I am a relatively new artist and made a rookie mistake. .
I am used gloss varnish on my acrylic paintings for the first time. I applied two coats of Liquitex Professional Gloss Medium and Varnish and it has made it a mess.
I suspect I did not let it dry long enough and then overworked it (rookie mistakes). It may also be that I put it on too thickly.
Unless it is in absolutely perfect light, it has a very glared and smudged appearance.
Any suggestions of what I can do to fix it? I am very proud of this painting; it took a long time and is a paid commission. I am desperate to save it.
Ugg, so sorry to hear that. That particular medium and varnish is really just the same type of binder used in their acrylic dispersion paint (although it may be slightly more viscous than what they use in their paints. This means that the same solvents that would reverse the varnish would also “reverse” your painting. So that is out. I am less knowledgeable about acrylic dispersion paints. I will see if our moderators more experienced with acrylic dispersions have more valuable advice.
After rereading your post, I am sort of confused. The title of the post suggests that there is a cloudiness, perhaps caused by trapped moisture, but the thread reads more like there is a topographical problem caused by continuing to play with a thick and setting surface coating. Can you clarify?
Reducing the coating mechanically is the only option we are familiar with since any effective solvent would also affect the paint layers, as Brain mentioned already. We have had feedback from artists with the same problem, who have been able to reduce the texture (or trapped air bubbles) of permanent topcoats by sanding the coating with very fine sandpaper. There is a risk of sanding too far and abrading the paint layers. Especially the high points of canvas weave would be more susceptible to damage. Once you have reduced the texture somewhat you should recoat the painting in order to even out the sheen. We would suggest practicing on a sacrificial surface first until you feel confident that your technique and tools work well.
Mirjam Hintz (Golden Artist Colors)
