Dammark varnish for oil painting: composition, application, drying time. Oil Paintings on Canvas

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

Burnout of paints in the sun

It is known that the disadvantage of most dyes used in households and used in industrial production is their weak resistance to sunlight. The result is faded and ragged clothes fabrics, wallpaper of rooms, street banners and many other things around us. They are usually said about: "Burned in the sun".

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

What is the use of dammaric varnish?

Nowadays 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 dammarine varnish. Applying a thin layer, after drying, it not only creates a protective film that protects the painting layer from undesirable effects of ultraviolet rays of the solar spectrum, but also gives the overall color of the picture a great brightness and depth. In addition, thanks to him the small details depicted on the canvas, look more clearly and textured.

Another important feature of dammar varnish is its ability to withstand the effects of moisture. If the picture is stored in a room where its content in the air is increased, the paint may begin to flake off the canvas and fall off. Not less detrimental to the impact on the unprotected picturesque layer and the excessively low humidity of the premises. In this case, it can crack and begin to crumble. Especially this danger are exposed canvases, on which the paint is applied thick, thick layer.

In addition to all of the above, oil paintings on canvas can also be exposed to such negative effects as a sharp temperature drop, the settling of dust, and also the ingress of liquids and gases onto their surfaces. Thus, covering a finished painting with a dammark or some other protective varnish is an integral part of the overall process of creating a picture.

The legacy of the past centuries

The main component that is part of the damn varnish is a vegetable resin, which gave it its name. It belongs to the group of soft, alcohol-soluble resins, on the basis of which the manufacture of varnish was mastered in the 17th century. It is known that artists often used them not only to cover the finished works, but also added to the oils, thus achieving the speediest drying of the paints.

From the history of art it is known that many masters of the past centuries in the work used balsams and essential oils (gum) made on the basis of soft resins (including dammarous ones). The most famous among them are Venetian, as well as Strasbourg terpin and Copaic balsam. All of them gave a positive effect when used with conventional drying oils.

The effect achieved with resin ingredients

It has long been noted that resin ingredients, which have high transparency and reflective properties, are able to give the picturesque works additional brightness and depth. In addition, they greatly improved the performance of oil paints, opening up new opportunities for creating effective strips on the canvas.

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

Making a varnish by one's own hands

Dammaric varnish can be purchased in stores specializing in products of this profile. One of its undeniable advantages is just availability and cheapness. However, many artists prefer to make it themselves, introducing their own innovations into the standard technology. Not touching their professional secrets, we will consider only the generally accepted version of this process.

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

Recipe accessible to everyone

Pre-grinding resin, it is placed in a small bag of fine cotton fabric (the old stocking is quite suitable, for example), and then for a few hours lower into a solution of artistic turpentine. It is important to take into account that the container with turpentine must be tightly closed during this whole period.

Being in turpentine, the previously granulated granules dissolve, and all the solid impurities settle on the bottom of the bag. As a result, a solution of the dammar resin is obtained, 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 this. According to generally accepted standards, it is 600 ml of turpentine for 300 g of resin, but many of those who prefer to prepare the solution for themselves create proportions of components based on personal experience. In the future, if in the process of applying the lacquer to the surface of the picture it is excessively dense, it can be diluted with alcohol.

When can I cover the picture with a damask varnish?

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

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

Nowadays , painters use paints made on the basis of modern technologies, providing them with great strength and shortening the drying time. In view of this, the minimum time interval between the end of work on the painting and its coating with varnish reduced and ranges from one to one and a half months.

How to cover the picture with damn varnish?

The main rule is that when applying the lacquer layer, one should not rush, as with rapid movements the brush inevitably captures air, on the canvas there are its microbubbles forming dull whitish stripes. If this still happens, it is recommended to remove the unsuccessfully applied layer of varnish with a diluent and then try again.

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

A few more tips

There is one more important detail that can escape the attention of the beginning artist - this is the shelf life of the damn varnish. If you do not make it with your own hands, as described in one of the previous sections of this article, but buy in the store, you should take into account that after 3 years from the date of issue, it largely loses its properties.

As a result, the lacquer layer may not completely dry out and the surface will remain sticky for a long time. It will settle dust, which can not be removed. To avoid this problem, we must ensure that the purchased varnish was fresh, because in the art salon, he could stand as long as you want. The old varnish can be added to the paint to achieve picturesque effects, one of which was mentioned above.

In conclusion of the article it is worth mentioning, firstly, that dammaric varnish is fire and explosive, so it should be treated with the necessary precautions in such cases. And secondly, it has a very negative property with time to turn yellow. In view of this, they are not recommended to cover paintings made in cold colors. This effect is shown in the last photo.