After finishing this portrait painting, I decided to use matte varnish to protect it. But after using it there’s more that I found. I bought Gamblin Gamvar. It is so hard to find a good seller. I also bought a Borciani Bonazzi flat brush that Ill use exclusively for varnishing. Gamvar is odorless and a bit sticky when dried. After applying it, the painting on canvas is like a printed image on a photo paper. The colors are even more vibrant and since its matte, it’s not that glossy. It also brings life to the dark areas of the painting like the black background and shadows adding more depth. I will 100% recommend using Gamblin Gamvar. 

BTW this is my friend from Alexandria, Egypt. He is very handsome and he is my secondary reason why I’m painting. He also gave me a paintbrush as a birthday gift. My first sponsor. I met him on Reddit. I posted a deconstructed drawing of Anubis, of course favorite, and he made a comment that I hope to see him someday in Egypt. This painting I think took me more or less 24 hours to finish. I even made 3 layers of grids to make him look realistic. There is also an endless push and pull on skintone. I also tested Golden Regular Matte Gel on the scarf to add texture. For the cottony texture on the hoodie jacket, I used Borciani Bonazzi filbert brush. One of my experiments here also is to use Golden regular Matte Medium for each layer of paint. After finishing it, I’m exhausted but I’m so happy. On the next painting, I applied Gamvar on acrylic pads applied with black gesso. Just like the varnished canvas, it also has good results on acrylic pads.        

This is my study of painting the sea. I attempted many times but have failed because the waves have so many details. I used Liquitex prussian blue and parchment. Prussian blue is so vibrant. Also I tried to paint a cloud. And I used a dabber brush. Finally I know how to use dabber which almost frustrated me during those first few times of using it. 

This acrylic painting is inspired by the Biblical story of the Great Flood. But instead of using Noah’s arc, I got my inspiration from Pharoah’s Khufu’s reconstructed ship. I posted on Reddit r/Egypt community and have received 81 upvotes and good comments. Read the comments…

 And last, this acrylic painting is inspired by my favorite Biblical tale of the pharaoh’s dream about 7 years of Abundance and 7 years of famine as interpreted by the prophet Joseph. It tells of 7 fat cows appeared along the Nile and another 7 thin cows that ate the fat cows. Well i didn’t capture exactly the dream but at least it has resemblance. In this painting, there are only 2 skeletons of cows rising from the Nile river. While painting the river, I remembered the slow-shutter effect on DsLRs which exempted me from painting the details of running water. This story always reminds me of the cycle of life. That in times of abundance, prepare for the next cycle so you will always be prosperous and stay balanced. 

I hope you like my video of Gamblin Gamvar. BTW I’m a graphic designer. I also create websites, motion graphics and video editing. To know more of my services, please also visit my website Sandjackal.com to see also the gallery of my artworks. Thank you for watching.