Retouch Varnish Question
 

Help! I recently varnished a commissioned portrait with Damar retouch varnish and it left drip marks. I saw them as I was putting the varnish on but it was feeling sticky as I applied it and I couldn't brush over it. I wonder if my painting wasn't dry enough because the next few paintings didn't do that? Also, I did it outside and living in the desert I don't have to tell you how darn hot it was while I was doing it.

Should I attempt to re-varnish it and see what happens? I need to because I missed some spots that for whatever reason didn't take the varnish. OR - should I remove what has been put on it and start over? If so, how do you remove it?

Is there anyone out there who has had this happen before? It isn't that bad but when you look at it in a certain light, you can see the drip line and since they have paid for it, I don't want to give it to them until this has been corrected. Help! :o

Virginia,

It sounds like you put your retouch varnish on much too heavily. You might try brushing over it carefully with a brush with a bit of turpentine on it. That should redissolve the damar enough to spread it out more smoothly. Don't use too much turpentine, though, or it could take off paint. Retouch varnish should be applied very thinly; no more than is absolutely necessary to resaturate your colors.

Damar will eventually discolor, and turpentine or stronger solvents are required to remove it. There is the possibility of these solvents attacking the paint layer if it has not had enough time to cure, or if the varnish has bonded to it too well, as occurs when the varnish has been applied too soon after the last brushstroke has dried.

Virgil Elliott

Thanks, Virgil. You might cringe when you read what I ended up doing to it. I tore off a piece of paper from a brown paper grocery bag and gently sanded the areas that had dripped. Then I painted another thin coat of retouch varnish on the painting. It did help diminish the drip marks.

I had to act quickly as a delivery date was scheduled. All in all, it worked. Thanks for replying though. I have learned to add retouch varnish thinly!

Virginia,

If you lay the painting flat on a table, face up, when you varnish, and leave it there until it's at least tacky, you won't get any runs in your varnish. If you spray it on, of course, this might not work as well as upright, but try doing it at a 45 degree angle from horizontal. Then don't spray it on too heavily.

Virgil