How to Varnish an Acrylic Painting 

You’re welcome! I’m glad it was helpful!

I agree I didnt nheed them for your video, but I do sometimes. Thanks also.

Thank you!! I'm glad it was helpful!

Thank you Joe! Really appreciate that! Varnishing can be tricky and so I agree, patience is the key. I'll have to give that a try to add a bit of water to the varnish and see how that works for my paintings. There are times where I find it might be helpful it was a bit thinner. Thanks for the tip and I'm happy to share!

Not just super helpful, but also calming! Thank you, Joe! (Liking it so much that I’ve just subscribed.)

Thank you so much!! Appreciate it!

Thank you!!

You're welcome! Thank you!

Thank you!! Glad it was helpful!!

Thank you Sandra! Glad you found it helpful!!

Thank you!!

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate the kinds words. I'm glad my video was helpful in finding a varnish that works well for your sculptures. I've certainly done a fair amount of experimenting with vanishes over the years so I understand the struggle it can be. Appreciate you watching, and I'm always happy to share!

Thank you!

Thank you so much!! That means a lot. I appreciate you watching my videos and I'm glad that they are helpful. I'm always working on new ideas, so I'll certainly be doing more videos in the future!

Thank you so much!! I appreciate that! I’m glad to hear that it was helpful, and I hope that your varnishing goes well!

Thank you so much!! I hope the new venture into painting birds goes well, and I hope some of my videos are helpful!

Thank you!! Glad to hear it was helpful!

Thank you so much!!

Thank you so much! That means a lot. I'm glad my videos have been helpful and I hope that your acrylic paintings go well!

@@JosephKoensgen oh thank you. I did before oil paintings and acrylic is new so I only learn.But will see, as good as you are its long way to go right now. But it is fun and I have some ideas so will see :)

Thanks Brendan! Took some time, but the outcome was great!

Thank you! Glad it was helpful! I hadn't thought of doing a before and after when I made this video, but that is a good idea for me to keep in mind for future videos. I hope the varnishing of your painting goes well!

Thank you so much 😀

You're welcome, happy to share! Yes, because I work very thin, that seems to help with not leaving any edges. But then that also forces me to work with the smaller strokes, as it will dry incredibly fast when it's that thin. And I'd also recommend a good amount of experimenting with this kind of varnish to see what works for your paintings.

Thank you so much!! Appreciate that!

Thank you so much!! Glad my videos have been helpful!

You're welcome!! I'm glad that it was helpful! For this particular varnish you don't need an isolation coat, as it's a permanent varnish that can't be removed, so it's essentially like an isolation coat in itself. I don't use an isolation coat on my work because I had the same issue as you - I didn't like the look the isolation coat left. I paint on board so adding too many layers to the painting meant I lost the feel the original paint had, on an already very smooth surface. For removable varnishes that require a stronger solvent to take off, an isolation coat is probably necessary. Though I've been experimenting with Gamblin Gamvar without an isolation coat and I've been able to gently remove it without damaging the original underneath. I may make a video about that varnish, but I need to do more research and testing before I do that. For me varnish should enhance the painting and not take away from it, so I want keep it to as few layers as I can, while still also providing the protection it needs. I'll certainly be making more videos so stay tuned! Thank you!

@@JosephKoensgen thank you so much! This is great information. I think I’m going to get the same varnish. Will definitely stay tuned!

Thank you!!

You're welcome!! Yes, I've found that there's way less reflection or glare off the varnish with the vertical brush strokes, as most lights are going to be on the ceiling when lighting the paintings. If you've never varnished before, I'd recommend doing lots of practice on scrap pieces first, so that you have a good feel for how the varnish works on your paintings before going to your original.

Thank you so much!! The brush I'm using here is the Royal & Langnickel Flat 40. Something I was able to get at Michaels.

You're welcome!! I'm happy to share!

Thank you!! Glad to hear my video has been helpful! The Liquitex varnish I'm using in this video would work, but it does dry quickly and is permanent. With your painting I would recommend trying the Golden MSA varnish, or the Gamblin Gamvar varnish for acrylic paintings. Both of those have a longer working time and are removable if you want to repair your painting again in the future. I don't have very much experience with either of these varnishes, so I'd recommend reading about them and doing a number of tests before taking it to your original to make sure you have a good idea of how they'll behave once you start applying them. I hope that's helpful!

@@JosephKoensgen Thank you so much for the help!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@@JosephKoensgen sorry to bother u again....turns out I've used tempera and not acrylics 🤦‍♀️😅 do you know if the use of the liquitex you show in this video would do in this case as well ? I am really sorry..

Oh no problem at all! I don't have any experience with tempera, but I don't think the Liquitex will work because it is a water based varnish and it might make the tempera run when you apply it. And I'm sorry I don't know what you'd be able to use on that, and it might take quite a bit of research and testing to find something to use on tempera paint. Hope you can find something that works!

@@JosephKoensgen oh that's okay! I am still very grateful for your advices! Best wishes 👍👍👍

I still use the Liquitex, but have started using the Gamvar for certain paintings where I've adjusted my technique on how I use the paint in the last couple years. I found that when I was using very very thin layers like in my paintings with mist, (lots of dry brushing), it made those paint layers very absorbent and the liquitex was drying even quicker than it already does, making it really difficult to get an even sheen out of the varnish. So I experimented with the Gamblin Gamvar Satin on those paintings and it worked really well for them. They both have pros and cons so it was a matter of experimentation to figure out which works better on particular paintings. I would like to make a video on how I use the Gamvar, but I just want to have some more experience with it, and do quite a bit more research to make sure I know (mostly) what I'm talking about when do.

Thank you!! I'm working on hardboard, or what is sometimes called masonite that I prime with gesso and sand smooth. I prefer that to the texture of canvas for my detailed work. As for varnishing canvas, yes this will work on regular canvas. And because this is a final permanent varnish the only prep would be to make it's clean and as dust free as possible. Something like an isolation coat would be for some removable varnishes. I would also highly recommend testing any varnish on a scrap piece before putting it on to your fully finished work.

You're welcome!

Thank you!!

Thank you so much! I do think an isolation coat is a good idea if you're thinking about possibly removing the varnish in the future. I haven't done it myself as I've gotten the results I want without it. And I totally understand the desire to not ruin your work, I've done it a couple times myself when I was trying to figure it out, so I'd recommend experimenting with it and seeing if that is something that would work for you!

@@JosephKoensgen Thank you! I'm doing large acrylic, circular paintings and I'm about to varnish my first one! I saw one guy use a sponge too. Have you ever tried that?

You're welcome! I haven't tried using a sponge before, but I've seen a video about that as well and it looks like it works great, especially if your work has a lot of texture. It also looks like it has the added benefit of spreading the varnish around nice and quickly before it dries.

Thank you!! This varnish might be ok. However, because it's a water based varnish I don't know how it would interact with the watercolors in your painting. I haven't had any experience with varnishing watercolor, so you may need to do some testing with the varnish on them to make sure that it doesn't react poorly to the watercolor. You may also want to look into varnish that is specifically for watercolor, or a solvent based varnish that won't cause the watercolor paint to run.

Sorry to hear that happened to your painting. In a similar situation with one of mine, I was able to take a very fine grit sandpaper, 600 and then 1000, to sand off the chunks of dried varnish until it was smooth. Then I reapplied the varnish and that did the trick. It did affect the look of my painting, but not too much. So, depending on your painting surface you may be able to try that. You could also look into varnishes that have a slower drying time, like the Gamblin Gamvar, or Golden MSA varnishes. I'm planning on doing another varnishing video with one of those that I've been experimenting with.

You're welcome! Yes, you could use a gloss varnish over the painting to help even out the sheen of the spots you've fixed. However, gloss varnish will change the look of the painting, especially if it's started out matte. Gloss brings out contrast and deepens the colours. Which is great if that's the look you're going for, but not necessarily if you're wanting to keep the matte finish of the original. Something you could try is going over your fixed marks with a matte paint first to see if that helps. And you'd still like to varnish, I'd highly recommend testing it first on a scrap piece if you have, to make sure that it will have the desired effect you want. Hope that's helpful!

@@JosephKoensgen Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I will try your suggestions!

You're welcome! And it's totally understandable as you don't want to ruin your work with improperly vanishing. To this day I still have a few nerves every time I varnish. In your case with the mixed media, and especially pastel pencil, a fixative spray might be the way to go. It would help seal those elements in, and then if you wanted you could varnish over top, possibly with another spray varnish to maintain that same finished look. But, I would do lots of research and experimentation with some test pieces before taking it to the original.

Thank you so much! Glad it was helpful! I've often let the varnish dry for a week before I put my paintings in a frame. If you're using the same varnish I'm using in this video, it dries very quickly so it could be ok after only a day or two. So if you can give it as many days as you can that would be good, but usually a week or slightly less is more than enough.

@@JosephKoensgen I'm usi g Liquitex professional satin varnish. The lable is somewhat different, but I'm pretty sure its the same. One more question if I may. Its cool and cloudy today. Should I maybe give it longer between coats? Thanks again.

You could give it longer if you find it’s a bit cool out. The directions for it say to wait 3 hours between coats, so that should be plenty. I usually only wait an hour and don’t have any issues with that.

Thank you!! I think isolation coats are good for removable varnishes where the solvent would be strong enough to remove the paint underneath. So I think for ones like the Liquitex Soluvar, or Golden MSA varnishes an isolation coat is probably a good idea. For something like the Gamblin Gamvar, I haven't been able to find any definitive info that says you'd need one. That one also goes on extremely thin and I've had success without an isolation coat and I didn't damage the paint underneath when I removed it. The Liquitex Varnish I'm using in this video is a permanent varnish that can't be removed, so you wouldn't need anything underneath this one. I also like to keep my varnish layer fairly thin, so it may come down to personal preference and experimenting to see what combination works best for your paintings.

​@@JosephKoensgen Thanks so much for that nuanced answer. I've purchased the Liquitex Basic Gloss and don't anticipate removing it. You are the only person who used the overlapping brush movement; that worked great for the insulator. Now that I've spent $25! on the Gel Gloss and opened it, could I use that to create glazes? many thanks ~ your work is proof positive of how excellent your thoughtful approach and the underlying talent. Cheers, Diane from Exeter, NH US. I will try doing two thin varnish layers and eliminate the insulator.

You're welcome! Appreciate the kind words about my artwork! I haven't used a gel gloss before, but I believe you'd be able to use it for glazes, though it may have a bit more texture than say a gloss medium. Definitely worth experimenting with. I'm glad that it worked for an insulator coat and I hope that works well for future paintings of yours!

I think spray varnishes can be great, as it's very fast and leaves a very smooth even finish. However, it didn't work for my artwork because I paint on board, so any dust that settled on the already smooth surface was very visible after it was dry. For spray varnish on canvas it probably works much better, as the texture of the canvas won't show the dust that ends up settling in varnish as it dries. And if there's a lot of texture to the paint, then the dust wouldn't be noticable. Though you could set a filtered spray booth to be extra careful. Either way, I'd recommend doing a number of tests before varnishing one of your originals!

@@JosephKoensgen thank you Joseph for a reply, that makes sense, I'm still learning about all the things I need to know, I have been painting on canvas, and maybe my teacher finds it easier with students to use the spray on varnish. However, it's good to know that they are just as good as the brush on varnish for a canvas surface and that they are just another way of protecting my painted surface, thank you, and thank you for sharing your video. Cheers!

Thank you!! I'm happy to be sharing what I'm doing! And if it encourages you to start painting, then that's great! Art is certainly a journey, but it is definitely worth it.

Thank you!! For something like that, you may want to consider a spray varnish. And when you say sticky, do you mean that it feels as though the paint isn't dry, or that it doesn't have a smooth finish? It could be good to find out from the artist exactly what paint they were using on the toy so you can choose an appropriate varnish, or if they have a recommendation based on the materials they've used.

You're welcome! Thanks! Glad it was helpful!

Varnish can be difficult to work with in the beginning so I always recommend practicing on test pieces before using it on your originals. The finish, gloss, satin, or matte, depends on the look you want for your artwork. If you're unsure, you could look into a varnish that doesn't dry as quickly as the liquitex one, like an MSA varnish from golden, that has slower drying time.

Thank you so much!! I don't have any experience with varnishing over any type of ink, but this varnish I'm using is primarily for acrylics. It may work on ink as the acrylic polymers may not interact with it, whereas a solvent based varnish could potentially react with the ink and make it run. I would recommend some more research and then definitely experimenting on scrap pieces to make sure whatever you use works for your art!

I used water based varnish on my acrylic painting in very dark coloursand it got totally ruined. It was a gloss finish varnish. It worked on other paintings . I am clueless what went wrong. Also, can we apply varnish over imitation gold leaf areas on canvas.?

I use this brush only for varnishing, just to make sure there aren't any pigments or other materials that could affect the clarity of it. I don't use water for this particular one - and though it is water based, Liquitex doesn't recommend mixing it with water. So I just start into it with a dry brush and go from there. I do always recommend lots of experimenting and practice on scrap pieces beforehand to make sure it works with your painting to get the look you want!

Thank you very much!@@JosephKoensgen

I wouldn't recommend it, as there may be foam bits that can get caught up in the varnish. But I haven't done much with foam brushes, so I think it could be worth experimenting with one to see if it can work for you.

@@JosephKoensgen thank you for replying. Actually already did it yesterday with foam brush, it worked quite well and I had no issues. Will try it again and see how it goes. Thank you

@@GloriaQuansah Ok that's good to hear it went well with the foam brush! That could be something I should experiment with a bit more to see how that works.

You're welcome! Happy to share! Yes, this varnish is recommended to gently mix before use to make sure the matting agents are mixed in properly. In my experience, this varnish doesn't dry sticky at all. It has a hard finish, even if I have applied it a little bit thicker. I do know what you mean with other varnishes remaining sticky afterwards, and have tried some of the solvent based varnishes that do so. Those may have to be applied extremely thin so they don't dry with that sticky texture.

@@JosephKoensgenThank you for your quick answer! Your experiences will be helpful to me. I will try "Liquitex" varnish. I wish you a creative day and lots of good paintings.

You're welcome!! I didn't use an isolation coat for this as the varnish is a permanent varnish. An isolation coat would be used for most removable varnishes where you'd want to have a protective layer between your paint and the removable layer on top. In this case the varnish can't be taken off, so there's no need to put an isolation coat on before this.

Thank you so much!! No, I don't wet the brush, and just use it dry. For this particular varnish that's a final permanent varnish, it's recommended to not mix with water.

@@JosephKoensgen thank you!

Thank you!!

Glad it was helpful! Thank you!!