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Mon 19 Mar, 2012 09:26 am
Hello.
I recently made a piece of Art using melted Wax crayons as the media. I now intend to give it a nice coating in varnish, but I am unsure as to what would be the optimum choice. Does any one know if I should use matte or gloss? I have heard that 'Lascaux' are a good brand, but given that I am currently experimenting with this new medium, I can't afford to fork out substantial money on good quality products, for something that I may not pursue. So, in summary, anyone know a good, cheap, varnish for 'Wax on canvas'?
Kind Regards.
@bigfatrooster,
You probably need to use a spray rather than rubbing or painting it on to keep the colors from smearing.
You also probably want to use a wax-based varnish.
You might want to look into whether a fixative is needed before applying the varnish.
@Butrflynet,
Hi Butrflynet.
Thanks for the advice. I was thinking that a spray version would be best, but I had not considered the possibility of needing a fixative. Forgive my ignorance, but does a fixative act as a 'middle man' between the wax and the varnish, thus allowing the varnish to stick to the art?
Also, when you say wax-based varnish, would one such as the one you would use on wooden furniture be ok? (for example :
Edit [Moderator]:
Link removed.
Kind Regards,
Bigfatrooster
@bigfatrooster,
There is a whole art mediom called "Encaustic" which is a fused wax based painting technique. Ive never done em becase I didnt like the results too much. Heres a section of all kinds of info on encaustic. usually you have to melt the waxes with the pigments.
http://www.rfpaints.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=99
@farmerman,
Cheers Farmerman.
I have heard of encaustic art before, but given that they melt wax and add their own pigment (c.f. I melted wax crayons), I did not think to check a specialised site out for answers. Thankfully, the one you mentioned has given me a bit more helpful information. For example, I have found out that
"varnish will partially dissolve the wax, 'reactivating' the surface. In addition, encaustic has the natural appearance of a varnished surface (the damar resin creates a “varnish within”) and can be buffed (rubbed with a soft cloth or paper towel) to enhance that quality". Not sure if this applies directly to my specific situation, but the knowledge helps.
Cheers.
Bigfatrooster
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