Painting over a (varnished) oilpainting
A question that came up this month in my Creative Community was..
“I had an oil and wax painting I never liked and I like to paint over it but it has been varnished, what can I do? And can I paint in straight oils on top?
The answer
I asked Gamblin and this is their answer: Gamvar (Gamblin's varnish) should be removed before adding fresh paint. You can remove the varnish with Gamsol or other odourless mineral spirits. Take a clean lint-free cloth, use circular motions, dissolve a small area of the varnish and remove the dissolved varnish with another dry cloth. Let it dry thoroughly before applying the cold wax and oil.
Oil Paint
You can paint over your cold wax and oil painting with straight oil paint. Since your cold wax and oil layers dry faster than traditional oil layers, there should be no problem. I often add the final details to the face using straight oil paint, mixed with a bit of Solvent Free Gel or Galkyd Light.
My method is a bit more rigorous: I sand the surface (though I've found that using an electric sander isn't ideal as it tends to heat the wax) or scrape it off with a paint scraper. I prefer this approach because, with multiple layers underneath, there's always the chance of uncovering beautiful surprises in the underlying layers!
As always, don’t hesitate to ask me questions, I would love to connect with you!💙
PS. If you want to learn more about painting with me, here’s things you can checkout now:
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