Acrylic-styrene varnish for painting: properties, manufacturer, reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Oil paint is one of the most difficult mediums for painting. It is not enough to be able to paint a picture well and with high quality, you also need to properly prepare the canvas, select brushes and paints, process the palette, dilute the "tee" thinner in the correct proportions and, most importantly, fix the work. These rules apply primarily to oil, but in some cases will also apply to other materials.

Why pin work

Varnishing ensures the long life of the painting. This saves it from fading deformation, cracks, chips and paint peeling off the canvas. Fix the picture with top coat. How long it will last in its most presentable form without damage depends on this.

Painting varnish creates a protective film, most often glossy, but not always. In addition to protecting against exposure to temperature, light, moisture, cracks and shedding, it saves from dust, leaving the picture bright. It is much easier to remove dirt and dirt from a varnished surface. They cannot harm or distortpaint and coating properties.

In addition to protection, varnish can also improve the picture - make the colors fresher and brighter, and the coating more uniform and pleasing to the eye. It is he who gives the work an element of completeness. An unvarnished painting does not fit the culture of submission.

Varieties of varnishes

They are:

• Pistachio varnish.
• Dammar (including fir).
• Acrylic-styrene varnish.
• Fixative.
• Retouched.

How to choose the right polish

You should choose based on your goals. To do this, you need to know what each of the varieties is good for. Topcoats are needed to protect the painting, applied after work.

Pistachio lacquer is made from pistachio resin. It has many advantages: it is durable, fits tightly with an invisible layer, does not become cloudy and does not change color over time. In addition, it is natural and non-toxic. The only serious disadvantages of pistachio lacquer is the very high price. It's also rare in art stores.

Dammar lacquer (including fir) is the most popular option among art students in the first years of colleges and academies. It reliably protects the work from dust and damage, and at the same time it is very cheap. Dammar varnish is bad in that over time it acquires a yellowish tint, which will certainly be superimposed on the picture. However, this property can be used to your advantage.

Acryl-styrene varnish has a synthetic base, due to which it hashigh water repellency. In addition, it lays down tightly and evenly, dries quickly, behaves predictably, does not change color, does not become cloudy and protects against dust.

Fixative fixes works made with dry, crumbling materials: pastel, charcoal, dry sauce, sanguine and others. It is lighter than other types, applies in a thin light film and protects against shedding and smearing.

Retouch varnish - diluting. It is not used to protect the painting, but to dissolve the previous coating without damaging the paint layer, and continue working on it.

Varnishes are not only glossy, but also matte, which do not glare in the light. They differ from glossy ones in that they are not able to make colors cleaner and richer or somehow change their properties. To test the varnish, you need to apply it on a smooth surface. A good coating should go on evenly and not be tacky when dry.

According to reviews of acrylic-styrene varnish, it is the most effective for protecting paintings. It is the most balanced in terms of price - quality, and it can often be found on the shelves of shops for artists.

Fixative varnish properties

Compared to other top coats, it dries softer and has a lighter texture so it doesn't weigh down the paper it's applied on. In contrast to traditional top coats, it does not crack if the shape is slightly deformed. It seems to stick particles of dry material to the sheet and forms a protective film.

Fixative - almost imperceptible, but apart fromwhat reliably protects against shedding, it also allows you to clean the work from dust, stains and dirt without loss and lubrication of the material.

Retouch varnish properties

Its feature is that it is needed not to protect the paintings, but to dissolve the already applied layer of coating material. Retouching varnish thins the coating and allows you to correct the work. In addition, it improves the setting of already applied oil paint with a new layer.

It is believed that a cut of a garlic clove can sometimes do the thinning task of touch-up varnish, but it may not be as effective and will leave a peculiar smell.

Acrylic-styrene varnish: properties

This cover material also has its own characteristics and differences from classic dammar and resin.

Like a fixative, acrylic styrene lacquer does not form a crust, but a transparent flexible film, so it can be applied between coats for better adhesion to extend the life of the painting.

It can be used when working with different materials: oil paints, acrylics and tempera. If desired, it can be removed from the surface of the painting with a special solvent or white spirit.

In addition, acrylic-styrene varnish has a powerful water-repellent effect, protecting the paint layer from moisture, due to which it can become damp, dull and fall off.

You can apply the coating only after the paint has completely dried, the varnish itself seizes and hardens within a day.

Besides the usual bubble, instores sell acrylic-styrene varnish in the form of an aerosol.

Brand Makers

Usually varnishes are produced by the same manufacturers that sell paints. This is a budget "Sonnet" or a little better - "Reeves". A little more expensive is "Master Class" and varnishes from various foreign manufacturers. These include "Amsterdam", "Galeria" or "Vallejo".

In particular, the best acrylic-styrene varnish "Nevskaya palitra" is produced in Russia. This is a manufacturer from St. Petersburg, producing several lines, including the aforementioned "Sonnet", the well-known "Master Class" and "Ladoga".

Varnishes are most often sold in 120 ml bottles or in aerosols, as in the case of fixative and acrylic-styrene, 210 ml each. Bubbles in stores for artists cost an average of about 200-350 rubles. It depends on the type of varnish, its ingredients and manufacturer.

In classical art, which includes painting, a detailed approach is important. Poor quality materials, skipping any stage of the process, neglect of tools - all this will affect the final product. Paints must be carefully selected, having studied their properties in advance, evenly stretched and correctly glued and primed the canvas, dilute the "tee", or buy ready-made and, of course, cover the picture with a layer of protective varnish after it is completely dry. The result is qualitydone and culturally designed work.