Varnishing is yet another aspect of painting that is rife with differing opinions and practices. Some people wait over a year before varnishing, others 3 months, some 1 month. Some don’t think varnishing is necessary at all with modern oil paints.
When I painted a coffee pot recently, I decided at the beginning that it would be a good one to try varnishing. The subject is shiney which I figured could only be enhanced by a gloss varnish. Varnishing is also supposed to restore the original richness of blacks and darks in the painting, so I used a black background and low key lighting.
I finished the painting in January and the paint layer is quite thin, so this seemed like ample drying time. In his book ‘Alla Prima’, Richard Schmid suggests 3 months is adequate drying time, or sometimes less depending on the thickness of the paint. This book is considered the bible of painting and Richard’s advice as gospel, so I felt confident this was long enough.
The varnish I bought is the gloss one by Jackson’s. Gloss is best for bringing out the darks in the painting according to Mark Carder.
https://instagram.com/p/BTy60A7ALNm/
The actual varnishing took very little time in the end. I opened all the windows and the door in my conservatory/studio as it’s pokey stuff, poured some onto the painting and used a normal diy style paintbrush to cover the painting. I then left the painting flat for 20 minutes to dry a bit before putting it on my easel to finish drying.
https://instagram.com/p/BTy7EkmAr0f/
The effect is actually subtler than I expected, so much so that you probably won’t see much difference in the before and after pictures. However, in person, the painting has a sheen which gives it a ‘finished’, more professional feel.
Let me know if you have any tips on getting the most out of varnishing.
