Varnishing an Oil Painting

Before we start...
Never apply final varnish to an oil painting unless it has thoroughly dried. Oil paint requires anywhere from 6 to 12 months (or longer) to dry depending on how thick the paint was applied to the canvas. If you want to add a temporary finish to paintings that have not dried thoroughly you should consider using a retouch varnish.
If you have large sunken, i.e. dull and flat, areas on your original unvarnished oil painting you might want to consider oiling out the painting before applying a final varnish. Varnishing will even out the finish on paintings that are fairly even already, but if you have areas that are high gloss along with areas that are clearly sunken, "due to variations in the types of pigments and/or mediums used" [1], then applying a final varnish may not even out the finish as you might be expecting. Oiling out is suggested in such a case. If you decide to oil out your painting you will need to wait an additional 6 months before applying your final varnish and it's best to perform the oiling out process shortly after your painting has been completed, within the first few weeks.
In this tutorial we will accomplish the following: 1) learn a method for applying multiple thin coats of varnish, 2) learn a brushing technique that will minimize uneven brush strokes that could be visible in the final product, and 3) achieve a high gloss finish similar to many paintings that are displayed in museums, sometimes referred to as a 'museum finish'.
Additional points to remember when varnishing:
Use Good Ventilation: I use a fan aimed out an open window to keep the air moving. Varnishing per this tutorial can take from one to two days so be sure that your work area is properly ventilated to prevent fumes from building up.
Brush Selection: The largest painting that is varnished in this tutorial is 12"x16" and the smallest is 4"x6". I chose a fine bristled brush that is 1" wide. For paintings larger than 12"x16" you should use a brush with a width in the 1-1/2" to 3" range. Don't be cheap when purchasing a varnishing brush unless you want to be picking bristles out of your varnish. Also, once you use a brush for varnishing DO NOT use it for painting, and if you have a brush that you previously used for painting DO NOT use it for varnishing. Purchase a varnsihing brush that will only be used for this purpose.
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