First Paint Carving

[twinpeaksenterprises, LLC]

First time i painted a carving, well actually about the 100th but first one that came out okay. My friend loved it said it had that country weathered look..ha. And said how did ya do it... Ummm shhhh. It was a mistake but hey it worked out great i think. She wants a couple to take to the some kind of Country craft show.. Anyways, Its just an oval cut path with raster letters and the stars are from the software library.

[snood56]

Has a very artsy distressed feel to it. Here is one I did for my friend in FL. Don't get the wrong idea, I like LSU.

[twinpeaksenterprises, LLC]

Snood, Now thats the level of painting i want to be on. That is great. I'm not real big on painted carvings but hey sometimes it works out amazing. Thanks and great job there.

[snood56]

TP,
you would be surprised how easy it was to paint. (Although expensive for your startup) I first cut the figure on an unfinished board leaving the requisite 7" extra. This will come in handy when you plane it. I then sprayed it with a coat on sanding sealer and then a couple coats of my line color. The sealer stops the line color from bleeding. after that has dried I run it through the planer (you can also do this with a sander) so my surface is back to raw and the line art is crisp. Now comes the fun. I didn't actually paint it, I stained it with concentrated liquid watercolor. You can pick this up at most art supply stores. The stain soaks into the raw wood and is resisted by the line work. So, even if you couldn't color inside the lines as a kid, you can now. The finish is fast drying lacquer with 200 grit sandings between coats.

[castingman]

They both look great , I have a hard time with paint as well ,
Twins., Is the blue paint or dye ?

Michael

[Audie]

Hey Karl!

Thanks for your insights for painting. I need lots of help in that area and I know just how critical it is to pull off a "professional" finish. I am excited to give your technique a try!

Thanks for sharing!
Audie

[snood56]

Castingman, the blue is DR. PH Martins concentrated watercolor. (dye) The line color is spray paint.
Enjoy,
Karl

[fwharris]

Snood, Now thats the level of painting i want to be on. That is great. I'm not real big on painted carvings but hey sometimes it works out amazing. Thanks and great job there.

I also used to think "why would you paint" that nice looking wood. I felt that the different colors of stain was enough to enhance the details of the carvings. I have since found that with the combination of both you can really get a totally different look to the carvings.

Searching and reading up on different techniques and not being afraid to experiment has really opened up my eyes to wood working.

[twinpeaksenterprises, LLC]

Yes exzactly i dont like painting wood either for the most part. Only wood i would ever paint is either poplar or pine. Poplar takes paint well which is what my america plaque is. The paint i used is from them little containers they sell at wal mart in the craft section for like 97 cents a piece. They actually work very well. Then i use the kilz clear coat spray which is kind of expensive. All in all i got some interest in the distressed look which is just applying different colors of paint to different sections then painting over the whole thing in white. After that is done i lightly sand it with the mouse sander with 220 grit to the desired distress look. Clean up then seal.

[snood56]

I really hope this thread sparks a firestorm of riotous color.