Creativity- the creative minds at Hidden Talent Painting Update

Follow along as I update the oil paintings of the Art School students. This is  artistic creativity at it's finest!

Pearl has selected a large Koi /waterlilly painting. Her oil painting technique is to use an underpainting, then layer on colors to get rich colors and great depth.

Kayla is a wildlife artist and is inspired by Carl Brenders. She is contining her art education and will be a high demand  graphic artist! I love being her art coach...she's going to paint a tiger next!

Cathy is adding the second layer in her step by step oil painting of Sweetpeas.Her approach to Realism is to correctly paint the values in a unified color, then glaze and paint the rich oil paint overtop. Stay tuned...the result will be spectactular!

Janelle is doing an oil painting portriat. This child portrait is larger than life, and is sooo appealing! The background color will really set off the hair. What color will she pick???

Barb is finishing her pencil drawing of an orchid. Shading and details are the last step. Barb does both- painting and drawing lessons.

Hidden Talent Tip "How to Varnish an Oil Painting"

Tricia from Delta Art

Varnishing Workshop

We are lucky to have John and Tricia  from Delta Art give us a seminar on Varnishing oil painting! Thanks!
As usual, it was full of useful information and it was great to get to see a painting varnished before our eyes.
Why varnish in the first place?
Dust, grime, smoke, air pollution are everywhere. Varnish acts like a piece of plastic that covers your painting and helps keep the colors clean and bright. It should be removable, beccause it is the surface that all the dust, grime, smoke and air pollution sticks to. Usually it is removable with mineral spirits or turpentine.
When can a painting be varnished?
Oil paintings oxidize instead of evaporate. You want to make sure you do not trap any moisture under the varnish, sooooo for a thinly painted painting the wait is from 6 months - 1 year!!, more heavily applies paint at least 12 months.
How do I know when my painting is dry enought to varnish?
 Take a cotton ball or Q-Tip , dip it in mineral spirits and rub a small area of the painting...NOT IN THE MIDDLE. Choose sides or edges that a frame will cover. If any color comes off, wait another month.
Is there something I can do now, before my painting is completely dried?
 Yes! Mix Stand Oil 50/50 with mineral spirits and apply very thin coats. This will insure an even gloss to all the painting surface. A final varnish can be added about 3-6 month later. Drying time is about 3-6 hours between coats
How do I put on varnish?
Place cans around your  just varnished painting and cover with stiff cardboard or 'tent' your painting to keep the dust off,. Use  a large soft brush and apply in a rectangle shape as opposed to stripes across the canvas.
What brands are recommended?
Gamvar by Gamlin is the easiest to mix and use. Other MSA varnishes ( Golden/Liquitex) are available, equally as good, but have to be mixed with mineral spirit and are quite smelly.
 What about Damar Retouch Varnish?
Darmar varnish is not recommended anymore! A final varnish can be brushed over the retouch varnish, but Damar varnish of any sort is slowly coming off the market. Seems it was good for it's time, but the MSA type varnishes are better. ( I have used  retouch damar varnish and am relieved that all I need to do is apply a finishing coat of Gamvar!).