CATF Beginners Guide For Aspiring Artists How To Varnish An Acrylic Painting

This week, Team CATF would be delineating its tried and tested tips and guidelines for all aspiring artists out there on how to varnish an acrylic painting.

WHY VARNISH YOUR ACRYLIC PAINTINGS?

You might be wondering at this juncture that why do we have to varnish in the first place. The answer is pretty simple.

It is essential that you varnish your completed acrylic paintings because
• The varnish will protect the painting from dust, UV rays and yellowing.
• It would add a layer of shine that somehow, almost as if by magic, pulls the whole painting together and makes it look even more amazing, bringing out the gorgeous vibrancy of the colors.

WHAT KINDS OF VARNISHES ARE AVAILABLE OUT THERE?

• Varnish comes in gloss, satin or matte finish.
• You can mix any of these types of varnish to get the exact finish that you are looking for, but it will take some experimentation! Learning how to varnish an acrylic painting involves this kind of experimentation so that you get it just right.

ARE YOU ALL SET TO VARNISH NOW?

When you're ready to varnish, these are the instructions that you would have to follow.
1. Make sure that the painting is completely dry first.
2. Always keep a separate glass jar or plastic cup aside exclusively for varnishing
3. It is better to keep a separate brush too just for varnishing.
4. Rinse the jar in water before putting in varnish.
5. If you use a removable varnish and you think that someday the varnish might need to be removed for any reason, you'll need to apply an isolation coat before you varnish the painting. The isolation coat acts as a barrier between your painting and the varnish, protecting your painting from the chemicals that remove the varnish.
6. Lay the painting flat while varnishing, and make sure it's in a place where it can lie flat and undisturbed for a few hours while the varnish dries..
7. Dip the brush into the varnish about 1/3 to 1/4-way down the length of the brush and gently tap off the excess. Holding the brush at an angle, apply the varnish in even strokes across the painting, moving the brush in the same direction each time. Start at one corner and work your way across the whole painting in a parallel fashion.
8. When you are done, look at the surface of the painting from an angle. If there are any parts that are not shiny and wet, gently go over it with a bit of varnish. It helps if you shine a light on it, because the wet, varnished parts with sparkle in the light. If you see any dust or other debris that may have fallen into the varnish, gently and carefully pull it out using a toothpick or some other small, pointed object.
9. Allow a few hours for the varnish to dry, according to the time indicated on the package. Then you may or may not want to give it another coat of varnish. Sometimes the varnish doesn't cover completely evenly the first time around, so another coat will even everything out
10. When you're done, carefully and thoroughly clean the jar and the brush, and keep them someplace safe where they won't collect any dust.
Congratulations! Now you've completed your acrylic painting!


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