Varnish 1 1

[Peter L]

Hi all,

What is the purpose of varnish and it is good or bad on original art?

I bought an all pencil piece once and the artist instructed me to spray it to protect it.  I didn't do this because I didn't want to do it wrong.

I bought an all acrylic painted piece and the artist said he would return in one year to put varnish on it.  I didn't know if I needed that or not.  

I recall reading articles about the restoration of famous Italian Renaissance artists and there was the story about having to remove the varnish because it builds up.  

Should I be putting varnish on these things?

Thanks

[Andahaion]

In an ideal world, you (the consumer) should not be varnishing anything.  You will likely receive several discordant responses here, but there are several things you should be aware of:

• I would highly recommend you not put the varnish/fixative on yourself.
• There is a difference between what you put on graphite drawings and what you put on oil/acrylic paintings.  For example, I use Spectrafix Fixative for my graphite drawings.  It uses a milk enzyme and a formula that has been around for centuries.  But there are so many choices (for example, workable fixative vs. final fixative) that as a consumer, you'll likely be confused.
• Acrylic doesn't need a year to dry.  I've no idea why an artist would need to return a year later to varnish an acrylic painting.  Either there's some info missing, or the artist doesn't know what they are talking about/confused.  Acrylic is plastic, it's very durable and usually would not need varnish.  It also dries in about 15 minutes, as opposed to oil which can take weeks/months to fully cure.
• These days, varnish is basically a personal choice.  Some artists swear by it, others don't.  I've been told by conservators at MOMA not to use varnish.  You'll find a wide mix of opinions on this issue.
• Varnish can protect the painting, but it also adds depth and a consistent finish to the work.  In some paintings you'll find there are matte and satin/glossy areas.  A varnish can unify the surface.  True, it will also serve as a protective barrier, but it will also yellow over time (decades) and will have to be removed and possibly reapplied.
• I'm so confused as to why an artist would tell their patron to varnish the work.  Unreal.

If you're wondering if I know what I'm talking about, here is a link to my website.  I paint landscapes in oil and have been doing so for several years. I do not varnish my paintings, but there's nothing really wrong with doing so as long as you know what you are doing and are comfortable doing so.

https://www.justintworrell.com/

 

[ESeffinga]

While it is true that with handling, its possible to smudge the artwork, I would personally never spray fixative on a pencil piece.

I’ve never heard of a non-yellowing fixative. Even thought the art industry markets and sells them all the time. From what I’ve seen, pieces with any kind of spray fixative tend to yellow more over time than the paper alone, with nothing done to it. So sure you might protect from a smudge, but what’s the potential long term cost?

Put the pencil piece in a sleeve, and don’t handle it without care. Problem solved IMO.

Regarding the acrylic piece, that’s a different story. So acrylic paint is in essence plastic. It doesn’t need protecting. That said, depending on the type of painting, a clear varnish could help bring out the vibrancy of the finished piece.  If painted in thin washes of color, it’s possible the piece could look flat and dull. Adding a clear coat to the acrylic could up its vibrancy and give it a new life. Whether it needs it or not is really up to the artist and their technique and intent. What kind of varnish they use is a personal choice. Acrylic should have been dry within hours of it having been painted. The year later thing is weird for sure.

Varnishing oil paintings is another matter entirely. It is almost always important to do if you intend the work to hang around for the very long haul. The varnishes are mostly removable. And the article you read was more than likely referring to the fact that over the centuries, certain paintings can be revarnished multiple times. Often as oil paint dries (truly dries, this can take years. Even decades) the paint gets flatter and flatter looking. Using a varnish (there are several kinds) will give those pieces a nice luster again. Kind of like with the acrylic piece. Difference being, the varnish on an oil painting can and often will absorb into the oil painting beneath it over ages. And so it is revarnished. With decades of exposure to our ever increasingly dirty air, smoke and soot from smoking, from candles, from exhaust, etc the varnish layers get dirty. And eventually a restorer will come along and strip off those old layers of dirty varnish, to get back down to the original pigments beneath.

Varnish can be applied to an oil painting. If applied poorly, or damaged over time, a restoration artist can remove the varnish and reapply it again. It is not permanent I. The way that varnish would be to a pencil drawing, or an acrylic painting. The varnish can be removed with solvents, and the piece can be reinvigorated.

If in doubt of your varnishing skills, don’t. Get someone familiar to take care of it for you. Truly better safe than sorry.

Hopefully this is somewhat helpful.

Edited May 7, 2019 by ESeffinga

[vodou]

12 minutes ago, Andahaion said:

https://www.justintworrell.com/

Nice work. Puts the Florida Highwaymen that I was actively collecting a few years ago to shame.

[ESeffinga]

Yeah, those are quite fine!

I wish I still had the time. Color me totally jealous.

[Peter L]

Thanks for the advice.

I put the pencil piece in mylar and haven't touched it since so I think it is ok then.  

The artist lives in another state and brought the piece to me personally.  It was still wet and I had to put it somewhere where it wouldn't get smudged for a few weeks because it was drying.  I am going to frame it for protection purposes and not varnish it, based on these responses.

Thanks everyone!

[John E.]

On 5/7/2019 at 3:57 PM, Andahaion said:

In an ideal world, you (the consumer) should not be varnishing anything.  You will likely receive several discordant responses here, but there are several things you should be aware of:

• I would highly recommend you not put the varnish/fixative on yourself.
• There is a difference between what you put on graphite drawings and what you put on oil/acrylic paintings.  For example, I use Spectrafix Fixative for my graphite drawings.  It uses a milk enzyme and a formula that has been around for centuries.  But there are so many choices (for example, workable fixative vs. final fixative) that as a consumer, you'll likely be confused.
• Acrylic doesn't need a year to dry.  I've no idea why an artist would need to return a year later to varnish an acrylic painting.  Either there's some info missing, or the artist doesn't know what they are talking about/confused.  Acrylic is plastic, it's very durable and usually would not need varnish.  It also dries in about 15 minutes, as opposed to oil which can take weeks/months to fully cure.
• These days, varnish is basically a personal choice.  Some artists swear by it, others don't.  I've been told by conservators at MOMA not to use varnish.  You'll find a wide mix of opinions on this issue.
• Varnish can protect the painting, but it also adds depth and a consistent finish to the work.  In some paintings you'll find there are matte and satin/glossy areas.  A varnish can unify the surface.  True, it will also serve as a protective barrier, but it will also yellow over time (decades) and will have to be removed and possibly reapplied.
• I'm so confused as to why an artist would tell their patron to varnish the work.  Unreal.

If you're wondering if I know what I'm talking about, here is a link to my website.  I paint landscapes in oil and have been doing so for several years. I do not varnish my paintings, but there's nothing really wrong with doing so as long as you know what you are doing and are comfortable doing so.

https://www.justintworrell.com/

 

I knew by your collecting focus that we were the same age—only a month apart actually. You paint some really nice work. What are doing collecting ugly comic art??? (That’s me trying to lessen the competitive field.) 

[Andahaion]

11 hours ago, Jay Olie Espy said:

I knew by your collecting focus that we were the same age—only a month apart actually. You paint some really nice work. What are doing collecting ugly comic art??? (That’s me trying to lessen the competitive field.) 

Ha.  It's funny, I have an internal struggle concerning what to do about comic art.  I only have four pieces, two of which I'd qualify as "adult purchases" (meaning I spent a few K on each one).  I don't have "nostalgia" for any of the four pieces.  The closest is the splash from Batman RIP, but I was nearly 30 when that came out so I don't think that counts.  I just really like the story and the art.  I didn't even read the story of the Frison Wonder Woman cover I bought.  I do have a "hit list" of artists I do want and it spans the gamut...Kirby, Colan, Mazzucchelli, Lee, Jock, Miller, Aparo, N. Adams, Cassaday, Tedesco, and Coipel just to name a few off the top of my head.  Oh, and I still want something from Felix's website but I darn near miss every art drop due to my work schedule.  But, my first love is collecting fine art and so I don't think I'll ever amass a large collection of comic OA.  So, hopefully that means I'm not really any competition

[Artboy99]

On 5/7/2019 at 4:11 PM, Peter L said:

Thanks for the advice.

I put the pencil piece in mylar and haven't touched it since so I think it is ok then.  

The artist lives in another state and brought the piece to me personally.  It was still wet and I had to put it somewhere where it wouldn't get smudged for a few weeks because it was drying.  I am going to frame it for protection purposes and not varnish it, based on these responses.

Thanks everyone!

it was not acrylic then. Likely oil based

[Peter L]

4 hours ago, Artboy99 said:

it was not acrylic then. Likely oil based

Yes after reading these responses I think it was oil and I was confused.