{"id":5150,"date":"2019-08-27T10:33:32","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T16:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evolveartist.com\/blog\/?p=5150"},"modified":"2024-01-03T10:33:05","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T16:33:05","slug":"how-to-varnish-an-oil-painting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evolveartist.com\/blog\/how-to-varnish-an-oil-painting\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Varnish an Oil Painting (Simple & Easy Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Learning<\/span><\/p>\n

Learning how to varnish an oil painting is an essential part of the painting process. (Photo by<\/em> Will Kemp)<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

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Varnishing oil paintings is an important part of the painting process.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve completed an oil painting, you\u2019ll notice that once completed and dry, the surface of the painting isn\u2019t quite even. It has areas that shine and others that appear quite dull and matte.<\/p>\n

This is where varnish comes into play to protect, <\/strong>even out and improve the aesthetic finish of an oil painting.<\/p>\n

Learning how and why artists varnish their work is an important part of an oil painting. But there is a lot of confusing steps and opinions online about how to varnish an oil painting.<\/p>\n

At Evolve, we keep things simple for our students. The process can be done quite easily and can improve and protect the final oil painting. <\/strong>We’re sharing our recommendations with you! <\/p>\n

This quick guide <\/strong>will go through the basics<\/strong> of what varnish does,  how it’s been used throughout history, and a simple process <\/strong>for how to varnish an oil painting yourself. <\/p>\n

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An example of before and after varnish, with the colors brought back to the luster of when they were wet. (Photo by Cowans<\/a>)<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

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What Does Varnish Do?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Applying varnish to an oil painting serves several purposes:<\/p>\n