Review on Dorland's 16-Ounce Medium Wax by Jacquard Products (VDW1001) by Jessica Lewis

Cold weather makes it difficult to apply sealer to my small watercolors that I use on postcards, so I decided to give Dorland a try. I have read several reviews and seen videos of artists using this product for their watercolor paintings. Dorland definitely seals, although it also tends to activate the watercolor a bit, so a light and sensible application to the painting is required. With my watercolors, most of the white watercolor paper is part of the background, which is why I noticed some blurring. If the finished product will be painted edge to edge, this may not be a big problem. This was particularly noticeable when slightly smearing dark colors on an unpainted background. Another problem was the thickness of the wax. Because my paintings use white watercolor paper in the background, the wax film is quite evident in these areas. There isn't much on the painted parts, but the texture of the plain, cold-pressed watercolor paper really captures the waxy hue. When I look directly at a waxed painting I don't see the waxy surface. When I tilt the image to any angle, it's very noticeable and doesn't appeal to me. Since it's a wax I don't like the feel of the waxy finish so I buff it when it's dry for 24 hours. After polishing, there is a strong luster, and then you can really see that waxy surface. In addition, the paint still remains waxy after polishing. As an alternative, I have used JudiKin's MicroGlaze with great success. Almost the same process, but even after polishing, the luster is so light and so soft that the artwork doesn't look like wax. The downside to MicroGlaze is that it's significantly more expensive. However, I find the end result with MicroGlaze more desirable, so I'll probably stick with it for my smaller drawings and use Dorlands for more textured things like painted rocks. Difficult shots to get my point across, but I tried. The first photo of the purple tree is covered with MicroGlaze wax, no glare is visible even when tilted towards the light source. The next three gray wood photographs show the painting waxed with Dorlands. In full view the wax cannot be seen, but you can still feel it after polishing. Painting,