How to take care of your original acrylic painting?
It’s longevity starts out at the studio:
One of the basic needs for prolonged conservation of an acrylic painting starts way before the artistic paint is applied: a proper support.
My canvasses are all of natural fiber with at least 2 coats of gesso that is suitable for acrylic paints.
The quality of the acrylic emulsion and it’s richness in pigments are also cue.
I use only premium brands of paints, such as Vallejo Artist.
It was a long time misunderstood fact that acrylic paintings don’t need a varnish for better preservation. Recent investigations have shown that it will keep the dust or dirt from penetrating.
Therefor, nowadays I varnish my acrylic artworks,
sometimes with a matte finish, sometimes with a satin look.
Especially the matte varnish is hardly noticeable on the artwork.
FUN FACT:
Odd as it seems, due to molecular composition, acrylics will last longer than oil paintings.
Due to molecular composition, modern acrylics will last longer than oil paintings.
It’s a long, complicated story, but if you enjoy a deep read check out this link:
https://justpaint.org/aspects-of-longevity-of-oil-and-acrylic-artist-paints/
To maintain your painting in pristine condition, foremost you must be careful to choose the right hanging place for your artwork.
Choose a wall that doesn’t has the sunlight hitting it’s surface.
Even though the contemporary pigments are mostly light-fast in acrylics nowadays,
they might fade over the years when exposed daily to direct sunlight.
When choosing a spot, one also has to keep in mind that the painting is made on a canvas of natural fibers (a mix of cotton and linnen).
If they are hanged in a often moist environment, such as a bathroom, they might get moldy over time.
If this has happened to your artwork, placing them with the backside in direct sunlight will get rid of the trouble.
Moist can also get wooden stretchers to warp, there is no solution for that, except for getting new stretchers.
This is not a happy little job to do, make sure to prevent this.
Very hot temperatures, such as right above the fire-place are also a no-no for the acrylic paint.
That is, IF you use your fireplace as such. (it’s such a beautiful classical place to hang art, and often are very rarely used to lit a fire throughout the year).
Bedrooms make great places for treasuring original art.
A perfect place for enjoying an acrylic painting for great many years to come.
Getting the dust off:
A gentle wipe with a dry, lint free cloth will do.
Since my paintings don’t have a lot of textures, the surface doesn’t have a lot of “valleys” that will accumulate dust.
The other advantage of the relative flatness is that the paints isn’t prone to get caught in the cloth when dusting it off.
If your painting does have these “valleys” you would want to brush them off with a very soft brush. As such, one might use a never used make-up brush.
Did somehow some spilling get on the painted surface?
I understand, things happen!
Did aunty Pilar got a bit too tipsy during your birthday party and accidentally spilled some of her red wine over it?
Acrylic paint can be seen as a polymer film, it’s not really absorbing.
So try to rub it gently off with a damp cloth, first try without any soap.
If the problem persists, try with a bit of a neutral, gentle soap on the cloth.
That should do it.
Don’t use dissolvents, these might tarnish the paint.
Last but not least in “troubleshooting for acrylic paint”:
DENTS!
Whenever moving your painting, make sure your hands are cleanr.
Try to hold the artwork by the stretchers on the back.
The canvas itself is fragile. An object leaning onto the surface (such as another painting whilst storing) might result in an ugly dent.
But also plunging fingers between the stretchers and the canvas on the backside, might result in some unwanted stretching.
Luckily, there is a relative easy solution for this art problem:
pulverice plain, clean water on the back side of the canvas.
As the canvas is made out of natural fibers, it will slightly expand. Upon drying, the fibers will get into their original state, leaving little or no sign of the previous dent.
The acrylic paint by it’s chemical composition, is flexible enough to follow the expansion and tightening of the canvas without cracking.