4 Biggest Lies about Varnishing Acrylic Paintings

[@KrystleColeArt]

Watch this video to learn how to varnish acrylic paintings! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXq1n3SDl8-Veq8

[@ilikecontent2327]

The Smithsonian currently recommends that you NOT varnish your paintings. I think that is good enough for me. Most modern good quality or better paints will hold up really well over time. I have dug out old paintings I did with student grade acrylics I did as a kid and are over 40 years old and they have not changed. Now if it will sit near a sunny window then yeah maybe.

[@jamesp8255]

wow. good to know!

[@billsart]

You don't need the insolation coat, that's why they are always coming up with ways to clean paintings. As we know a companies job it to create new products even if they aren't needed. Just say they are so people will buy them. If my paintings are around that long. By the time it needs to be removed they'll know how to remove it. I like using a high gloss varnish just because I like it. It also helps protect it if someone uses use a damp "lint free cloth" to wipe the dust off of it. Other than that it is up to you, varnish or no varnish. I say yes you should varnish for the reason I do, people may try cleaning it and damage the painting, if the varnish is on it, it will help protect the painting. I don't know about you all reading this, but I'd like my paintings to be around long after I'm gone. At my age my paintings will be around longer than I'm 😉

[@sugandhmalhotra]

It is rare to see such an honest video !!!

[@KrystleColeArt]

Thank you!

[@jannz1942]

So correct about all the differing views on isolation coats and varnishing. My conclusion is... it's just personal preference based on their experience.

[@haleypenman]

In all seriousness thank you for all the trial and error you went through to provide this to other artists.

[@RockDodger]

The timing of this video is so on point. I bought myself my first Acrylics set for Christmas. Thanks K.. Happy new year x

[@KrystleColeArt]

Happy new year!!

[@soarpurpose]

I think the isolation coat is if the varnish yellows so needs to be removed. I varnish paintings to help protect them. Easy to wipe off dust etc.

[@ZadenZane]

You say you don't use an isolation coat but what varnish are you using, removable or non-removable? I varnish my acrylic on canvas paintings but I do far more painting on paper with acrylic ink, airbrush paint (applied with a brush), fluid acrylics and acrylic gouache. These are usually halfway between a drawing and a full painting and I never varnish these, they go in a frame behind glass. When I do varnish I always put on 3-4 coats of acrylic gloss medium thinned 2:1 medium to water as an isolation layer. This is where the brushstrokes can show up, in my experience. I apply it with a foam brush. The water thins down the gloopiness so much that any bubbles have disappeared long before it dries. Then I wait a week and paff on a couple of coats of matt spray varnish. When this is done you can barely see anything has been done to the picture, which is the way I want it. I only varnish for protection. The way I see it, a varnish on acrylic is like the glass in front of a watercolour. It needs to be removable in case food, drink, paint, chemicals or other crap get on it , that's the whole point of it being there. I don't know if a painting is going to be loved 500 years from now but maybe it will be. I can't see the point of not protecting a picture when it's so easy to do.

[@Colorburstbaby]

This video was SO helpful! Thank you 🥰

[@KrystleColeArt]

You’re welcome 🎨

[@GinaSian]

Thank you for sharing these tips. I was intimidated by all the brush application precautions so I just opted for a spray varnish. But now I want to reuse that surface and paint over it. Have you painted over varnished acrylic? Any recommendations? I’m thinking of just sanding and applying gesso.

[@KrystleColeArt]

I’ve never painted over an entire painting that I already varnished, but I have painted over areas that were varnished in a mixed media work. And the paint seem to stick to it just fine. So I would tend to think that you could paint over it without sanding it off, but not sure…

[@GinaSian]

@@KrystleColeArt thank you! It will be a fun experiment. :)

[@akosighalo1469]

i think the only time you'd need an isolation coat is if you paint w/ diluted acrylic with water bc it will come off if u would need to clean it later w soap and water. i have a painting that i really like and regret putting isolation coat and varnish on it. it ruined🥲

[@The666SHOW]

thank you so much, you’re so honest n real

[@nseemal.ro7210]

Does the varnish stays sticky for ever? I have a small handmade business, I tried to make a wooden coasters, paint on them with acrylic and varnish them to be functional, the problem is that the varnish seems like it's dry, but when I put the hot cup on it the cup picks up the coaster, and if there are some drops of liquid it sticks even more, I am very frustrated, what can I do?

[@KrystleColeArt]

I honestly don’t know, I don’t make items on wood that are used for functional purposes like coasters. Maybe you could try using resin rather than varnish? I’m not sure.

[@nseemal.ro7210]

@@KrystleColeArt I will probably try it out, thanks for your response. 💛

[@tonkysue207]

You have answered a question...thank you 💜uk

[@jrmontarbo6555]

Hi! Great videos on how to varnish! I am new to it and I have a question maybe you can help with. Why does the varnish make the dry paint reactivate and start to bleed? Thank you for you videos!

[@KrystleColeArt]

It shouldn’t, never had it do that. Maybe let your painting dry for longer.

[@blackswan7033]

@@KrystleColeArtmine did, and it was completely dry. My brush would pick up some of the colors of the painting when I apply the varnish

[@dianecharest8365]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@fn6110]

After applying the varnish it is impossible to make very small corrections to the acrylic painting, right? Thanks you.

[@KrystleColeArt]

You can if it’s a small correction, I wouldn’t completely repaint everything over the varnish, though. But then after you touch it up, revarnish those areas.

[@fn6110]

​@@KrystleColeArtThanks you.

[@haleypenman]

1:58 Listen here… you woman of talent, you make me wanna buy one of your paintings and send it out into space with a perfect trajectory, not to ever run into anything… so that it will outlive the earth and you’ll eat your words, lady. 💅🎨🖌️

[@KrystleColeArt]

lol 😂

[@andyburrows5430]

I’m confused. If you use varnish with no isolation coat, you can’t safely remove the varnish. And varnish is supposed to be removed and replaced after 5-10 years, so they say. Does anyone really do that? I don’t know. But if the varnish is yellowing in 15-20 years, your painting is ruined. Right? So it seems best practice is either no isolation coat and no varnish, or yes to both. Or maybe yes isolation coat to seal and protect and saturate colors, with no varnish. But NOT varnish without isolation coat.

[@KrystleColeArt]

According to liquitex , their varnishes are archival. So it will not yellow overtime. Or at least it should not. Other sources on the Internet, save it most other modern varnishes will also not yellow overtime.

[@mgorange]

Loved this video. Great job

[@Mike-su2xg]

Thank you. This helped. God bless

[@void_design_studio]

Do you also do varnish on art prints?

[@KrystleColeArt]

Canvas prints, but not paper, you can varnish paper though. let’s say you are adhering it to a wood board for mounting or something. But I don’t usually do that.

[@void_design_studio]

@@KrystleColeArt hmmm... actually we got a printer Epson L18050 it's an A3+ printer but it has dye based ink now our art prints are not at all waterproof....so you have said in your videos you go with pigment ink I just want to know that are pigment inks shiny? Like some of the prints which we got from the printing press, the prints inks are shiny specially black color so just need to know that cause we want to print out artwork majorly Thank you✨

[@KrystleColeArt]

The ink on my Epson surecolor printers, which are all pigment ink printers, are not shiny. They're only shiny if you print on glossy or luster paper. But that it the paper that is giving it shine, not the ink. The thing to be more concerned about than shine, is the fact that dye based printers are not archival. So eventually, after a few years, maybe 5-10, your prints will start to fade and become less vibrant. Customers will not be happy about this. That's why archival ink and paper are a must. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKWWeX-CiaxgrcU

[@void_design_studio]

@@KrystleColeArt okay thank you so much for your advice it really helped💗

[@stevesteindorf2501]

Varnishing is so tough. Lots of ways to ruin art. Spraying is the only way, but who wants all the expense and set up for that mess!? We need a company that will varnish our art for a fee.

[@paulohenriquearaujofaria7306]

You are cool!

[@JoeyBrosnan]

Thank you

[@YeahRightMCD]

Do you sell originals without varnish?

[@KrystleColeArt]

Yes, many of the originals I sell are not varnished

[@YeahRightMCD]

@NeuroSoup Interesting! I've just always varnished. But I definitely don't go crazy like some people do. 2 coats with some spray stuff, 5 mins between coats. Mostly for light protection, and since I'm I'm the PNW, moisture protection 🤣

[@nk9429]

I use a foam brush and it creates SO MANY bubbles. If you want to get rid of bubbles, use a small blow torch and few inches away from the painting. 100% gone after that.

[@KrystleColeArt]

Interesting, I’ve never tried that on any of my paintings, would be afraid to damage them with the heat. But good to know it works if bubbles do occur.

[@user_19]

what happened to your OG vids from like 10 years ago

[@KrystleColeArt]

I don’t make videos on that topic anymoreon here, but you can’t find all the old drug harm, reduction videos and trip reports in my Patreon. Link to that is in the description of the video or my KZbin about page😁

[@user_19]

@@KrystleColeArt dope, u are a KZbin legend

[@chansondecinco-tw4yv]

You are cool

[@34JOSH212]

Such a nice beautiful soul , thank you so much for informative content, you won sub 🤗

[@KrystleColeArt]

Thanks for subbing!