Orchid Light - Waxing Watercolor

Orchid Light

6"x 6" watercolor on Aquabord  

waxed finish.
gifted.

The glow from these
orchids appeared to illuminate
the air around them.
What a truly beautiful flower
the orchid is.

Artist Note.

I have had several requests for information

on how I wax my watercolors.

Here is a link to my original post,

March 28th 2014 

showing the way 

I use wax, the brand I prefer, and a video. 

How I apply wax to watercolor

I like the wax finish better than a spray varnish, 

but it is entirely a personal choice.
I know I do not want to use glass so
Aquabord by Ampersand
has worked well for me.

And the WAX of choice is...

Yes...Renaissance Wax Polish

This product manufacturer claimed it is used by the British Museum

so I called the BM  to check. I enjoyed my inquiry 

being treated with great respect by a gentleman in the

restoration department.  I was informed they 

do indeed use it and they find it truly 

is a wonderful product. Absolutely safe to use as a 

protective coat on paintings.

Get this...it dries almost instantly 

and it has not lifted off any color. 

I placed my painting done on Yupo paper 

in water overnight after coating, and it 

remained  perfectly protected so it really is excellent as a sealer.

As well as waxing the Yupo paper,

 I have tried it on a watercolor painted on aquabord,

 a gouache painting done on 100% cotton paper,

and I liked the finish it gives, very much.

It smells like furniture polish before it dries so I use it in a vented area.

Below is a very short video showing how I apply it.

(unedited as I do not know how to do that yet)

I place it on with a palette knife using the bottom flat part to spread. 

An old cotton t-shirt is perfect to buff it up to the sheen I like.

A note about price.

I purchased mine at the Artisan in Santa Fe NM.

The 200ml size was $35.50. Not cheap!

It goes a long way and this may last me a lifetime!

I do like Gamblin's Cold Wax for mixing with oil paint. This is not to be confused

with that type of use.