Corey Guerra Design, LLC

05/11/2026

Varnish troubleshooting — before & after 🖼️

Swipe to see what a bad Gamvar application looks like vs. a corrected one. That streaky, uneven sheen in the first photo? Two culprits: varnish that had gotten too viscous with age, and a brush that was way past its prime.

Gamvar is forgiving, but it does have conditions.

Here’s what to check if your varnish layer looks uneven:

Your varnish — Gamvar should flow smoothly and level out as it dries. If it’s dragging, pulling, or sitting thick in some areas and thin in others, the viscosity is off. Old varnish can thicken over time even in a sealed bottle. Fresh varnish is cheap insurance.

Your brush — Gamblin makes a dedicated Gamvar brush for a reason. A worn or contaminated brush leaves drag marks and uneven coverage that no amount of technique corrects. If you’ve had yours for a while, replace it.

Your application — Work in thin, even passes in one direction. Don’t go back over areas that have started to tack up.

The good news: you don’t have to remove a bad layer before reapplying. The solvent in Gamvar reactivates the previous layer, so a fresh coat bonds with and corrects what’s underneath. Let the first layer cure fully, then apply your corrected coat over it.

In this case I replaced both the varnish and the brush, and the second application went on exactly as it should — smooth, even, and consistent across the whole surface.
Small supply maintenance issue, big visual difference on the finished piece.

Check your materials before you blame your technique. 🎨

05/10/2026

05/06/2026

Varnishing your painting isn’t optional—it’s the final step in the process.

An unvarnished oil painting is not a finished oil painting. Full stop.

Without a varnish layer, your paint surface is exposed to UV light, dust, airborne grease, and humidity fluctuations. Over time, oil films oxidize and yellow. Colors shift. Darks flatten. And without a removable barrier coat, any future conservator who tries to clean the surface is working directly on your paint — with no safety net.

That’s the definition of non-archival: the work cannot be safely maintained over time.

The reason many painters skip varnishing is a real one — traditional resin varnishes (damar, mastic, even some synthetic formulas) require a painting to be fully cured, which for oils can mean waiting six months to a year or more. Applying a film-forming varnish over insufficiently dried paint traps solvents, causes cracking, and locks in uneven sheen.

This is where Gamvar changes everything.

Why Gamvar works when other varnishes don’t:
Gamvar (by Gamblin) is formulated with Regalrez 1094, a low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon resin dissolved in Gamsol — a mild, odorless mineral spirit. Because Gamsol evaporates slowly and gently, and because Regalrez is non-penetrating, Gamvar sits on top of the paint film rather than bonding into it. This means it can safely be applied as soon as the surface is touch-dry — typically, 6–12 months is still ideal for thickly painted work, but for lean, thin passages, touch-dry is enough. It won’t trap residual solvents the way traditional varnishes do.

Gamvar is also removable with Gamsol, making it fully conservation-grade. Future cleaning won’t touch your paint. That’s what archival actually means.

So: no excuses. Varnish your paintings. Your future self — and future conservators — will thank you.

05/04/2026

Progress check-in!

The first image is the latest iteration. You will notice some subtle change between the first and second photo. I have glazed the table again, deepening the color as well as reinforcing shadow, highlights and details. Once dried, I will varnish the painting and it will be ready to sell.

I will posted images of the varnishing with explanation and materials. Also I will explain while varnishing a painting is necessary.

04/24/2026

The grisaille method is one of the most effective ways to build a strong, believable painting. Instead of jumping straight into color, the entire image is first developed in black, white, and a full range of greys. This allows you to focus purely on value, light, and form without the distraction of color decisions.

In the piece shown here, the pear’s form is constructed through careful control of light and shadow. Every transition, from the soft highlight on the front to the deep core shadow, is established before any color is introduced. This is what gives the painting its sense of volume and realism. If the values work in grayscale, the painting will hold together when color is eventually layered on top through glazing.

Grisaille is rooted in classical painting traditions and is still one of the best ways to train your eye. It teaches patience, observation, and discipline. More importantly, it reinforces that painting is not about color first; it is about light.

03/28/2026

I asked AI to design a logo… 👀

Looked interesting at first.
Fell apart everywhere.

Blurry when scaled.
Way too busy.
Weird fonts you can’t even reuse.
No real brand system.
And good luck printing it 😬

AI is great for ideas…
but branding has to work in the real world.

If your logo only works on screen, it’s not working.
DM me “FIX MY LOGO” 🔥

03/05/2026

https://prcc.edu/design-students-addy-awards-february2026/

March 4, 2026

01/21/2026

🍐 Value Study: Pear 🍐

Working on a value study of a pear in Procreate to focus on light, shadow, and form. This piece started with the 6B Sketch Brush for the initial drawing, then built depth using the Charcoal Brush for shading and highlights.

Keeping the subject simple really helps emphasize contrast and volume—great practice for training the eye and understanding how value creates realism.

Always learning, always refining. 🎨✏️