Dammar varnish for oil painting: composition, application, drying time. Oil paintings on canvas

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

Varnishes for oil painting according to their purpose are divided into 4 main groups. These include: top coats designed to treat the surfaces of finished paintings, binders - to strengthen the painting layer, diluting - used to dilute the paint mass, and universal, having a multifunctional purpose. Let us dwell in more detail on the features of the covering dammar varnish, one of the most popular and widespread.

Fade of colors in the sun

It is known that the disadvantage of most dyes, both used in everyday life and used in industrial production, is their poor resistance to sunlight. The result of this is faded and faded clothing fabrics, room wallpapers, street banners and many other things around us. They are usually referred to as "Burned out in the sun."

A similar fate will befall oil paintings on canvas if the artist does not take care of their original appearance. A traditional method, used since time immemorial, is to cover already finished paintings.works with special varnishes that can protect them from exposure to sunlight. They were invented a long time ago, and their composition has changed and improved many times over the centuries.

What is dammar varnish for?

Today, the chemical industry offers painters a wide range of means to protect their works. One of the most common among them, as mentioned above, is dammar varnish. Applied in a thin layer, after drying, it not only creates a protective film that protects the pictorial layer from the undesirable effects of ultraviolet rays of the solar spectrum, but also gives the overall color of the picture greater brightness and depth. In addition, thanks to him, the small details depicted on the canvas look more clear and textured.

Another important feature of dammar varnish is its ability to withstand moisture. If the painting is stored in a room where its content in the air is increased, then the paint may begin to flake off the canvas and fall off. No less detrimental is the impact on the unprotected pictorial layer and excessively low indoor humidity. In this case, it may crack and begin to crumble. Canvases on which the paint is applied in a thick, thick layer are especially susceptible to this danger.

In addition to all of the above, oil paintings on canvas can also be subject to such negative influences as a sharp temperature drop, dust settling, as well as the ingress of liquids and gases onto their surface. Thus, the coating of the finishedpainting with dammar or some other protective varnish is an integral part of the overall process of creating a picture.

Legacy of past centuries

The main component of dammar lacquer is a resin of plant origin, which gave it its name. It belongs to the group of soft, alcohol-soluble resins, on the basis of which the manufacture of varnishes was mastered as early as the 17th century. It is known that artists often used them not only to cover finished works, but also added to oils, thereby achieving the fastest drying of paints.

From the history of art it is known that many masters of past centuries used balms and essential oils (resin resin) made on the basis of soft resins (including dammar resin). The most famous among them are Venetian, as well as Strasbourg terpin and Copay balsam. All of them worked well when used with regular drying oils.

Effect achieved with resin ingredients

It has long been observed that resin ingredients, which have high transparency and reflective properties, can add extra brightness and depth to paintings. In addition, they significantly improved the performance of oil paints, opening up new possibilities for creating spectacular lacings on canvas.

This term refers to a technique in which, by applying translucent paints over the base color, the effect of deep coloroverflows. Among the masters of the past, such luminaries of painting as Velazquez, Titian, Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci achieved the greatest perfection in it.

Making lacquer with your own hands

Dammar varnish can be purchased at stores specializing in goods of this profile. One of its undeniable advantages is just the availability and low cost. However, many artists prefer to make it with their own hands, introducing their own innovations into the standard technology. Without touching on their professional secrets, we will consider only the generally accepted version of this process.

The main component of the varnish is dammara resin supplied to Russia from Singapore. Outwardly, it is a small transparent straw-colored granules, covered on the outside with a thin layer of crushed powdery substance.

A recipe for everyone

Preliminary crushing the resin, it is placed in a small bag of thin cotton fabric (an old stocking is quite suitable, for example), and then immersed in a solution of artistic turpentine for several hours. It is important to note that the container with turpentine must be tightly closed throughout this period.

Being in turpentine, pre-crushed granules dissolve, and all solid impurities settle at the bottom of the bag. The result is a solution of dammar resin, which should then be carefully filtered through a muslin or cotton cloth.

An important role is played by the ratio of the amount of dissolved resin to the volume of turpentine,since the concentration of the finished product depends on it. According to generally accepted standards, it is 600 ml of turpentine per 300 g of resin, however, many of those who prefer to prepare the solution with their own hands create the proportions of the components based on personal experience. In the future, if in the process of applying varnish to the surface of the picture it turns out to be excessively thick, it can be diluted with alcohol.

When can I cover a painting with dammar varnish?

This issue is extremely important, since violations of technology caused by ignorance or negligence can lead to damage, and in some cases to the death of a painting. First of all, after completing the painting, one should not rush, since the linseed oil contained in the paints must have time to polymerize, that is, when completely dry, turn into a solid polymer. How long does it take?

Even in the recent past, it was customary to cover paintings with dammar, and equally with any other varnish, not earlier than a year after their completion. During all this long time, the canvases had to be carefully protected not only from dust and dirt, but even from tobacco smoke.

These days, artists use paints made with modern technology to give them greater durability and faster drying time. In view of this, the minimum period between the end of work on the painting and its varnishing has been reduced and ranges from one to one and a half months.

How to cover a painting with dammar varnish?

The basic rule is that when applying the varnish layer, one should not rush, because with fast movements the brush inevitably captures air, its microbubbles remain on the canvas, forming cloudy whitish stripes. If this still happens, it is recommended to remove the unsuccessfully applied layer of varnish with a thinner and then try again.

After the varnishing is completed, the picture should be placed on a flat horizontal surface and within 10-15 minutes. allow the liquid varnish to evenly spread and harden slightly. Then it is hung in a room with good ventilation. The drying time of the dammar varnish is 12 hours. Accordingly, during this period, it is better not to touch the painting and protect it from dust.

More tips

There is another important detail that may escape the attention of a novice artist - this is the shelf life of dammar varnish. If you do not make it with your own hands, as described in one of the previous sections of our article, but buy it in a store, then it should be noted that after 3 years from the date of issue, it largely loses its properties.

As a result, the varnish layer may not dry completely and the surface will remain sticky for a long time. Dust will settle on it, which cannot be removed. To avoid this problem, you need to make sure that the purchased varnish is fresh, because in the art salon itcould stay for as long as he wanted. Old lacquer can be added to paint to achieve painterly effects, one of which was discussed above.

At the end of the article, it should be mentioned, firstly, that dammar varnish is flammable and explosive, so it should be handled with the necessary precautions in such cases. And secondly, it has a very negative property to turn yellow over time. In view of this, they are not recommended to cover paintings made in cold colors. This effect is shown in the last photo.