[Woodcarver] Pigments

[Classic Carving Patterns]

Ivan!  That is the clearest, cleanest description of pigments and their
use in the different medias that I have ever read.  Very, Very well
done.
 
Susan Irish

Carving Patterns Online
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-----Original Message-----
From: woodcarver-bounces at six.pairlist.net
[mailto:woodcarver-bounces at six.pairlist.net] On Behalf Of Ivan Whillock
Sent: Sunday, September 02, 2007 12:22 PM
To: [Woodcarver]
Subject: [Woodcarver] Pigments


Through the years I've had the opportunity to work with most coloring
techniques, here's what I understand:  
 
The various mediums use the same pigments; they just have different
vehicles to carry them--except, of course,  for  dry pigment or dry
tempera, which obviously lack a carrier.  Pigments in powder form need
something in the surface  to hold them.  You can get an interesting
coloration with dry pigments by rubbing  the pigments into the pores of
the surface, though it's a pretty messy process because much of it falls
away.  Also, you can, for example, apply a wax and then brush dry
pigments into it.  Otherwise, you need a vehicle of some sort to apply
the pigment to the surface: water, oil, or some other medium which the
user mixes into the dry pigment.
 
Pastels are composed of those same type of pigments pressed into stick
form with just enough binder to hold the stick together.  Because they
are applied dry, the surface they are applied to must have a "tooth" in
order to hold the pigment, to keep it from simply falling off the
surface.  The pores of the wood supply some tooth, but also you can
spray the surface with, as Jack pointed out, a varnish that has a tooth
in it.  That will hold the pigment temporarily, but then it should be
sprayed with a top coat, because there is nothing in the pastel itself
to bind it to the surface.
 
Crayons and some colored pencils usually have a wax binder.  Any surface
that accepts wax will accept those media.  It is the wax that binds the
pigment to the surface.
 
Water colors have gum arabic to hold the pigments, but after the water
dries, those pigments which do not dye the surface can move.   Thus, if
you use water colors, you may want to apply a fixer to the surface, a
lacquer or a varnish to keep the colors in place.
 
Acrylics and oil paints have binders that, when dry, fix the pigment to
the surface, thus they are the mediums most often used for coloring
wood.
 
The pigments are pretty universal.  It's the way they are delivered that
differs.

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

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