[Note: This type of product is highly dangerous, as it is toxic and very flammable. Please use with caution.]
I want to start a thread for people – especially those who create maxicards or hand-made postcards – to discuss different types of varnish and/or similar products available around the world that we can rely on, but I don’t know if this fits into the ‘Postcard chat!’ (to which the maxicard thread belongs) or ‘Mailart’ categories.
I am a visual artist more or less specialised in graphite drawing and photography. I was advised by other professionals to spray a layer of fixative on my graphite artworks to prevent smudging, which I have been doing for a long time. The product I used during my early career is Krylon Workable Fixatif Spray.
As time went on, I realised that this ‘workable’ layer is not so workable (pencil traces would still stick on the paper if I attempt at erasing an area that had been sprayed) and that I hardly ever need to rework on a piece once it’s completed. Plus I became increasingly concerned about the potential damage UV light can do to my artwork as a whole (I know graphite is naturally lightfast, but the paper is not necessarily so), so I switched to using Krylon (Gallery Series) UV Archival Varnish, Matte Finish to add a final seal to my works.
It’s been a wonderful product I would say. Being rated ‘archival’ means that it is non-destructive and removable by mineral spirits (or whatever it’s called in your country). I have never tested this claim but I trust art conservators’ judgement. I also use this product to render the glossy postcard surface more adhesive to glue and postmark ink – a method I learned from @Dorinco – in creating maxicards. It’s been working as it should, I think. I have heard of no complain from whoever I gave these maxicards to.
However, this product is scheduled to be discontinued, so I am in search of a replacement. The first I tried is Krylon Anti-UV Clear Coat Matte, which, sadly, didn’t seem to work.
I am not saying it’s a bad product, but simply that it doesn’t seem to be designed to be used for the type of surface I am handling. After spaying it in the same manner as I used other spray (I think by now I am pretty skilled) on postcard surface which has a glossy coating, there would be a layer of white residue that is, strangely, removable by rubbing. In the end, after I rubbed off all the residue, it feels like the coating has never been applied to the postcard surface. Then I read online that many people had complaint about the same issue when they tried this product on watercolour, wood platter, acrylic painting, etc. Overall, I don’t recommend it to the community for postcard application.
Next, I am going to try to get Winsor & Newton Professional Matt Varnish which I have purchased in Taiwan and used it for the maxicards created as part of my first giveaway. What I heard from the recipient(s) of those maxicards (@Dorinco and maybe others?) seems to indicate this being a suitable alternative.
What is the spray / varnish you recommend using for postcards with a glossy coating? Where did you purchase it? Did anyone try regular fixative that is said to ‘have no finish’ (this is what I was told at my local art store)?
The tricky thing about buying this type of product is that it’s not shippable by air, so ordering a recommended product online is not always possible. We kind of have to stick with whatever our local shops carry. Still, I start this thread in the hope that we can exchange information regarding reliable spray / varnish currently available in the world.
