A Little Time-Out 

Varnishing

 

Varnishing Supplies:

Canvas:

Your finished painting

Varnish:

In this Demo, Dina used retouch varnish by Grumbacher

Brushes:

Foam/sponge Brush

Misc:

Disposable plate or tray

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Varnishing

One of the great things about my art class is the impromptu demo.  Here Dina showed us how to varnish a painting done by our June Student of the Month, Nicole.

Dina used retouch varnish, which is a varnish that you can paint over after it has dried.  There are varnishes that you can't paint over so it's important to pay attention when purchasing your varnish.  She poured a small amount of varnish onto her tray and with her foam brush made vertical and horizontal strokes across the surface of the painting...

You have to work quickly as it is pretty thick and dries fast.  Make sure you don't use so much that it puddles or drips down the sides of the painting.  You can lift the painting and use the reflected light to see any spots that may have been missed...

Here is the finished product.  You can see how the varnish adds depth to the painting where the dark areas previously appeared flat.

On a different note...

Cheryl Kline Maintains a beautiful garden between the two buildings which is where we did this demo.  There is also seating and a fountain with lily pads that make a wonderful oasis to retreat to when not painting.