How to varnish an oil painting with Gamvar 

i'm worried that the gloss may be too shiny on a wall in a livingroom or gallery? i guess if you do a thin coat its not like gloss varnish on furniture?

most artists here are recommending the gloss, so I guess I will give it a shot and see what happens. Great tutorial BTW

In galleries the lights are on the ceiling for this reason so that they don't create glare on the paintings. I think a vast majority of oil painters use gloss. If you want high gloss, (shiny) do two or three layers. Just one looks sealed, but not shiny.

+Martin l. Oh, Thank you so much!

Great minds as they say!

Yes I agree. I hope more people will see this to understand.

!!!!! I was about to use it for the first time before I decided to come watch some videos first and I most definitely was going to pour the varnish on top of my canvas 😬

+Darren Szmata Your welcome glad I could help.

+N. Ross Art if you would like to try to save it you can try brushing it gently with Gamsol to get the dust off and then Varnishing it. Sometimes the dust is really embedded but it is worth a try.

Hey that might work! Thanks

Gloss thanks for asking!

There are no rules. You can sign it however you want.

+Malgorzata Jaroszczyk So glad you enjoyed this and found it informative.

I hope this helps.

+Catt Vaughn Excellent! Good to know you are going to protect your paintings with varnish!

+Inktangles Thanks, glad you found it interesting!

Thank you!

Thanks glad you enjoyed the tutorial, and I had been a while since I made this video so I don't think I have record of what music I used. You could try using Shazam and see if it can figure out the music.

Months? Wow, why so long?

Emergency Drawings1302 oil takes a long time to fully ‘cure’

Gloss does create some glare, but it is thin so it follows the contours of the paint, so it's not like a huge white glare, it is just the higher areas. And usually it doesn't stay super shiny for long.

I have found that Gamvar stays sticky for a while. I do like to give it at least a week before packing it or touching it with anything. Good question.

You can use either, I have definitely had synthetic brushes that shed as well. I think I was struggling with pulling dog hairs out as well. I wasn't in my usual studio when I filled this so I was making due with what I had on hand at the time.

+Jessica Leonard I have built my own many times, I also have a carpenter who builds them for me. You can buy them at art stores but I think they are pretty expensive.

thanks so much! i just bought a pre gessoed panel at the art store to try and it was so slippery the paint just kept coming off as i tried to put it down! i probably have to gesso it myself too right? i really want to try painting on wood panel. thanks again! your work is gorgeous!

I have used wood panels and do an acrylic underpainting and it is less slippery when I use oil paint.

I haven't heard of people putting more than 3. But I don't see any reason you couldn't add more. But you would need to make SURE it is absolutely dry before adding another layer. You might want to look for info on traditional varnish rather than Gamvar

Depends how thick the paint is. If it is very thin it might be ready now. If it is thicker I would wait a month to be sure. It is better to wait so you don't need it up.

Hmm, that is a good question. I am not familiar with house paint materials for art purposes, but I would imagine a clear coat type of product would do the trick, just make sure your painting is completely dry. Wait one to two weeks to be sure. I have used the spray can clear coat before. It is not my favorite, but it dries quickly, so if I am in a rush I use it.

If you wished to "varnish" with a matt finish then you could order the Gamvar Wax - I think it should be OK by air. In the long term order some via sea freight (enough to last a year or two) The main attraction of Gamsol is the low odour and enhanced safety compared with other oil painting solvents (e.g. white spirit), which are equally problematic for air freight, I suspect.

Gina, Damar varnish actually originates in chunks of a translucent gold color. The Damar you purchase in typical supply stores has been prepared in advance to make it liquid. It might be possible to acquire the chunks via air? I used to purchase Damar this way when I lived in Germany. Although it is a bit of a process to dissolve before you have a liquid varnish to apply, it might be a good answer for you.

I have never tried a sponge brush. I probably wouldn't because it is difficult to clean Gamvar out of the brush, so I don't used a nice brush for it. I have had brush get really stiff from not cleaning them out well enough.

I believe Gamvar is one of the best for not yellowing but they all do to an extent.

I will sign my full signature on larger paintings too. But I like initials when space is limited. I write my name on the back. I guess I have always felt that signatures don't really mean anything. If you love a painting does it really matter who made it?

@@GuenevereSchwien Hi, any tips where (which corner) to write and materials to use (like oil paint or pen) if it is at back of canvas. Thank you

Yes you can you any brand of thinner.

Thank you , you're so kind, i didn't expect for a so fast answer

The great think about Gamvar is that is was designed with the purpose of being able to restore paintings years later. That means that is sits on top of the paint surface and thus can be easily removed, compared to other varnish. I haven't done it but you can use Gamsol to remove it. It will be tedious and labor intensive, but it is designed to come off. I have only seen it doesn't with Q-tips. I would make sure you do it outside, or get a respirator. You will want to be careful not to remove the paint, don't press to hard and of the cotton ball comes away with thick color on it then you are removing the paint. Good luck.

Janet, There is a video on the Gamblin site where a guy shows how to remove the varnish. I was horrified when the same thing happened to me using the satin varnish, but it was on a large painting. Using other varnishes, if one sees streaks it means it needs a second coat. Not the case with this one. On some areas of the painting, it also removed color, and I had to go back and rework the painting. I am about to finish removing varnish from the second painting whcih didn't seem as badly affected as the first. This was the first time I had used Gamvar, as the Sennelier satin I have used for years can no longer be purchased in the States. I may go back to Damar, I haven't decided. But there are a lot of videos available on Gamblin's website.

You can use it for acrylic but there are acrylic varnishes that will dry faster. I am not that familiar with them, but I know you don't have to use something as slow drying as this.

@@GuenevereSchwien thanks for your help

I want to know the same thing. Satin? Or glossy? I guess it depends on the look you want your art to expres

I used glossy. I prefer the shiny look.

I used glossy.

@@GuenevereSchwien thank you!

@@GuenevereSchwien question: can one use glossy AND satin on different parts of one's piece, or would that be too obvious?

Matte photographs best but I use glossy, and photograph before I varnish.

These panels are from American Easel, just google them.

I do not know the best, I am only familiar with what I have used.

That is to help get an even coat, it likes to stick to itself, so going very thin prevents gaps.

Gamblin states in their instructions that this a the correct way to apply gamvar. It surprises me that “no one” reads the instructions… 😅

LOL! I know right.

Gloss, thanks for asking.

I usually prefer gloss finish.

Also beautiful work!

That is a good question. I would be very careful about using heat with oils. Varnish is very flammable, also heat can discolor the pigments of the paint, it will make the warm colors turn bluish grey.

Guenevere Schwien that’s a really good point, I definitely don’t want a fire! I keep debating if I want to go with resin or varnish. Have you ever tried ArtResin?

I have tried art resign once and would like to experiment with it most. I didn't have a good heat gun so I got tiny bubbles in the finish, luckily I used an old study to practice on. I have also tried having an auto body shop do a clear coat on my painting, I really liked the look but it off gassed for several weeks, so not ideal for in the home.

+AkiraFist You definitely want to do it in a ventilated area. I do might in the garage or in a room that will not be visited for 12 hours with the window cracked. You do not want to be sitting in the same room at a drying varnish.

Sounds like you out it on to thick. If you follow my technique this will not happen again. Has to be in very thin layers.

@@GuenevereSchwien Thank you for your answer!...

I think you would want to stretch it first to make sure that the varnish doesn't crack when you do. If you are not going to stretch it at all then it is probably fine.

Awesome, I'll give it a shot, thank you Guenevere for replying!

+AutomHatter Your welcome, glad I could help. 😁

Yes. I prefer the glossy look.

+Tina Louise Garard The paint needs to be 100% dry, the drying time depends on how thick the paint is. For thinner paintings I would say minimum a week, if the paint is chunky and thick you might need 2 -3 weeks. Just make sure it is completely dry. Thanks for asking.

You can remove it with gamsol

@@rachelann_art2348 very helpful. Thanks👍