Faber Castell Polychromos pastels on Golden Pastel Ground, without varnish (top left), Lauscaux Fixative (top right), Archival Varnish Gloss (bottom left), and Archival Varnish Gloss + Archival Varnish Matte (bottom right).

Varnishing Mixed Media Paintings

EDITOR’S NOTE (4/26/23): Please note that Polymer Varnish has been discontinued and replaced with Gloss Waterborne Varnish. You can read more about it here. If you are working with mixed media, the best display solution is usually behind UV-protective glass. This provides ultimate protection against UV-light, dirt and dust. If

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Williamsburg Chromatic Darks

  When oil painters visit our factory, we always show them these colors. The response is unanimously positive, especially from those who use darker tones or blacks in their work. Williamsburg has six chromatic darks that we want to feature in this article. These colors are all blends, containing a

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Neutralizing Color

Color can be a complex and overwhelming subject, so in this article we hope to shed some light on the subject of neutralizing color, or toning it down without changing the color itself or its “color identity”. We will touch upon methods using White, Gray and Black, Complements, and how the Virtual Paint

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Collage of MAS home studio images

We’re Still Here!

  Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we are dedicated to our service and continue to be available to answer questions and lend support for artists. We are still here; we are still available; we have just changed the environment in which we work. My name is Stacy Brock and I am

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Blade Applied Translucent Acrylic Grounds

Editor’s Note: Added April 26, 2022 For some time, our recommendation for artists using oils over acrylic has been to work over harder, matte acrylic surfaces and avoid working on softer gels and gloss products. Our intention was to optimize the level of adhesion that would be achieved on a

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Cleaning Your Acrylic Waste Water Made Easy!!

Early in our efforts here to be good stewards of our environment, we had to learn how to deal with our manufacturing waste. We began this business 40 years ago in a barn on the site of my folk’s retirement home. The well they drew water from was only 20

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