Varnishing Too Soon - What happens? Experiment Results 

i didn't think you would follow through. now that's some dedication!! thank you for doing these things so that we don't have to!

Beautiful what you've done my friend

I came for the follow up video! Thanks you delivered - thats dedication. Greetings from germany

No cracking... just what I thought. I've never seen a painting crack from varnishing too soon.

Hello, great experiment. But your paint is quite thin. I like thick paint. The art shops keep on saying you can use the medium that quickens the paint . I did find it made the color bleed and Miilky . I used acrylics when I studied fine arts but oils are lovely .

Thank you so much for your effort and time! This is really a good testing.

Cool experiment man. This is awesome

Did you use any medium at all in the paint? This is a thin coating. What if you have multiple layers? Thicker paint....

Thank you 🙏☀️

Huge thank you for this ... 💜🙏🏻

I varnished my acrylic painting in the first few days with spray satin varnish. It started showing streaks. Please help me rectify it if there is a way out..

Ur a great teacher

Great info good job

I need advice!! I waited 8 & 12 months to varnish 3 thick paintings and they are sticky!!😨😱 I used dammar, I did a thin coat and 9 days later they are all still sticky.😓😭

Hi.Thanks for sharing. What kind of Varnish have you used?

This helped a lot... thanks

Maybe it cracks if you do oil on wood because it's not elastic like canvas is.

I see cracking in weeks one and two.

Rothko 😂

Should've applied the paints much thicker, at least on one side for the experiment. The paint application on your board is much thinner than most oil painting (impasto, multi layers, etc) which explains no cracking and faster drying.

You're a hero

I have actually been waiting for this!

I think it doesn't crack because it only has 1 layer of color.

Did you use any medium with the paint? If I use a thin paint layer and liquin, would I be able to varnish much quicker?

Does this still apply if you use a medium like Liquin which quickens drying times?

This is one of the most valuable videos on RU-vid!

Words can't describe how happy I am to see this. Bless this guy 💯

What a great idea. Seeing and hearing your concise explanations is 200% better than just reading about this subject,Thanks for taking so much time and effort. WOW! Guess I will hold off on the varnish - darn! lol I am subscribing !!

Do the results apply to damar varnish only? Do you think gamvar would show the same result ?

I am so grateful for this carried out test! Although my recent works are heavy with impasto, so I could be waiting for almost 2 years to reach the point of applying final varnish (yet I will use synthetic resin instead or natural). I think only in archival qualities and less temporary gratification that could easily turn to woe. I have done and do myself some tests with good student quality paints to check their lightfastness, and I am surprised how well they perform! Another thing... Since you have varnished your test canvas with a low molecular natural resin, damar would crack, but not in this short period of time with a somewhat thin layer of paint underneath. It will also yellow over time, but that is 15+ years. You didn't have any cracks even though you have kept it in a harsh environment, for there wasn't any heavy impasto still oxidizing underneath the varnish that would have moved to tear it even in less than 12 months. Thank you again for the experiment, much appreciated, and stay safe!

what if im using liquin original speed drying?

It didn't crack because heat helps to dry oil, while cold air keeps is wetter longer.

Wonderful information for those of us new to oils thanks so much.

What about acrylic varnishing?how should I wait to varnish

There are a lot of variables that will influence drying to the touch vs drying completely. Oils dry by oxidation which means they react to oxygen and harden. Factors involved: humidity, how thin or thick you painted, fat over lean principles, earth pigments vs modern and synthetic, added medium, and substrate -meaning panel vs canvas. If you painted in layers using only thinner (gamsol) and no medium you would be theoretically creating a painting that would dry much faster than one where you used medium. If that said painting was created with earth pigments, and done in a dryer climate then you might have a painting you could possibly varnish without problems before 6 months. Everyone interested in painting should read Ralph Mayer’s “Artists Handbook of Materials and Techniques.”

Thank you so much for this!! So helpful

Meh, I live in a arid desert and my oils behave wildly different from anything I've read online. Many people say oils take weeks to dry to touch but I've found that mine dry within a matter of days. If a thin layer is used with a drying agent the painting can even dry over night on summer days. Some of this stuff seems pretty relative.

Thank you for the Experiment. Much appreciated... ;)

Can you re-varnish ?

Could you please update on this video? 🙏🏻

I believe cracking appears when an unstable or not fully dried paint is pulled by the varnish or topcoat which results in cracking.Another case is when the paint and topcoat are not compatible,thus creating cracking due again to pulling by the topcoat of the base paint.I am also surprised that no cracking appeared even on the 1 week old touch dry painting.i believe I need to test this myself on my works.Great Experiment!kudos!

For sure if in doubt wait 12 months, if you can’t wait use exhibition varnish when paint is dry to touch , you can still use a varnish after but still wait and wait be patient.

primary colours? why red instead of magenta and that deep blue instead of cyan?

Damar varnish cracks in time (not in 1 year), that's its nature, but as you said, it's a protective-nonpermanent surface that can be removed and reapplied again.

I'm ok with it not cracking. I didn't know this recommended 6 to 12 months time.

Because maybe it's a little thin paint was applied. Maybe try a little thicker sir. Because we cannot see cracks in a thin application .? Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks anyway for creating such video like this. Keep up the good works.!

What happens if you varnish a painting that has been drying for more than 8 months but decided to glaze the painting with Liquin fine detail liquid? After glazing it, should you wait another 6 months to apply the varnish or could you skip the varnish altogether. The glaze coat was rather thick. I wonder if anyone had experience with this situation...

Thanks for sharing . This is very helpful

I waited for it! Great test thank you!

I used to use varnish to preserve and protect my paintings but make sure you are satisfied with it because it is hard or impossible to alter or retouch once you applied varnish to it.

What do you do to fix the sunken parts in the black paint?

Wow!!!!! Thank you soooo so much!!!!

this is so useful knowledge thank you :)

You are so good, thank you for sharing 🌺

Thanks man

Do you think a spray varnish would be safe a bit earlier? A brush grabs the surface in a way a spray wouldn't do. Would the thickness of the applied paint make a difference? Great video! Thank you very much. Subscribed!

I have been wondering about this. Defiantly thicker paint would have made cracking like in the old master works. Thanks for the video seems like artist sell shortly after painting but I worried about this and was not sure it was valid concern. You saved me a few headaches I am sure.LOL

thanks for this!🙂👍

I was sent the wrong order of varnish. Got me wondering can you use varnish for acrylics for oils as well? What would be the effects either way?

Thank you or making this video and that very valuable timed experiment. Really an asset to have this done!

What medium did you use with the paint?

What did you clean you brush in afterwards?

I wonder if the cracking would likely happen if you had taken your painting back and forth from the garage to an air-conditioned space. I think it's the fluctuations in temperature that would cause the cracking.

Have you tried Gamvar by any chance? Also, how long after oiling out do you recommend varnishing?