What kind of varnish should I use? In this video I test out Gamvar Gloss Varnish vs. Gamvar Matte Varnish for my paintings. Check out my artworks and art prints: www.rickyhawki... Check out my other links: bio.site/rickyhawkinspaintings
As an avid Art Collector, It all depends on the Artwork. In some rare cases, a combination of different sheened varnishes should be used in different areas of the artwork. As an Art collector, I end up with inevitably older paintings that suffer from old and degraded varnish or in some cases none at all. Satin varnish is my go-to most of the time as gloss tends to reflect to much light and changes the overall painting's look and matte is just a bit dull unless the original painting was meant to have that sheen. Remember what varnish is for, it is meant to be a protective barrier for the painted surface from minor abrasions, contaminants as well as UV not to change the artist's intended work. For the contemporary artists today as the original creator it is very important to consider this step carefully as its the finishing touch and it makes a difference. I have seen a few artworks that suffered from the wrong varnish as well as benefit greatly from varnish.
@@susanweidman3525 Good question. Consult a conservator or art restorer there are too many variables to consider without seeing the artwork in person and I am not a restorer and there may be more than one option.
this is what I do as well. Same with frames. Scan it or Photograph it, frame without glass then Photograph it again with the frame. Then install frame for final archival prep
As an Art collector, I use satin when restoring Artwork, it keeps the art looking fresh but does not change the overall look of the painting from light reflections.
I use both matt and gloss, depends on the look I'm after. Sometimes I mix them for an in-between sheen. Also, try this. As you brush the varnish on, look across the painting at a very low angle. This will help you spot any missed or thick places.
Can you put glossy varnish on top of matte???🙏Someone please help because I’ve already done a coat with matte varnish and I don’t like it.. it’s also a bit streaky so I’m hoping that the next coat will fix it if I buy a foam brush
Ricky, a accomplished artist from New Zealand, Andrew Tischler, as well as Texas artist under Draw Mix Paint demonstrated how to apply the varnish. Mark Carder, Draw Mix Paint said that the blacks get richer which I think you were finding as well. Andrew commented that the gloss might reflect too much light as well. He demonstrated how he mixes the gloss with the matte to get a satin finish, but leans toward a more gloss in the mix. Great job your works. You are a talented young man. I look forward to seeing some more of your work here.
So...very good but my concern is that I've looked at every body pics n no one holds up the pics sideways so u can see the glare n no one says how many coats of glowwsy varnish u need. N no one answers questions either
Hi, thanks for watching my video, I can currently only speak from my experience; my pieces that I have varnished with the glossy don't have a lot of glare when seen in multiple intended viewing angles. The glare doesn't affect the viewing of my pieces until its at an extreme angle. As far as how many coats, I tend to only put one or two coats of varnish at the moment. If you have paintings that have thicker applications of paint, perhaps more coats are needed, but this would be once the painting is fully dry, especially in the case for oils which can sometimes take months for the underlying oil paint to dry.
I like how gloss elevates the look of acrylics, making them look more like oils. But love the suggestion from another commenter about toning down the high gloss finish by mixing the matte and gloss varnish together to create a satin varnish. I think you can even buy satin varnish too which is a nice 'middle ground'. Great paintings too! :)
So… as we've always thought, you need to just have a shit load of layers and some keep colours the sock into each other for a little while and then when they're right you pull the colors out. Some really old pieces can use some varnish, probably dust them or clean off the bullshit first.
Yeah I when I first started varnishing, I would pour it onto the painting, probably because I saw artists on Instagram doing that. I now dip my brush in it at apply it to the painting. Much better way to do it! 🙌
That 4K richness of the colours popping out... I think you need to alter your settings in post-production and then the magic will be plain to see. Those paintings are amazing, particularly as you were working in oils, which is like attempting painting in Marmite and jam! But I was going to say for the benefit of anyone reading this, if you're painting in acrylic you need a protective isolation layer between varnish and paint. I did some experimenting with different layers of different things and varnish straight on certain acrylic paints made the colours run badly. I'm a fan of matt varnish. I like it to look like it's not even there!
Gamblin recommends using a "scrubbing" motion with the brush instead of painting it on. You need very little Gamvar when you are doing this. Add more coats later if you need.
You should try a test where you use the gloss varnish first then the matt. I beleive you will get the rich colors and not the reflections. Cool videos.
Lovely video! Where did you buy the varnish? I am all the way in SA and have a friend headed from the states and want to ask for him to bring me some but not send him om a wild goose chase. Lol
Please I need help (suggestion)from everyone? Which type of varnish do you like most. Is it gross math? Which one looks more professional oil painting?
You shouldnt be dropping a huge glob of varnish in the middle to start. Using a small dish on the side and applying the appropriate amount is the way to go
