How to Seal Mixed Media Marks on Canvas and Panel - PRO TIP for Acrylic Artists

[@TheDanishPainter]

If you are an artist working in acrylic and mixed media you might have wondered how to use the techniques on canvas and how to protect and preserve the mark making on the finished artwork since it's not protected by glass. Perhaps you've tried spray fixative and it worked for you. But what to do if you can't or don't want to use any aerosol spray? In this video I'll show you three different ways how to preserve and seal your beautiful marks from smudging, smearing or fading. If you are using mixed media techniques, especially water based media, including watercolor pencils, pastels, charcoal etc. on your canvas you need to seal it in and protect it. You spend a lot of time and effort on your artwork so here's how to best protect and keep the beautiful marks you made. ►► Get my FREE GUIDE - 5 Proven Ways To Loosen Up Your Painting Style www.danishpainter.com/free-guide

[@Josephross-artist]

As an artist of 30 years working in a new way and needing to learn many new things I needed this video. Having watched a few “how to” it’s great to find someone who knows how to and then shows it works. I rarely comment, but I am also liking and subscribing. Thank you so much for these ideas. I am hoping 3 months of struggling may be over. I have a major show next year. The art is hitting its mark, but as we know, the pre and post work has to be done to create long term value for the patron. Thank you for this.

[@lauriebergren3791]

Thank you so much, Marie Louise! This was SO HELPFUL to me. I do a lot of collage work, and often draw around edges with Stabilo pencils or water soluble crayons. Lately I've been fixing those marks by brushing into them with gloss medium or Mod Podge or whatever other glue I was using in the work. That works well, and creates a nice smudgy effect... but sometimes I want those marks to stay crisp. Your plastic bag trick is going to be PERFECT for that!

[@TheDanishPainter]

Great to hear you are doing a lot of work Laurie 👏 I love collage and recently tried adding natural elements to some of my work - things like grass and leaves. There's just something intriguing about combining materials, isen't there?! 🎨

[@samanthasky4463]

Thanks, great info that I can put to use right away.

[@SusanMJB45]

Thank you for this excellent video. I had not thought of putting the gloss medium or clear gesson on by first spreading it on to plastic and then pressing it over the water soluble marks. I will try this !!! I have only recently found your KZbin channel and I am really enjoying your videos. I will go back and watch a lot more of them from the beginning....

[@TheDanishPainter]

Welcome Susan and thanks for watching :-)

[@mirnarichardsart8081]

Great tip. I use Golden spray archival gloss varnish at the completion of my work. This also helps water soluble marks from smearing as you’re not using a brush that might activate them.

[@edstathis7377]

Another great video Marie Louise. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and of course your beautiful work.

[@2PuppyProductions]

Mind blown! Thank you! 🙏

[@ZadenZane]

What lovely pictures, I wish I could paint like that. Is it not possible to just cover a finished acrylic picture in pouring medium? I bought a bottle of Efco fluid pouring medium months ago. It's very shiny which I usually don't like but it looks like it could be great for sealing in pencil, pastel and other marks if you literally poured it on the finished picture (no brushing required). I did an experiment mixing it with fluorescent paint on canvas and it looks like a glossy thick varnish. I'm wondering if you could use it as a final treatment to go under the varnish, whether or not you need an isolation coat as well.... What do you think?

[@diannelacourciere4129]

I use Krylon workable fixative but was excited to see that clear gesso seals marks on canvas. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. You are appreciated ❤

[@jenicaruana2672]

Great video! What do you mean by an isolation coat please?

[@pennyheeley2824]

Thank you.What a great idea!

[@stephaniemartel]

The plastic bag trick is very interesting! I will definitely be trying that. 🙂

[@annemichaut1883]

Merci Marie Louise pour cette belle démonstration ! La lumière est très bien rendue , intimiste et chaleureuse . Je te souhaite une excellente journée au Danemark 💕🌞

[@lulabelle33]

Great information

[@vickkiwalsh7776]

I use Golden Spray satin varnish with great success. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

[@jrapprentice]

Very helpful Marie Louise. Thank you. I'm not sure what you said about varnishing. Whatvwas that thing you said might be needed first?

[@DameVonBonDaisy]

This was so helpful!! Ty

[@maureenknight3863]

wow...awesome

[@debbiegarland7124]

Spray fixative works well and there’s no need to disrupt the surface or use plastic. 😊

[@jenniek4617]

Hello! I’m so glad I found you. I too create mixed media pieces and your tips are so helpful. Many thanks. I love your work it’s truly beautiful and inspiring ❤️

[@alexandra-gq5ws]

Thank you. This is very useful and helpful information.

[@juliekumble6841]

Thank you for another great demo!

[@rustyreview]

wouldnt a spray work better to prevent smudging? any you recommend?

[@KIPS123]

Thank you . Which paper do you use and how do you prepare your paper ?

[@margaritasilva708]

Great tip !! Thank you 🌟

[@alisonlyons4691]

Thank you so much for these excellent tips 👍😊

[@mumtazsamnani1237]

Thank you for sharing this demonstration 😊 also your both paintings were wonderful 👍

[@eastraversupplies7843]

Liquitex has acrylic spray varnish 🙃 love your works and videos

[@moch.abdulraufkristanto1268]

Interesting lesson... Thank you...

[@LavishHim]

Just what I needed!

[@bodyhater]

lovely, i used sugar and water, spraying it, that would be the more or the most cheap method)))) lovely as usual , many thankls

[@a.humphries8678]

Love your beautiful work!! Have you ever used spray fixatives to fix marks before varnish? I've seen other artists recommend this, just wondering how it does on paper. Thanks!

[@TheDanishPainter]

Yes I tried it and it works fine on canvas. I haven't used it on paper but I believe it would work just as well on paper :)

[@lauriebergren3791]

I've done this on paper in the past, and it does indeed work very well. I no longer use it because it produces so much overspray (and the fumes, of course) and so I don't want to do it in my studio. Last time I used it, I took it outside, but then it was hard to control because even the smallest breeze wants to blow the spray around and leave bits of dust on the work. It's definitely a good product, and it does work as advertised-it's just that it can be difficult to manage. I'd use it all the time if I had a place to set up a proper spray booth with adequate ventilation. So now instead I just carefully brush over the water soluble parts of work in a way similar to the way Marie Louise shows in this video. Her plastic bag trick with the gloss medium is going to be really helpful for me going forward. Hope that helps some!

[@a.humphries8678]

@@lauriebergren3791 very helpful. So true, fumes are awful. Thanks for your reply.

[@brackalack1]

I've seen people placing their work in a cardboard box that's fairly deep. That allows them to take it outside and still spray from around a foot away without the wind carrying off 90% of your expensive fixative! It's really stinky though so I'd wear a mask or cover your face.

[@fatoomgierdien2181]

Thank you for sharing your gifts of knowing. Fatoom

[@mariarowden3751]

Thank you. Thats so helpful

[@decea9380]

I wonder how a small foam paint roller would go. It would apply less scrubbing pressure than a brush and the soft foam would get down into the grain of the canvas.

[@lolitakaloustianyoung7787]

great tips, thank you. Please let me know if you use gesso on your paper or canvas/panel prior to painting. Thank you for your response.

[@TheDanishPainter]

Yes I usually use gesso before painting

[@lolitakaloustianyoung7787]

@@TheDanishPainter Thank you!

[@RobboJ30]

Very helpful. Thank you. Jill 🇬🇧

[@chrisperrydraw8940]

How would I seal a painting that has acrylic and wax pencil?

[@sundaysclosed]

Golden Gloss Archival Varnish is better then Workable fixative or fixative - and you will protect from colors changing with time bc it has UVLS - spray will aways be better then the risk of smudging your art.

[@JeffChorney]

Good tips thanks for sharing. 👍👍🇨🇦

[@mr-tg4xn]

Can we use a basic acrylic medium as a varnish. If it can seal colour perhaps it does not need a varnish on top

[@juliekumble6841]

I was wondering the same thing...

[@TheDanishPainter]

You can use it as a temporary sealant yes, no problem - but I'm not quite sure that how it would hold up in the long run. It might get tarnishes or get yellowish over time. So if you're planning to sell the work or keep it for a long time I would finish the work with a proper varnish once it's done. Happy painting 🌻

[@robmac5086]

Thankyou.

[@Merzui-kg8ds]

Where do you sell your works?

[@TheDanishPainter]

I work with 2 great galleries and I also sell directly to clients.

[@Engelhafen]

Have you had bad luck with spray fixatives

[@chriscarroll277]

Instead of using plastic to help seal marks, I’d think you can use a gel plate …I’ve used it to seal pastel or pencil work on paper successfully with matte gel medium spread thinly onto the plate with a braver, then transferred quickly to and then lifted from the surface.( your work is quite lovely,btw!)

[@goodbyerawlings]

I understand about the abstract elements of your acrylic, but if I’m painting a specific location what if I want

[@goodbyerawlings]

Not a reply! I posted before I had finished the comment. > to add a mark or a shape to indicate the location. An example could be a castle, a church or any structure.

[@goodbyerawlings]

Not a reply! I posted before I had finished the comment. > to add a mark or a shape to indicate the location. An example could be a castle, a church or any structure.

[@christinebarone2151]

Wouldn’t it be easier to just spray a fixative over the dry canvas?

[@lindajakub624]

Would kamar varnish work.

[@TheDanishPainter]

Yes you could Kamar varnish as a final varnish. It is oil based so you should not use acrylics on top of it but as a final coat to protect the work it should work fine :)

[@Blossom5278]

I’m painting with acrylic paints on a pencil bag made of recycled signs and I don’t want it to get smudged off in my backpack or smth someone pls reply quick school is tomorrow for me 😬

[@juliekumble6841]

Have you or anyone used this sealing technique on acrylic paintings on paper as well?

[@TheDanishPainter]

Yes these techniques would also work on paper 🌻

[@carolinereidartist]

Why not just spray?