[Woodcarver] Paints

[Mike Gratton]

Ivan,

Great lesson on painting!  Thanks for the info, this
one's a keeper.

mikeg
--- Ivan Whillock <carve at whillock.com> wrote:


> 

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> 

> > Hi Dan,

> 

> I've written on the subject of painting and have

> material together to do another article soon.  (Now

> that I've said that, Marnie will be after me to get

> it done! Dang it! Another job:))

> 

> Here are some of the highlights:

> 

> 1. Carvers who want an opaque look, to totally cover

> the wood, often seal it with  gesso which keeps the

> paint from "sinking in" or being absorbed more in

> one place than in another.  Gesso takes most paints

> well and, in the case of a carousel horse, for

> example, where there are often many laminations, it

> can help fill in some of the gaps.

> 

> 2.  On the other hand, carvers who want a

> transparent look will use a clear sealer or none at

> all.  A sealed surface takes the color more evenly,

> an unsealed surface accentuates the cuts, so you

> take your choice on what you like best.

> 

> 3.  There are three types of paint used most often:

> Oils, acrylics, and water colors.  They each have

> their qualities.

> 

> 4.  Oil dries slowly and therefore is good for

> wet-in-wet painting.  In wet-in-wet you lay a color

> down and then on the figure itself mix a different

> color into it.  You can create shading and

> variations of color very easily with this method. 

> One example would be adding a blush onto the cheeks

> after the flesh color was painted on.  Oil stays the

> same color when it dries, so precise color matching

> is easier with oil--which is the reason many bird

> carvers prefer it over acrylics--which darken as

> they dry.  To let the wood show through, many use

> oil paints more like a stain than a paint.  They

> will apply it with a brush but then wipe it off with

> a cloth until they get the transparency they like. 

> I've used the "sandwich method" that I observed in

> Austria.  You seal the wood with lacquer, stain it

> with oil paint, and then spray a coating of lacquer

> over that.  Not a good technique indoors, however,

> without a spray booth.

> 

> 

> 5.  Acrylics dry faster and can be thinned with

> water, which is a benefit for people who prefer

> them.  Acrylic paint is very opaque.  Therefore,

> many apply the acrylics in very thin washes,

> building up the color to the desired density through

> additional thin coats.  Some achieve gradation of

> color by varying the tone of the washes.  You might,

> for example, paint a shirt blue and then put a thin

> wash of brown over the top of that, which dulls the

> blue and adds variation to the color.  It looks

> artificial to have a solid blue color "straight from

> the tube" because in nature most colored surfaces

> are varied through shadows, highlights and

> lowlights.  Varying the shades of the washes avoids

> that "straight from the tube" look of the colors.

> 

> 6.  More and more carvers are discovering the

> benefits of watercolors in polychroming their

> carvings and still letting the wood show through. 

> Watercolors are transparent by design, so they are

> easy to manage for that effect.    A standard

> procedure with water colors is to seal the wood with

> a hide glue, or unflavored gelatin (which is about

> the same thing), and then paint it with water

> colors.  The kind you get in the toy department

> works, but for pure colors go to an art store.  The

> pigment in acrylics has a binder that hardens when

> it dries, holding the pigment in place.  Water color

> has no such binder.  Thus, water colors can be

> moved, can be rewet and picked up with a brush or

> wiped off with a cloth.  This can be used as an

> advantage in getting the effect you want, but it

> also means that the carving probably needs to be

> sprayed with a top coat sealer to keep the paint

> from being smeared later on.

> 

> 7.  To get away from that garish "straight from the

> tube" look of the paint, or to "antique" it, some

> use a glaze which puts a common tone onto all of the

> colors.  There are several formulas for such glazes.

>  An easy one is to mix burnt umber and boiled

> linseed oil.  Vary the amounts until you get the

> density of color you like.  Commercially made

> colored wax stains also are available.  I've seen

> some carvers who even use shoe polish.

> 

> 8.  Some carvers like to stain the wood before

> painting it.  This has the effect of bringing out

> the grain.  It also tones down the color of the raw

> basswood.  The stain needs to be compatible with the

> color which will later be applied.  An oil stain

> will reject water-based paints.  However, a water

> based stain can be used under oils.  Rule of thumb:

> fat goes over lean-just like around the waistline!

> 

> 9.  Each technique has its drawbacks.  Oil paints

> are thinned with paint thinner which has its own

> disadvantages--odors, more complicated cleanup, fire

> hazard, etc.   Acrylics and water colors are thinned

> with water, which, on some carvings, can raise the

> grain and even close up some detail cuts.  Also, the

> surface must be clean and free from oil.  Again, you

> choose your poison.

> 

> I know carvers who tried one technique and settled

> on that; others have "tried everything" and still

> are searching for that "perfect" technique. Part of

> the fun is experimenting and developing your own

> signature painting style.

> 

> Ivan Whillock

> 

> Ivan Whillock Studio

> 122 NE 1st Avenue

> Faribault, MN  55021

> Visit my website at

> http://www.whillock.com

> Visit my Picture Trail album at

>

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=ivancarve

> 

> 

> 

> 

>   ----- Original Message ----- 

>   From: djsamyrs 

>   To: [Woodcarver] 

>   Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 7:56 AM

>   Subject: [Woodcarver] Paints

> 

> 

> 

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> 

> 

> 

> 

>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 

> 

>   Hello all, I was wondering what kinds of paints

> everyone uses out there. Acrylic?. Oil? Painting a

> carving when I'm done with it is my big downfall. I

> hate doing a nice job of carving and then messing it

> up with a horrible paint job. Are there any books to

> instruct a person on painting carvings? Any help

> would be appreciated. Thanks a lot. Dan Myers

> 

> 

>

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