People love exhibiting oil paintings at home. Using a drying oil as a binding solvent medium, the colors and tones fuse to create extraordinary pieces of art.
To make such well-executed artworks, one must be aware of the composition, colors, and subject matter as well as other technical details, such as how and what varnishes to apply for the best gloss.
One thing that vexes and worries everyone dealing with the oil painting is the curing/drying process. Everybody has a different opinion on how long should an oil painting dry before shipping. Some argue at least six months, while others wait for a minimum of a year, but these might not be what you want to hear if you plan on commissioning or selling your work. The varied answers may confuse any beginner artist, so hopefully, this article will help you out.
Table of Contents
How Long Should an Oil Painting Dry Before Shipping?
Most artists agree that oil paintings can be ready to be sold after a week
and at most 10-14 days. That is when the surface of the painting and the top final layer of pigment feel dry to the touch.
However, that does not mean that the oil paints are completely dry. Oils take an outrageously long time to cure. Even when it feels dry to the touch, the underlying paint layers remain wet and only become less wet over the years.
This is because, unlike an acrylic painting, these paintings do not have any water to evaporate. It usually consists of pigments dispersed in oil, which itself is dissolved in a solvent medium.
They can be refined or cold-pressed linseed oil, walnut oil, poppy oil, mineral spirits, etc. After the solvent medium evaporates, it leaves behind the oil paint and oils, which react with oxygen and harden over the years.
The drying times also depend on the quality of your paint and the paint application. If you apply a thin coat and use pigments with higher oil content and slow drying time, then it would take a longer time to dry. But if you paint thin films and use lesser oil to bind, it will enable fast drying.
Using an alkyd medium or alkyd paints can also quicken the drying times for applying the final picture varnish.
Although, even if you use different brands of oil paint with different drying rates, you do not have to worry too much. The difference in the drying time averages out when the paints are mixed in the palette with a brush.
When Should I Varnish My Paintings Before Shipping?
The waiting period for varnishing also depends on the thickness of the paint film. It may take a minimum of a couple of months to up to 2 years to get a fully cured painting for varnish to be applied.
However, most customers would be unwilling to wait for 2 months, let alone a year or two, for artwork to completely dry.
So, instead of using traditional varnish, you can use a synthetic one, like a spray varnish. You can use it as soon as the artwork is touch dry. Synthetic varnishes allow oxygen to permeate and harden the pigments.
Many artists like to coat the top layers with a final varnish called Gamvar, which is a synthetic varnishing product.
On the other hand, if you apply a traditional varnish to an artwork that is not completely dry, the paint will crack as it contracts. The oxidation process will also be halted, which will cause the bond between the layers to weaken.
Varnishing your canvas can change the way they look. The glossy varnish amps up the vibrancy of the tones and colors used, bringing out the richness of the art. Besides aesthetic purposes, the varnish acts as a non-porous, protective layer that would collect the dust and dirt instead of the paint layer.
If the artwork has yellowed, you can remove the old layer and then apply a retouch varnish.
Tips to Safely Package and Ship an Oil Painting
While you can wait for your painted canvas to dry for some time before putting it up for sale, the situation can be a little different for commissioned works. Here are a few tips you can follow:
Tip One – Do Not Ship a Wet Painting
This tip is the most obvious but the most important as well. You must wait at least a week before shipping your painting so that it does not get smudged during transit. Once it has somewhat dried and does not require any more oiling, you can start the packing process.
Tip Two – Roll or Frame
For a stretched painting, it is better to frame it so that nothing comes in touch with it, with the frame acting as a stabilizer. However, framed paintings take up a lot of space which can make the shipping a little more hassle. If you do this, remember to use cardboard corner guards to keep the frame safe.
You can also roll up the painting but remember to do it around the tube packaging. It should be done outwards instead of inwards, as it will make the hairline cracking invisible when laid flat again. Otherwise, the paint would chip, crease, or flake which would be highly noticeable afterward.
Try to keep the roll smooth and consistent and as loose as possible. However, this should not be done for aged paintings as the paint is no longer flexible and can crack.
For more details, The Spruce Craft explains how to safely roll a finished canvas painting.
Tip Three – Avoid Using Bubble Wrap for Framed Paintings
If you wrap your framed paintings with bubble wrap, then they can leave an identity. Apply a layer of tissue paper first, then bubble wrap and brown paper so that it does not leave behind impressions. Ensure that the initial layer of paper is acid-free.
Do not use tapes directly on the canvas as it will damage the painting. Do not use packing peanuts as well, as they can break apart into tiny pieces and then stick to your painting.
Tip Four – Caution Stickers
Handle with caution stickers will ensure the safety of the packages as much as possible. Most moving companies are aware of the sensitivity of such packages and usually place them on the side rather than keeping them flat.
This ensures that in case anything falls, it would hit the frame rather than the front or back of the painting.
You can talk to the customer to pay for the overnight or fast shipping as it would take less transit time and thus less time for any damages to occur.
Final Words
Shipping a canvas with oils can be a hassle, unlike acrylics. But if you do not do it correctly, all your efforts will go down the drain. Putting in some extra time and a little more care will ensure that your customers get your artworks in the best condition possible.
You can choose brands and mediums that are fast drying. And you can choose synthetic varnishes instead of traditional ones on the surface, even though old masters and professional artists will tell you otherwise.