Jacquard Dorlands Wax - 4 Ounce - Versatile Pure Wax and Damar Resin - Protective Topcoat for Sealing and Finishing

A friend told me about this. I use it to wax some of my watercolor paintings so they don’t need to be protected by glass. I bet it would work great on graphite or colored pencil to protect the surface and stabilize the material. I don’t think it would be suitable for pastels though, the application process might disturb the creamy strokes.It applies easily with a brush, and doesn’t smear the paint or alter the look of the art at all, but be aware that once it is applied, no changes can be made to the underlying surface. It’s permanent.I was actually hoping it would act more like a varnish, as in giving a bit of depth to the art and a more visible protective surface, but it it completely matte and natural. Maybe I will do some experiments by brushing gel medium over some waxed samples to see what happens. Have fun with this!

Works great!! No smudging at all!!

Works great for my application. Protects the watercolor picture a little. Not totally waterproof with one application.

First time using this as a watercolor artist. I watched probably 7 videos about this as it does not come with instructions. I would not put this on a picture to hang on a wall necessarily. I like it for greeting cards and bookmarks. I spilled water on it, and it works like a charm, no bleeding! On a small (4”x6”) greeting card I just let it dry overnight and buffed it with an old lintless shirt. No discoloration. I didn’t use gloves, but some people advise you to. Its matte and does look more professional than without it. It doesn’t take much, it feels like lotion once you get rubbing it. Very pleased with it.

I saw a number of videos on YouTube in which artists used this to cover their watercolor paintings. Its supposed to protect them from UV radiation and prevent fading. Some YouTubers even said it enhanced the colors of their paintings. Well.....It went on the painting exactly as I thought. Just get a bit out on your clean fingers (I actually used a neoprene glove) and rub it all over your paintings. A little goes pretty far. I can't vouch for the UV protections (thought the painting hasn't faded yet) but it does, somewhat, enhance the colors. It's not a lot, but it did a little. I guess its possible that for other paint, or paper, it could have a larger effect than it had on mine.I have a couple of concerns about using this product like this. The first is that its a wax, and its a soft wax at that. If I put this in a mat, and then it gets too warm, will it melt and ruin the mat? I don't know because it hasn't happened to me yet. The second is how "sticky" will it make the painting. Third, will this wax stay transparent for the lifetime of the paintings. I'd hate for the wax to become cloudy and ruin someones painting.I guess time will tell on those concerns. It is an interesting concept, I'll continue to test for the entire time I have this jar of wax, and will have to evaluate for myself how good it really is then.

A great sealant. I’ve used this to seal watercolor, colored pencil, and (carefully) charcoal, and it has worked well. A little bit goes a long way, so it’s a great value.

This stuff is super easy to use. I just put on some gloves and use a towel to pick up a little of the wax and then I just rub it over the watercolor art piece. I let it air dry for a couple minutes or sometimes overnight just cause. That's it. It seals it. Water will bead up on the surface wherever you put the wax. The product is a soft texture. It does have a smell so you need to use it in a well ventalated area. One jar will last a while but I would definitely buy this again to protect my watercolor pieces of art.

I've done a lot of mixed media artwork over the years and I've tried a lot of different varnishes on my journal pages and have had a lot of disappointment when they didn't prevent unnecessary sticking/tearing/smudging of my artwork. I love using watercolors and gouache with water-based and pigment inks and I don't like how spray varnishes can leave a tacky surface for weeks so storing finished pieces becomes really difficult. You can apply the wax after the piece is dry and store it immediately without issue. I can clear up space between projects quickly and easily without stress. Waiting for a varnished piece to de-stink and dry can be frustrating for so many reasons (the chemicals can make you dizzy, you could forget about it outside, it could get lost, a pet could eat it and get sick, etc.) so I prefer if I can just use the wax and not have to deal with any issues except what I want to create next.With watercolor and gouache art, protecting the integrity of the pigment placement means you can't use a water-based varnish and certain sprays can dull the vibrancy of the colors. Dorland's Wax doesn't dull water-based media and protects it from stray water droplets or other wet/damp surfaces. It's excellent on my gouache pieces as well as watercolor and even over the mixed media pieces with an acrylic base and pigment markers. It does require a bit of care in rubbing in on over more delicate media on the uppermost layers, but it hasn't disturbed a lot of different products I use.Graphite, chalk, and some oil pastels are prone to smudging when touched in general, so I try not to use the wax directly on top of those.