Review on Liquitex High Gloss Varnish 8oz: Enhance and Protect 🎨 Your Artwork with this 8 Fl Oz Pack of 1 by Amy Mcleod

After decades of trying all available polishes, I have turned to Liquitex Gloss Spray Varnish whenever I need a shine. Don't get me wrong, Krylon, Golden, Grumbacher, and WN polishes are good too, so if price is your only criteria, they'll do the job well. substrates. So. I paint acrylic patches in primary, secondary and color gradients, wait for them to dry completely, cover half of the patches with masking tape, and then apply a coat of varnish to each. I spray the same distance, at the same angle, in the same direction and at the same speed. When each layer is dry I eye them in good light AND take a picture in an image editor for later comparison. Here's what I noticed: Krylon is very good, but it takes five coats to get the same shine and opacity as Liquitex. does in three. If your spray technique isn't perfect, thinner layers of Krylon can be beneficial! Krylon dries slightly faster, allowing for shorter time between coats (about ten minutes), but Liquitex has better adhesion, more even coverage, and less tendency to bleed. Because Liquitex applies fewer layers, it's also a speed champion. Golden is almost as clear, sticks well (doesn't run easily), and dries quickly, but costs more. The glitter brand Golden also has a golden hue. It's VERY slight and you won't see it when the coating is new or in low light. No difference can be seen under fluorescent lamps. But after a while, and with good full-spectrum lighting, you CAN see the difference. Gold appears as warming reds and yellows. If you need this effect for bright red or yellow floral images, this might be desirable! Otherwise this is usually not the case. Grumbacher and WN polishes are decent and a bit cheaper than Liquitex, but since I need less Liquitex to get the same gloss level, Liquitex is more economical. It is exactly the same as the difference between professional color and student color. Of course, pro materials cost more per tube, but you get more pigment to keep going. Well, at least there is no "pigment" in paint, but the ingredients are still important. Liquitex is cleaner and gets the job done faster. That saves time and money. Grumbacher tends to yellow over time. WN paint does not yellow, but becomes cloudy in thick layers. Because more layers are required to achieve the same level of internal refraction, this haze is noticeable. I also test colors under lighting from 4500K to 5400K. After removing the masking tape I can see the effect of each polish on each color swatch. All of these good brands offer good protection. All of these clear gloss polishes do a decent job of boosting the color, but I've noticed that with any mix with blue (purple, green), Liquitex really brings out the colors better. You may know that BLUE is a higher wavelength of light. Therefore, a finer particle size is required to break blue. Liquitex polish has a slight bluish cast when you see it as a thick ball. (as in liquid canned form) This may be due to the finer particle formula, the manufacturing process, or an ingredient. In any case, Liquitex enhances colors without altering their temperature, and the refined litmus paper of the BLUE color family remains bright, rich, saturated and accurate in hue. Colors appear "wet" and intense, but neither darken nor lighten in comparison. Even the Liquitex paint does not change the warm or cold character of the mixtures. This effect can be photographed and then measured by pasting photos of the samples into Photoshop (or any other digital imaging software that accepts high-resolution JPEGs) and then sampling the color patches. To make sure my photography technique doesn't interfere with these tests, I rotate the samples. 180 degrees and place them in the same spot under the exact same lighting. In any case, each small sample is only 2.5 cm, but I only do this to make sure I don't skew the results. These effects are invisible to the naked eye, especially when the paint is fresh. Wait a month, re-photograph the samples and use your software to accurately identify samples of the different paints. Then you will see! Liquitex is the "clear" winner. (Apologies for the pun) After drying, it becomes transparent and REMAINS transparent, like clear glass. (BETTER than glass, actually!) Has a higher gloss level which increases the film's internal refractive index. This, in turn, makes the colors more vibrant and saturated. Even if your monitor is cheap and the room you're viewing photos in has poor lighting or unusually colored walls and furniture, the software will show you the difference. Selection. The others are good too, so don't worry if you already have that. But sometimes you have to try at least one can of Liquitex. Try these experiments if you are interested in science. Or simply look at color samples with your eyes in sufficient light. Anyway, I think you'll see the difference. As for the other review and the problem with the nozzle or "bad spray can". Absolutely ALL aerosol cans do this. Technique is paramount for professional results. We must understand that unlike a professional spray gun or airbrush, the internal pressure in the can changes as the product is used. Even professional sprayers sometimes clog and spray. Then we know it's time to stop cleaning the tip and then try again. When using aerosol cans, time is of the essence if you want to get all or almost all of the product out of the can. By shaking the jar (as you should before each use) you can feel how much is left. When there is little product left, you can rest assured that there is less pressure to push out. So shaking the jar thoroughly for two full minutes at 70 degrees F helps. In fact, although most instructions don't mention it, I know that the heat is transferred from your hands to the jar. Even in a cold studio, MANUALLY shaking the can for two full minutes will help warm up the paint's internal temperature (within TWO FULL minutes.) Always use a freshly cleaned tip and spray before the first sign of spatter appears. DO NOT release the tip for more than a few seconds. The polish dries quickly, so we don't want to form balls. I keep a lint-free cloth dampened with turpentine handy and wipe down the nozzle every time I need to stop the paint. This method will ensure you get the most polish (or any other spray paint) out of every can of every brand. From experience I know that Krylon, Liquitex and Golden ALL have good nozzles. so I doubt that's the problem. Montana and Liquitex have the BEST baits and also the best selection of baits. (especially for artists!) I've painted cars, boats, and hundreds of woodworking projects with Liquitex and Krylon paints, and the results were indistinguishable from professional painting equipment. With the exception of the one time I dropped a can off the scaffolding, I haven't had any spike failures with any of these brands. I've been using aerosol cans for one thing or another for about five decades. Temperature, time, technique, and shaking thoroughly will help no matter what brand you use. Always clean the tip after use and if necessary soak the tip in turpentine or mineral spirits to clean it. But whatever you do, DO NOT use wire to clean the tip. This will inevitably damage the thin hole in the tip and cause spatter. As far as I can tell, wire never works well. I hope this helps anyone reading this and GOOD LUCK with your spray finish!