you sold them yet? I kno you submitted a while ago but ?????

Well, sometimes you just don't know until you give something a try whether you will like or dislike an art supply or tool. I have done stuff like that. I bought a whole set of colored brush pens and alcohol markers, only to discover I dislike them. I think if you really dislike something you could always give those items away, donate or sell them to someone who might like them. If you sell them you can recoup some of the money you spent. I donated my pens and markers. I know now I will never buy them again. As for your Shin Han paint set, it doesn't sound like you ever swatched them. The colors on the outside of the tube rarely match the paint inside; I have found that to be the case with many paint brands like Daniel Smith. Why not give them a try and see what the colors really look like? As for the smelly acrylic paints, I think that's the nature of the beast. Acrylic is a plasticy petroleum based product and they will always have a weird chemical smell. Buyer beware, but you like the look and feel of acrylic paints, maybe work with them outside instead of inside. I know it maybe impractical when the weather is unfavorable; it's just a thought. .

Donate to an art program for kids.

Great idea for video! ...so many frivolous choices we make shopping and not enough clear information from producers. Thanks for sharing!

The paper is good so cut it in peaces You like to work with

Just a thought on the gloss medium can you use a sponge brush? I don't paint with Acrylics (Watercolorist) but the thought popped into mind. Happy Holidays

I am so sad to hear about the Matisse structure smell. I adore those paints, but mine are older. I may have to buy ONE more tube and see if the new smell triggers me. :(

I found myself in a similar predicament as you did re: varnishing. I was very frustrated with crazing, sticky finishes, and brush marks in all the products intended for artists to use for varnishing - even when I followed directions. Ultimately, I turned to using “non-fine arts” products to achieve the result I wanted (a high-gloss finish with zero brush marks that dries quickly without any stickiness). I have had really good luck so far with General Finishes High Performance water-based topcoat in Gloss (it’s the one in the blue can; I believe it also comes in flat, satin, and semi-gloss). This product is intended to be used on cabinetry or furniture for a protective topcoat over water-based finishes. I have used it over acrylic on canvas and have liked the ease of application, and the results. I did multiple thin coats. I think you can have yellowing if it’s applied over white or very light colors, but check me on that. I have a painting with pale pastels that I varnished 3 years ago using this, and there is still no yellowing. But as with everything, YMMV. Another option for protective finishes which is great for a matte surface with just a hint of sheen is Dorland’s wax. My suggestion for this would be to go to Liz Chaderton’s RU-vid channel and see how she uses it over watercolor on watercolor paper. I believe you can also use it over canvas, and that you can use it over water-based or oil-based media. I hope some of this is helpful for you. It’s frustrating to create something and want to give it a nice finish…but not to be able to for fear of ruining your art at the very end with a last step intended to preserve it! And thank you for sharing your videos and insight about different products you’ve enjoyed vs regretted. I watched both videos and think I would like to try the Etchr sketchbooks, based upon your feedback about how well it accepts many types of media.

Medium is not the same as varnish.

I wonder if getting an OV filter mask would help with the migraine inducing noxious scents.

The regret in your voice! You are seen by me!! ❤

You can donate any unwanted art supplies to local schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, etc.