How I Finish & Seal My Paintings

 I received this question in the Painting Life Facebook group:

I would still like to know more about deciding to varnish an acrylic painting on a stretched canvas since some people do and others don’t. Also I saw a video about using a layer of soft gel semi-gloss as an isolation layer( the jar says don’t use it for that purpose), then self leveling gel, then Renaissance wax to finish a painting. On canvas or panels? Necessary? How does it change the colors? If it’s to protect the painting, isn’t acrylic resilient? Seems like a lot of work and expense... 

Acrylic is resilient and it IS a lot of work and expense. Nevertheless, I tend to finish my paintings the same way:

• Sand and paint the edges (I work on cradled wood panels)
• A coat or two of gloss medium
• A coat or two of leveling gel
• A cold wax finish (sometimes).

First, let me say that none of this is necessary.A few coats of satin varnish give a very nice finish. That's all you need. As the questioner says, acrylic is resilient and as long as you use a UV varnish, your paintings will be fine.BUT, a few coats of varnish does very little to enhance your colour and that's why I prefer my finishing approach.The gloss medium really adds depth and vibrancy to my colours and since colour is a key element of my work, this makes a big difference. If you want to test this, try in your sketchbook or on some scraps of paper. Use the same colour on two pieces, then seal one with gloss medium and one with matte medium. You will see an immediate difference. (By the way, using gloss medium on different layers as you paint also brings out the colour and vibrancy).I like the levelling gel for the same reason - it adds another layer of gloss finish, which further heightens the colours. But it also smooths out some of the lumps and bumps, and I like the effect this gives. (It's cool to see a deep scratch through a smooth layer - it looks as though it should be an uneven surface and then it's not - just a nice little touch). It's important not to put the levelling gel on too thick or it can crack as it dries, so I apply it as a thin coat and then add another coat if needed.Finally, the cold wax .... this is the same stuff used in oil and cold wax painting. I use it (sometimes) to take the gloss finish off. It leaves a beautiful soft sheen. I apply a thin layer, leave it for a few hours, and then buff with a lint-free cloth to bring up a smooth sheen.I often don't use cold wax as I actually love the glossy sheen - especially on paintings with a lot of red. I also find it very hard to remove if I decide to go back into a painting at a later stage (mineral spirits, an orbital sander and a lot of elbow grease are required). But it's there as an option and I have used it on paintings that don't look right with the gloss finish.So that's my process, but it's important to say again that it's not necessary to do all this - it's just the way I like to do it.Here's a video showing how I finish and seal my paintings. I hope it helps!https://youtu.be/x435LhnbrzU&w=640&h=385If you're an artist and would like more tips, tricks and articles like this one, sign up for my mailing list. Every Sunday, I send an email with an article that is not published anywhere else. I'd love to share it with you :) Or come join us on Facebook, where you'll find a vibrant, supportive community of artists from all over the world.