How I seal and protect my paintings - Gamblin cold wax and Spectrafix fixative

[@allisondawrant]

great video and beautiful art. thanks for sharing.

[@chantalverheijen3257]

Madaca, thank you for sharing! 🍀

[@pac2840]

Liquitex and other like products come in a variety of finishes. Satin would probably be closest to the wax. The thing I love about the wax is how much energy and life it gives to a painting. It isn't plastic. It's organic and it shows. I first tested it on two old (15-20 yo) watercolor paintings on gessoed Ampersand boards. They had been boxed up in the heat and had some fading, basically throw-aways. I used Dorland's Wax but Gamblin is great as well. Completely brought those two paintings back to life. I was amazed. The color is back and it has a very nice hand. I'm about to use it on some new work. What I"m not sure about is whether I need some kind of isolation coat and/or UV protection as well. Watching tons of videos to see if I can find an answer to that. Love all you KZbin artists who share with us.

[@jenniferclapp8722]

Thank you for explaining this product! Will be buying for my watercolors!

[@madacaphoto]

You’re welcome. I really enjoy using it.

[@poornimavijayagopalan7674]

Superb , Lovely . 👍

[@laurensalzman4773]

Hi there can you make a video showing how and what you use for mounting your painting on board?

[@madacaphoto]

Lauren Salzman I’m just now seeing this comment. I will try to make one the next time I mount one.

[@AnneGoggansQHHT]

If you gloss seal a painting and don’t like the gloss, go over it with wax and it gives a great effect. Then buff to desired luster. Keep in mind that wax does not protect from UV, so I spray a UV protectant first them wax. Don’t wax until you have signed it and are SURE you are 100% finished, as any additions after wax must be in OIL. It is good to wear gloves, as the wax CONTAINS SOLVENTS.

[@twosistersart6489]

Hi - how long does it take to dry after you wax over a gloss finish?

[@lynseyjohnson5159]

You've helped so much, thank you!!

[@easygoing2479]

Very nice video! You have a nice delivery which invites everyone to try along with you. I've added this cold wax medium to intermediate glaze layers, just to knock down distracting gloss as I work. Gamblin also has the wax pastilles which you dissolve in OMS and add to their Galkyds, their various alkid painting mediums, to do same. I'm finishing my latest painting soon and plan to use this cold wax as a finish.

[@madacaphoto]

Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the info.

[@art-in-the-wilderness]

couple questions: Can I use the wax to finish oil paintings on stretched canvas? And will the wax melt when I have my work on display at outdoor summer festivals??

[@emilyann81250]

Question: can I seal a casein painting with cold wax? Should I use SpectraFix first, on same painting?

[@twoyellowdogs]

I use a gloss medium-extender in my acrylic paint (later layers are a wash with paint+gloss extender medium), and so my painting comes out too shiny for my liking. I'm hoping something like the Gamblin Wax Medium will tone down the glossiness of my paintings. Any experience with toning down any acrylic paint glossiness with the Gamblin wax?

[@madacaphoto]

Terri Mando I used some over the painting behind me in this video. I used a gloss varnish and did not like it so I went over it with the waxed medium. It toned it down some although it still does have a little sheen to it. I just do not like the glossy look.

[@grandma.p]

Would you be able to get a sponge in dollar tree and cut it in half and use it to wax a water color and wax it off?

[@madacaphoto]

Pam H sure. The cheaper the better.

[@grandma.p]

@@madacaphoto Thank you. And by the way, how do you clean it after it's been on the wall and gets dusty? I assume you don't use Windex. Can you use a damp sponge?

[@grandma.p]

@@madacaphoto Thanks

[@grandma.p]

I'd really like to try this Gamelin's cold wax. I just spent $8.50 on a 1 oz. jar of Tim Holtz's distress glaze and I was only able to cover the front page of 12 5 x 6" watercolor Christmas cards and 14 3 x 6" gift tags. I still need to protect the middle greeting page and the envelope, which is also watercolor paint on watercolor paper. Is the Gamelin cold wax costly?

[@madacaphoto]

Pam H 16 ounces is about 20 bucks. The one I have here is four ounces and was about 10 bucks on amazon.

[@grandma.p]

@@madacaphoto Thank you. I tried the four ounce one and it is excellent. I finished covering all my Xmas cards and gift tags and quite a few refrigerator magnets (small watercolors) that I'll be giving as gifts. The jar is still almost half full.

[@helentymoshuk6459]

I used this for my watercolor paintings. After an hour it is still tacky. Does it dry to buff again?

[@driakos]

After you applied and smoothed it all out, it can be like 4-6 days before its totally dry. It will lose the tackiness don't worry.

[@babsie47]

I really can't see using this process on watercolor pigments. Wouldn't it smear them? Acrylics set differently, right?

[@madacaphoto]

Cat McNichol it doesn’t smear at all. It works great.

[@carolratcliff]

Cool. Does it give the watercolor a bit of a sheen? Or enhance the colors?

[@carolratcliff]

It looks like it did.

[@madacaphoto]

It gives it a soft sheen. It’s matte. Very low sheen.

[@skysettermobiles]

In my experience it brings back about 10% of the wet look of watercolor. I love the effect and have been sealing watercolors for over 6 years now.

[@carolratcliff]

@@skysettermobiles thanks for the tip! ❤️

[@grandma.p]

Can you use this over gouache paint, too?

[@purpleslippers8]

Yes

[@madacaphoto]

Yes I use it over all my paintings except oil.

[@grandma.p]

@@madacaphoto Thank you

[@twoyellowdogs]

Why is the sponge getting black? Isn't the pigment coming off onto the sponge? It doesn't seem that the "fix" is keeping the charcoal from coming off when you wax? And if the sponge is getting black (from the charcoal?), aren't you smearing black into the was and over the top of the entire painting?

[@madacaphoto]

Terri Mando all I can say is it works for me. It does seem like some of the charcoal dust is rubbing off but I do not see a difference in the painting. Another person commented to not rub so hard. Once over and buff should be the best method.

[@bonnie_nelms]

You don’t have to press hard and you don’t have to keeeeep going over it. Just go over it lightly one time, wait about 30 minutes then buff.

[@madacaphoto]

iamsamudra9 thanks for the tip. I appreciate it.

[@martaescobar7625]

Amazon has it the cheapest right now.