oils with zing

 

Oils With Zing

 Hello David,
I don't imagine you remember another face from all your students, but I took part 1 of your acrylics last winter at through the Federation. I've decided to take you up on your offer to email and request help! 

My problem is varnish. I have reread your Retouch Varnish column in the March/April 2004 Art Avenues, but it doesn't cover my question.  I moved from pastels on mat board to oils on canvas last year. My technique is to blend and feather all color transitions into seamless blends so there are no visible brushstrokes. A body of work had dried down for 6 months, in time for a show that is currently hanging in the Gallery. I hounded oil painter friends and Opus and Loomis worker bees to death about what varnish products to use and how to use them. (I should have just asked you in the first place, hindsight.) I understand the difference between the old resin based types that can yellow down and are difficult to remove, and the newer synthetic types that can be removed with solvent. Not knowing how to apply the brush on type without visible brushstrokes on the oil paint, I opted to try Winsor & Newton matte spray varnish. The result was as dull as the oil paint surface, so I then tried Winsor & Newton satin spray and coated the rest of the canvases with approximately 3 coats each. I began at the top left of the canvas and swept left to right, the way my husband would spray a house. The finish on the satin spray still came out matte and there is no sparkle to the paintings. It is too late to do anything until the unsold items come back home at the show's end.   However, there is one glaring overspray on the center canvas of a triptych. It is on the top left corner where the sprayer first makes contact, and it has left a darkened blotch. Although it is more likely the gallery owner and I cringe and the public may overlook it, it is annoying the hell out of me. Just before leaving home for the opening, the gallery owner asked me to try to clean it up, so before the opening, I took a jar of clean odorless mineral spirits and a clean white cotton cloth, and tried a gentle circular motion to remove the overspray. But with very little rubbing on my part, paint began to lift, so I immediately stopped. The overspray mark is still visible.  So, I have two questions. 1. Do you know how I can remove the overspray mark? 2. I like oils where the colors are almost shiny and sing. How can I achieve that effect, and with what kind of varnish, and without leaving visible application marks? (Or is my blending technique going to prohibit getting zing in the colors?). Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks very much,

Hi, yes I do remember you.  It is hard to put a face to a name sometimes. 

I checked out your website so I would have an idea of what you are talking about.  Cool stuff.  But there are a lot of issues here for sure.  You say you want your oils to have 'zing'.  Pastels have zing because they are almost pure pigment.  Oil colors will be vibrant too if you use pure pigment colors and do a minimum of blending of hues.  As for the clear shinny effect with oils, that can be achieved by using an appropriate medium.  For now I won't go into the details of making your own mediums but a good one like Winsor & Newton's Liquin will help.  Mixed with your paints it will produce a more shiny, transparent effect.  Then use a mostly gloss picture varnish.  I use Liquitex Soluvar or Golden MSA and mix the matte and gloss myself to get a sheen that is just right, usually 4-1, gloss to matte.  You can also try spraying the gloss varnish that you have and then lightly dusting it with a spray of the satin just to take some of the glare away.  Or, as in the case of your satin spray (3 coats!!) a thin coat of gloss sprayed over top should bring up the shine.  But remember, varnish will not make you colors sing, it will only make the surface more or less shiny. 

Remember too, that final picture varnish is supposed to be a temporary layer that can be removed.  So it should not be thick.  You should be able to apply a good varnish like the two I mentioned above with a brush without leaving application marks.  Make sure you use a good quality soft brush and add a little extra thinner for finer applications if necessary.  Then, brush over it lightly with the unloaded brush at the end to create a smooth even surface.  Spraying is always an easier way to apply a thin smooth application however.  So, one thin coat of picture varnish is all that is needed to protect your painting.  Three coats is not necessary and will make it hard to remove if the painting should need restoration at some point in the future. 

As for the blotch, it sounds to me like the paint was not completely dry before the varnish was applied.  That is why some came off with the solvent.  If a painted area is not completely dry it may darken when a varnish is applied as it softens the paint and 'sinks in."  You will have to wait a while before you try again, I can't really say how I would approach the problem after that without getting my hands on it.  Hope that helps, let me know if you have other Q's or need some clarification.  Bye for now.  David   

Hi David,

Wow, love your details! I've printed your reply and will be practicing on some little items I prepared for testing on. Thank you very much for your thorough reply. Based on your reply, I've got one more question.  And I must say, your info from the acrylic course has been immensely helpful in my approach to oils (not a paradox, I assure you), regarding purity of pigment and ‘not to dos’ in mixing, etc. I've switched from cheapolas to pure and expensive with my paints and the difference has been stunning.  To warp a Monty Python quote, “I've learned oil painting from a book.” You mention using WN's Liquin as a medium. I have been using 1 part linseed to 4 parts odorless mineral spirits. I prefer to work in opaque colors and not have any transparency. What medium would be best to retain opacity? 

Ok , you do understand that opaque colors means no shine, right?  You can of course still have the vibrant colors if you follow the 'light rules' I discussed in the workshop (see article on FCA website entitled “Light Rules”) but luster and shine come from using transparent colors and a glazing medium.  Painters wanting a non reflective surface in oils  use a bee’s wax medium.  It is slow drying compared to the Liquin but makes the colors matte and quite nice and buttery to work with.  Check it out at the art supply store.  Using a simple mixture of linseed oil and solvent like you use is a no-no for permanent painting techniques and may explain why your painting is not drying properly. You are just increasing the amount of oil in the paint, and it already has more than it needs in most cases.  the oil in the paint is a necessary evil, it causes the paint to dry slow, wrinkle, yellow and darken with age, so you definitely don't want the add extra! Get a good quality commercial medium from a high end company like W&N or Gamblin.  I wrote an article for the magazine in July/Aug 01 about oil painting mediums and good recipes to make your own.  I have attached a copy.  I will be teaching an oil painting workshop for the FCA in the spring that will have all of the usual techno stuff we have come to expect from me...  bye for now, D