Sealing your watercolour with Wax Medium and also framing

[Val]

  This is brilliant Dennis! Is this a new process or has it been around for a while? This will make a huge difference when doing displays and showings, AND much more affordable!      Assuming of course I can get the wax!     Some things just never change.....   

[dennis]

Val, this is not my idea, it has been around for a while. All I've done is to take it and expand on it. There is more related to this coming soon.
On the 25th this month I am taking part in a night market and all my work is based on this concept. I have built the wood box frames and stuck my pen and ink sketches to them and sealed them as per the tutorial. I will upload photos of them soon. I made 20 of them and they are 190mm x 150 mm each (7 1/2"x 6"). They are all sealed with 2 applications of wax and 2 coats of varnish.

[MaryAnne Long]

Dennis,

I bought the wax and the wood box frames.  Will rewatch your lesson again, then give it a try.

aloha

mea

[BeaSue]

Dennis, I can't wait to see your future posts about this!

I'm starting over today with new paintings. (I'm cutting down some previous paintings to fit my 6" square wood panels.)

One mistake I made on the first one was not to finish my wood panel properly--I failed to Gesso the wood before painting it with acrylic paint. Can you tell me what I should apply after the paint dries on the wood? would a matte medium seal it? should I use the spray varnish?

For others interested in trying this (Val? Mea?) I buy my cradled basswood panels at a very reasonable price at Dick Blick:
https://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-studio-wood-panels/

Thanks!

[dennis]

BeaSue, if I read you correctly you are using the panels to paint directly on it with acrylic paint. A matte medium varnish will seal it.This thread is actually about pasting a watercolour painting directly to the wood and then sealing it to enable it to be sold without being framed without glass.

[BeaSue]

Dennis, I am pasting the paper watercolor paintings onto the panels, as you demonstrate in your tutorial.

My question regards how to seal the edge/side of the panel. I have painted the side of the wood panel with acrylic paint, but I just wanted to know about how to finish that side. It sounds like I can do that with a matte varnish.

[dennis]

BeaSue, I paint the sides of the box frame with acrylic paint BEFORE pasting the painting onto the top. When I give the final coat of varnish to the painting I continue the matte varnish over to the sides as well. This method also seals the edges of the paper.

[BeaSue]

BeaSue, I paint the sides of the box frame with acrylic paint BEFORE pasting the painting onto the top. When I give the final coat of varnish to the painting I continue the matte varnish over to the sides as well. This method also seals the edges of the paper.

Yup! That's what I'm doing, too. We're on the same page, Dennis. Thanks for responding. I really appreciate all your input & support.

Now I need to practice a bit more with my X-acto knife before slicing off those paper edges. On my first practice piece, I ended up gouging the wood. Not cool.

[dennis]

 

[MaryAnne Long]

Thank you all for the input on this.  I am going to try it soon.

Any recommendation for varnish?  I have never used it, so don't know what to buy.

aloha

mea

[dennis]

MaryAnne, any Artists Quality varnish will work very well. I'm using a matte instead of a gloss varnish. Which one you use  is personal choice.

[MaryAnne Long]

Dennis,

Do you use spray or brush-on varnish?

aloha
MAL

[dennis]

I use a brush and check against the light to see if there are any dull spots I've missed.

[MaryAnne Long]

Good, thanks, Dennis.  I am not good at spraying, so I will go the brush-on route, too.

aloha

MAL

[Annie.]

Interesting, but how will it stand over time, with dust?   Cold wax medium is sticky. 

With dagmar resine it can be dusted and buff, but I would be fearful to put hot wax on my WC.   

I did not find Dennis' lesson on this topic, can someone give me the title?   Thanks.