How to Varnish Your Acrylic Painting (Tutorial) 

Hi Roy. I did a painting, which was a commission 1.5 x 1m. i was scared of varnishing it cause of the size. Then I watched one if your videos where you used a car sponge. So I plucked up the courage to try it. This was a great success. it was so quick and easy. I can't thank you enough. I used Liquitex high gloss. I have given it 3 coats, it looks great. I have now varnished all my paintings using this method. I did about 30 painting in a few minutes. Thank you again so much.

You make vanishing a painting so easy. Thanks!!!

Holy Christmas, I know you must get this all the time from this video but it’s outrageous how effective this method is! Just tried it myself and couldn’t believe how well the varnish took to the painting. I was super intimidated to try it, but I’m amazed at how well it’s worked, you’re a lifesaver; thank you for this video Roy!

I have always found varnishing to be intimidating. My favourite old method was to spray it on which does give a great finish, but the fumes are pretty wicked so I have to do it in my garage, which means I can't varnish over the winter because it is too cold. I have tried brushing on the liquid varnish (because it doesn't have the smell and I can do it indoors year round) but it is really hard not to get brush marks. I tried Roy's video method and it is stress (and fume)_ free. This is the method I will be using from now on. I use the Golden varnishes and they work fine with this method.

Thank you so much for this information and demonstration. You’ve taken the fear out of varnishing! Great painting too! 🙏👏👍

Thanks so much! I love your painting it has my favorite color in it.

Thank you., Just about to have a go at varnishing my first painting - a bit scary- your video is very helpful and encouraging

This war really helpful, thanks a lot man!

Great Idea, I've been working much larger these days and have had so much difficulty varnishing large canvases. Wish I'd seen this sooner. I'm now trying to make a fix on one of my pieces from a varnish mess. Ahh.

Thank you Roy! I hate using a brush because I get the streaks as well. Love the painting!

Hey I know this video was filmed 5 years ago and more as a tutorial but i wanted to appreciate the painting :)). The colours are really nicely chosen, great job

Thanks Roy. I am about to gloss varnish my first commission of a large canvas and I was worried sick!

Thanks a million... every time I went to varnish the moment of anguish arrived because I couldn't make the brush strokes not visible and with your method they look spectacular... fast, without streaks and without bubbles, I'm very excited. The first painting didn't turn out so well but immediately after practice it's great, thanks for sharing your knowledge. How long can I keep the sponge in a plastic bag, should I wash it after several uses?

Your painting is gorgeous! Thank you for showing us how you varnish. I've used the small black sponge that has a wooden handle attached but I've found that I pour alot of varnish down on the canvas in order not to get streaks. I'm gonna try this way to see if I use less varnish.

Great idea, gonna try it. One question tho: what does “clear coat” mean, what product and app method do u use for that coat?

Great technique! Thanks, so much for sharing this with the world 🌎. Bless you...this will help countless artists like myself. 😃

Nice - I use a brush but I can see the brush marks - so this is great

Woo w colour collection is beautiful and music lovers painting dil chu liya yaar tumane bahut hi mast painting hai dil se.

Love it can’t beat experience. 😎😎

Thanks Roy! A very huge help!

Thank you Roy. It really helped out. Did you do more than one coat of varnish and if yes how long did you wait between coats? Much appreciated!

This works amazingly ! Thank you, def don’t buy a cheap sponge . Question #1 , do you just use one sponge for each piece , or do you wash out the varnish ? I kept mine in a ziplock bag and rinsed -squeezed out the varnish and then re-wet the sponge before using again. I haven’t found a easier method yet. Thank you ! Any tips on washing or throwing out after each use ? I kept finding small pieces of the sponge “just a heads up “ most of my pieces are very heavy textured and thick layers .

how long to wait before you varnish a completed painting?

Mu muralist did a job for me om my wall but the UV gloss protection that was used was the wrong one and it's super shiny can we remove the gloss .?.

Omg tha k you for your ip on the wet sponge!!! I'm always leaving streaks!

Great info. So do you only use a big sponge so it doesn't streak? Thank you

Just found this video! Great technique! I think this might be a life (and art) saver. But before I give it a go, I was just wondering if that Liquitex Professional Varnish is used full strength right from the manufacturer or if you have it diluted, say 50/50 with something else?

Can you do this with collage on canvas? I’m worried the sponge will ruin some of the glued elements. I feel a brush would be more gentle for collage.

Fantastic tutorial! Do you always do a clear coat before varnishing or did you use it only because of your pencil marks? Thanks!

Thank you for shairing but I need to know how do I varnish a Heart which just painted and would like to varnish it so it looks as though it stands of my Canvas do I just keep adding varnish to it or do you know of another way Thank you.

Do yiu just do one coat?

Thank you!

Great Information, thank you

Interesting approach- seems easier with a sponge

Awesome! With the clear coat. Do you use only 1 layer of it? ✌🌿

Hello! Great video..very helpful :) I had a question..How long should I wait to varnish my acrylic painting? TIA! 😀

do you use an isolation layer as well? how many coats would you give of the varnish? also can you recommend a brand of the clear coat stuff? sorry for so many questions

Nice 👌

Hello Roy I did a mural for my grandson on his wall 10’x8’ and want to protect it. I don’t want to use spray. What product can I use. Thank you

you mentioned a 'clear coat' applied before varnising. What is that?

What about varnish in the form of spray? I just ordered a satin varnish spray, I hope that can work as well.

Great video, thank you! You mention a couple of times you have a favorite sponge - remember the name/brand? Share please? Thanks! Btw, great paintings too - you have a new follower! :)

Is this technique applicable to any types of varnish ?…tnx!🙏💕

You said you first used clear coat because you use pencils can you tell me which clear coat you used . I to use pencils . Thanks so much I am feeling better about vanishing my painting .😊

Hi Roy, do you clean the sponge afterwards and if you do how?

Love this video! I have thick and thin areas on my paintings- will this work for the hills and valleys I'd have to cover? Thanks!

So the last several paintings I varnished ended up with these huge puts (I’m also reading about many others having the same issue on a fb group). How do you fix that or remove the varnish?

great vid, gorgeous painting! sponge method sounds great, i paint big. *what is clearcoat, though?* specifically what are you referring to? i love the idea of pencils and other media on top of a painting but had no idea you could secure it.

I was wondering does this also work on wood as well? How long do you let your painting dry before the Varnish?

How do you stop it from fogging

Hi, was wondering how many coats of satin varnish do you give your work and was the sealer a spray? Thank you for your great videos and for sharing you tips!

How long does it take to dry fully?

I've painted something I really like but I varnished it in a glossy varnish which I seriously don't like - so my question is, do you know if I will ruin further if I overlay the gloss with a matte varnish?

Also.. do you just keep reusing the same sponge for a number of paintings without ever cleaning?

Good video

Would you put another coat on when that one thoroughly dries?

How long do you let your painting cure / dry before you varnish?

Hi. Thank you for this demo. Learned a lot. I've been varnishing with brush and getting annoyed with brush strokes. I'll try this way. Couple questions... I use golden soft gel as isolation coat, is that needed and is yes can I use sponge for that? Also, do you only do one coat of varnish?

👍

Clear coat of what?

Do you have any advice for someone starting to sell their paintings? TIA ❤️ P.S. that guitar is AMAZING!!!

Why do these kind of youtubers just stop posting they actually have a good scope

WHY DO SO MANY FORGET TO CHECK WHERE THE MIKE IS? i CAN'T HEAR YOU, THEREFORE i CAN'T LISTEN TO YOU.

Hi Roy. I had a very important commissioned piece that I had used a brush to varnish and it left streaks. My husband researched and found your RU-vid video. I went back over my painting 3 days later with a sponge and it not only got rid of the streaks but toned down the over glossy look. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your wisdom with all of us. You could have kept this to yourself but you didn’t. I have subscribed to your channel. Your work is amazing. My husband said to tell you “Bless You!”

Thanks for the tip about pre-wetting the sponge, that's brilliant!!

I have been so afraid to varnish and you just totally removed all that fear for me. Thank you for this video!

I love the text painting to use for reference. Thanks Roy.

Beautiful painting! And thank you so much for this tutorial! I haven't seen anyone swirl the varnish before. I've seen some artists use a torch to pop air bubbles. Do you have any issues with air bubbles? Do you shake or stir the varnish before using? Thank you so much for sharing your art and your expertise!

What kind of sponge do you use? What material? This is extremely helpful!

The struggle is real! Thanks for this info. It was a big relief when you said you previously got streaks. It's so easy to think your hand isn't steady enough. Your art is beautiful, too.

You said you did a clear coat before varnishing? What did you use to clear coat and why? Thanks

This is awesome! Thank you so much. I'm very OCD so streaks drive me nuts. This technique will help so much. I have my first acrylic painting that I did with cheap dollar store paint that turned out really well. It is very matt looking, almost chalky and I can't wait to varnish it to get it glossy. Going to do it right now with your technique. I have since purchased professional paint and will use this technique on them as well. Beautiful painting.

You, Sir, have just given me years of my life back. Varnish days are my very least favourite studio time. All the time I'll get back just in the hours of procrastinating! 😂 Thank you!

I use a very soft cloth, also making it wet before and no streaks whatsoever. Will try this method too

HI Roy, loved the knowledge that you shared! One question, I was wondering if this technique applies to other fluid acrylic varnishes such as polycrylic gloss?

Fantastic. Thx. And that guitar painting is super nice! 🙂

Oh, my God, I'd love to see the Bohemian Rhapsody comic, which is in the background! Where can I find it? I have to google it right now.

Glad to come across someone else who likes satin varnish. Seems most varnishing videos use gloss. Your method looks worth a try.

Thanks for the reply and for sharing this process. I did put a second coat. It made the process so much easier while protecting our paintings. As you said I just made sure I checked with good lighting.

May i ask what clear coat you use for pencil marks?

Thank you! I’m struggling with brush marks and uneven spray, this is brilliant.

Wow. Never seen this method before! So, one coat does it? Where do you get that type of sponge? The guitar is smashing! Well, we don’t really want to do that. 😅

How long to dry or let the painting set before the finish. And how long to let that set before you can lift and move the painting without varnish running?

Hi Roy I wondered if you could help I have got do a commission acrylic painting on wood to go outside. It's 4 foot by 4 foot would you know the best varnish to use thank you .

Hey Roy you think using this method on a printed banner would work ????

A Gibson Les Paul is a work of art in itself.

It's nice to see someone who actually knows what they are talking about. Pre-wetting that sponge is critical.

Love your art! Does this technique leave any whorl marks when dry?

Hi , You mentioned at the beginning that to keep you pencil mark you put a clear coat. But did not say of what ? ..

Hi Roy Thank you for your video. I have never had the courage to varnish a painting yet but will give it a go after your video. One thing you mentioned is that you use pencil (Am I right in assuming these are the white lines I can see on the guitar?) What 'clear coat' do you use please over the pencil markings to fix? Many Thanks

Thank you for this. I used a different technique from a another RU-vid video. He said to use short brush strokes then go over with loner strokes for a second coat. You can still totally see the short strokes after the second layer. next time I'm doing this. It looks great! Thank you.

Got a commision to redo this cat table It's painted wood 2:34

Thanks for posting this video Roy. I was worried about ruining a painting or getting brush strokes when varnishing. After watching your video, I was really impressed and this is the only technique I use to varnish my paintings.

What if you notice you missed a few spots when the vanish drys will it disappear with the second coat

How long do you wait before applying the varnish? I found your video AFTER using a paint brush to apply the varnish because in a single stripe, I removed part of my painting.😱 *this is only my 5th painting ever... it dried for 72 hours before I tried to add the satin finish...same brand. How do you know when something is COMPLETELY dry? I thought mine was!

I will certainly try this. It makes a lot of sense. I have some spray as well for some pieces.

What kind of spray clear coat are you using?

Thank you! Best advice ever. And I love your painting btw!

Just found this and I’m now doing commission pieces. I use all acrylic paints. Can I just apply the satin varnish without a clear coat?

Thanks for the demonstration Roy