The way I finish 13 paintings in one afternoon!

Want to learn a quick way to put finished coatings on all your paintings? There are many ways to do this, but if you can do it quickly and efficiently, and it works, and you do it all together, it’s pretty fast. And the results are great. I have a lot of paintings for an upcoming show, and they’re all gonna be treated the same way. Doing things in groupings like this is definitely the way to go. Here’s exactly how I finish multiple paintings using water-based urethane, a big brush, and one crucial detail about brush stroke direction that makes all the difference.

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A Quick and Efficient Way to Finish Multiple Paintings

Want to learn a pretty quick way to put finished coatings on all your paintings?

There are many ways to do this, but if you can do it quickly and efficiently and it works—and you do it all together—it’s pretty fast. And the results are great.

I just wanted to share with you what I do.

 

My Setup: Multiple Paintings Ready for Finishing

Right now, I have a lot of paintings for an upcoming show. Not all of them are here, but they’re all finished now. All of them are gonna be treated the same way. And doing things in groupings like this is definitely the way to go.

I’m getting them all finished—they’re all horizontal and I’m gonna do a finish coat.

 

The Materials I Use

These are acrylic paintings, and they’re all sealed with gloss medium. All the pastel, everything’s fixed so nothing can smear. That’s really important.

• Water-based urethane – This is what I use for the finish coat
• Satin finish – This is what I like
• A big brush – I use a 5 or 6-inch brush, maybe 6 inches
• A giant container – I love this giant container that holds a lot

The brush is damp because I don’t want this finish drying in here and ruining the brush.

 

 

Step 1: I Put a Lot On All at Once
I’m putting a lot on all at once, but all it takes is one coat. I put a lot on, so you can see quite a lot at first. Some will run down the sides, but that’s okay. And I have extra. I just push it out.

Step 2: Looking for a Smooth, Even Coat
I’m looking to get a nice, smooth even coat. It’s okay—you can let some drip off the sides. I can wipe that up when I’m done. I have pretty long arms so I can go pretty far out here.

Step 3: Smoothing It Out (Remember: Go Vertically!)
Now I’m taking, I’m smoothing that out. And if I have a lot of extra on the brush, I’ll just stick it out there, smooth. There’s a lot here, but it’s not pooling.

Here’s the crucial part: You want the brush strokes to be going up and down vertically because when the light falls, it won’t cast shadows if you go horizontally and hang the art up. The ridges, if there’s ridges in the finish, will catch the light. So you want to always go vertically as it’s seen on the wall. Think about that when you’re putting it on—this painting is gonna stand up like that.

I kind of make a visual note of where I am. I’m up to that white mark. I’m just getting it all smooth. Then I come from the other side and all the work is signed, everything’s done.

Step 4: The Final Touch
It’s a nice generous coat, but there’s no pooling. And now I’ll take a roll of paper towels and I’ll wipe up the extra. Of course, it dries clear, so it’s not a big deal. But I’ll wipe up some from the side,s and then I let that dry overnight.

 

The Results

That’s it. I just have 13 more to go. But this gives a really nice satin finish to these and protects them, and they just look really beautiful.

This is just how I found it to be really efficient and fast.

 

Your Turn to Try This Method

How do you finish your art? There are 1,000,001 ways to do this. This is just how I found it to be really efficient and fast.

Let me know in the comments how you finish your art. I’d love to hear your own methods and what works best for you.

I hope you get out today and make some art.

Thanks for being here.