Question Acrylic Painting

[5th corner]

Have a students painting executed with acrylics on canvas board mounted to foam board.

Should it be sealed? and if so can one use the same spray sealer that is used for printed canvases?

 

[Framar]

What kind of spray do you have, Sam? Something like Krylon Crystal Clear or Matte Finish? I would use those to seal an acrylic.

 

[broadway]

It mainly depends on the type of sealer you use, we use Krylon Matte Finish or Krylon Crystal Clear. Before you use it spray it on a test board to make sure it sprays currectly, because I have bought a new can then try useing it and it puts spots all over it.

 

[Wanta B.Framer]

Probably not a bad idea

If it was done with craft paint then yes. Those paints are very thin and create many porous pockets (due to air bubbles). If it was done with artist's paints, it depends on how they used the paint. If it was applied like watercolor, the same effect happens. A standard application with medium and thicker coats doesn't HAVE to have a clear coat.

 

[Dave]

There is much debate whether acrylics should be varnished or left unvarnished. Here is a site that addresses the issue and contains some great information.

http://www.si.edu/MCI/english/learn_more/taking_care/acrylic_paintings.html

I use to routinely varnish acrylic paintings but stopped several years ago after consulting several conservators. Glazing is safer for best preservation practices.

 

[Jim Miller]

Thanks for the link, Dave.

Here's a quote about varnishing (coating) from that Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute site:

Varnishing acrylic paintings has several problems: 1) Acrylic resin proprietary varnishes have similar solubilities to those of acrylic paint. This necessitates the use of solvents which might damage the paint layer for their removal. 2) Traditional natural varnishes, such as dammar, will yellow in time and the solvent used in their removal will dissolve or soften the acrylic paint layer. A water soluble varnish may be an answer. It is an issue that manufacturers might be able to address.

The best course of action is to leave the acrylic painting uncoated, and frame it with glazing. That prevents soiling and eliminates the need to clean it. Closing up the frame has other important benefits, too. It slows the rate of change inside the frame, minimizing expansion/contraction cycles. It also minimizes the drum-beat (flexing) of a canvas substrate caused by impacts, sounds, and vibrations. Optically coated Museum Glass filters 99% of UV light, and it is almost invisible. Or, for the same benefits, plus half the weight and 20 times the shatter-resistance of glass, use Museum Optium Acrylic.

 

[Wanta B.Framer]

framing gods be damned

--these are really excellent points, but to me putting glass (not acrylic) is far more likely to cause harm in the future than varnishing a painting.

Case in point: how many glass replacements do you do a year? How many of those puppies have damaged the art? My point is obviously moot with acrylic glazing, but I think this is a valid argument nonetheless.

 

[Jim Miller]

--these are really excellent points, but to me putting glass (not acrylic) is far more likely to cause harm in the future than varnishing a painting.

Varnishing does no harm, if it's done right, using a good quality product. It's the later cleaning that ruins the paint layer.