Varnishing an Oil Painting
Katie LiddiardDescription
You’ve completed a beautiful, carefully rendered oil painting that you’re proud of—congratulations! Now there’s just one final and essential step, and that’s varnishing the painting for a last layer of protection after it’s completely dry. Artist Katie Liddiard demonstrates this easy process that you won’t want to skip. First, Katie says, choose a soft, medium-size brush (you can use an old one that you keep for varnishing) and have the varnish you’ve chosen in a container you can dip into easily (Katie uses Gamblin Gamvar, an odorless varnish for acrylics or oils that has a semi-gloss finish). Wipe off excess varnish from your brush and get started scrubbing the painting with the brush, covering the surface completely.
You’ll see immediately how the varnish brings up the color in your painting, makes it richer and more vibrant, and brings the entire painting to life. The varnish keeps this richness visible and prevents the dullness that you’ll see in unvarnished works. Keep the layer of varnish thin and move the brush around so you don’t get obvious brushstrokes. This thin layer will protect your painting from dust and nicks while keeping the brilliance that makes your painting truly complete. Be sure to let the painting dry (overnight if possible), and you’re all set. Your oil painting is ready to delight viewers’ eyes for years to come.
One of the last and most important steps in any masterpiece is varnishing your painting. I'm Katie Liddiard, and I'm gonna show you exactly how to do that. I have a painting that I finished about a year ago now that still needs that last layer of protection that the varnish will offer. So I'm gonna get a soft brush. This is an old crappy brush that I don't use anymore that is perfect for varnishing. And I have my little tub of varnish. I don't need a lot. I'm gonna dip it in real quick, wipe off the excess, and then start scrubbing in there, trying to get a nice even layer of varnish all over the painting. And you can see, once I do that, those colors that have kind of faded into that background, that oil has kind of sunk into the ground there, it's coming right back to life, and that will stay that way with that layer of varnish where otherwise it would go right back into that kind of dull look. If I need a little more, dip back into my varnish, and keep going. This thin, thin layer of varnish will offer your painting enough protection against dust, nicks and dings. And again, bring that brilliance of the oil painting back to that fresh state looking like it was just painted. Let that dry 10 minutes, maybe even overnight and you're ready to go. And that is how you varnish a painting.
Should we wait a year before varnishing as you did? If not, how long should you wait?