Matt or satin varnish for oil paints

[DaddyO]

Afternoon All

Painted a figure recently in my usual acrylics, but I wasn't happy with the 'look' so I dug out the oil paints and worked a few extra glazes over it - happy with the look now although it will need a bit more detail work. Trouble is the finish is now shiny - yuk!
I wanted to give it a coat of satin varnish to just tone it down a bit and wondered what folks were using (I know that oil paint dries by oxidation rather than evaporation so I'm a bit wary about what I put over the top) Any specific recommendations?
Cheers
Paul

 

[Chris Oldfield]

Paul,

When I used to use oils (changed to acrylics for health reasons) I always airbrushed Testors Dullcote over them to matt them down. Used cellulose/lacquer thinners with the Dullcote & that was a bit smelly too, but the matt finish was flawless.

Now I use Tamiya Clear Flat acrylic thinned with isopropyl, or Mig Lucky Varnish - the matt finish with this over Vallejo is incredible, but you need to use Mig thinners & cleaner with it or it can clog the airbrush. It can also be brushed on.

HTH,
Chris.

 

[DaddyO]

Thanks Chris. I can get the Tamiya locally so I might pick up some to try (I've just painted a scrap test figure in the same paints which I'll test it on first)
Cheers for now
Paul

 

[grasshopper]

You are right that oils dry very slowly and hence the fat over lean idea to reduce cracking on canvasses. The sheen is a function of layer thickness and the pigment, and mediums used.some pigments dry near dead matt, and the thinner the layer the better..over time the sheen tends to mute, as does chroma...wait for as long as you can and then any sort of dullcoat be it satin or Matt will be fine. Additionally, there are additives that help matt the oils as you paint...for example vantage modelling solutions out of Poland has some useful product to alter drying time, sheen..bearing in mind not to use too much

 

[polyphemus]

There's also Dorland's wax medium which is added into the oil paint before applying.

Geoff

 

[DaddyO]

Thanks to all - my own fault completely since I used to paint exclusively with oils, but on this occasion I only intended to tweak the blends a bit so didn't bother digging out my usual mediums or matting agents. In the end though I was enjoying myself manipulating the paint that I got a bit carried away. Hey ho - figure looks good, just too much shine on the head.

Toodlepip
Paul

 

[fogie]

This is one of those issues that regularly crops up. As the others have said, there are several additives which may solve the problem
but could even create further difficulties. By far the simplest solution is to leech out the excess oil by mixing the paint on a porous
surface like a piece of scrap card - it not only 'matts' the colour but also speeds the drying time.

Mike

 

[yellowcat]

Pelikan Plaka clear matt varnish, Microscale micro flat.