This post will show you how Breathing Color’s Glamour 2 giclee varnish can be used as a texturizing gel to add texture to your canvas prints.
Glamour II has always been one of the leading giclee varnishes in the industry, but did you know that it has multiple uses? If you read our previous post on Mounting Prints with Glamour II Giclee Varnish, you know that it has at least 2. But did you know that you can also use Glamour II to texturize your canvas prints?
There are quite a few different tools for applying texture to your prints, and there are a number of ways to do it. In this post, we will go over the most common tools and how to use them. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- Glamour 2 Gloss (dries clear)
- Smooth, flat surface
- Paint Brush (multiple sizes)
- Palette Knife
- Some Artistic Skill!
Make sure that your canvas prints are coated before getting started. The finish is not important as long as the canvas print is protected. When the print is coated, it will provide a smooth base for the texturizing application. Combining a Gloss coating with the Gloss texture will provide a consistent sheen throughout the print, letting areas that you’ve textured stand out. If you coat a print with a Matte finish, this combination will allow you to highlight different areas of the print and draw more attention to them.
Here are some important tips to help you get started:
- Use Glamour II right out of the container (no need to dilute)
- Pour into a cup/separate container to quickly and easily apply more as needed
- Apply Glamour II to your print using a paint brush or palette knife
- ALLOW GLAMOUR 2 TO SIT FOR 10-15 MINUTES SO IT CAN BECOME TACKY
***The last tip is the most important part of this process***. This is because Glamour II has leveling agents that want to do their job and level the coating. By NOT diluting Glamour 2 AND letting it sit on the canvas for 10-15 minutes (prior to texturizing), you are allowing the the coating to become tacky. When the coating is tacky, this is the best time to begin adding texture. When it is tacky, the coating will begin to hold the texture you add with the brush or knife and will dry with that texture.
Brush Application:
Palette Knife Application:
If you apply texture and the coating levels out, wait additional time before applying texture again. 10-15 minutes is a general starting point that should work for most users. If you have waited longer then that and the coating is still leveling out, you may have applied too much coating. This is ok because you can still spread it out, or remove excess coating. As long as the canvas has been coated prior to this application, you can easily remove excess coating without damaging the print.
Using a Pallete Knife to bring a tree to life:
Using a Pallete Knife to create a raised surface:
Our good friend Leon Jimenez at L.A. Artwork recently posted a video of texturizing one of his prints with Glamour II. This is a great example of this application being put to use:
Since there is no “Right” or “Wrong” method for this type of application, it’s important to experiment and find what best suites your needs. The method described in this post is just ONE way for using Glamour II to texturize prints. With a little practice, you can be adding great texture to your prints and come up with some useful techniques of your own.
If you are a print-maker who texturizes your prints, I’d love to see some photos of your work! Feel free to post links and your comments below.
