[captgrant88]

sorry to ask so many questions, but much like a camal my thirst for information on my new found love (carving) is never fulfilled.what kind of paint is recommended to paint your carving with (characters-yeah i know i cant spell) and where/whop is a good supplier? thanks again .

[Randy48]

I use that good Wal Mart acrylic paint in the little bottles that costs about 90 cents a bottle with a couple coats of clear stain Deft laquer afterwards.

[Kenny_S]

Delta CeramCoat. Jo Sonjia. Bet there are others.

[decoycarve]

Its best to stick with artists paint like Jo Sonjas, Liquidtex, Grumbachers, or Golden, Delta cermacoat isn't to bad. Stay away from the cheap craft paints. We have a storefront and we display some items in the windows. It has been a good test for us. I have always used artist paints on my work. When my wife first started into decorative painting she was buying the cheap craft store paint. If we put it in the store front window within a month the sun faded the colors. I have had a decoy that I painted two years ago in the window and it looks like the day I put it in there. We found a paint company that replicates the old milk paint colors called Olde Century and we have been very pleased with thier products. You but a lot of time into a carving so finish it with a decent paint. Years down the road you will be glad you did.
Goody

[Whiskers]

I buy alot of paints from Wasco (wildlife artist supply co.) www.taxidermy.com they have alot of different brands and they are reasonable. Whiskers

[Anthony Filetti]

Delta Ceramcoats. Spent a lot of money on Liquitex brand that I really didn't need to. The Delta brand works quite well and comes in a large variety. As for the cost I had heard that once in a while Michael's has them on sale for a very reasonable price.

Don't get me wrong Liquitex is a high quality paint but most stores do not carry many colors and the price can be extremely expensive compared to Delta.

[Irish]

Dick Blick is a great source for any artist's supplies at www.dickblick.com I also use www.jerrysartarama.com as they have excellent sales. I'm with Goody on this one! After all the time that you have spent carving your project it deserves the best quality of paint that you can afford. Plus if it takes you three coats of a craft paint to do the job of one coat of artist colors ... well, the cost and saved time of artists colors looks pretty good.


Susan

[Mitchell]

Most of the one's mentioned above will work. I sometimes use oil paints mixed with either mineral oil or turpentine, but it's harder to clean up afterwards. The "benefit" is that it takes longer to dry and you can blend colors a little easier. Beginners should use acrylic.

Advice: 1) Practice first! 2) Mix the paint with lots of water - it's hard to take off paint, but easy to add more later 3) Practice again 4) Use good brushes - the bigger the better (within reason) and lastly, 5) Practice one more time.....

[rales]

I would tend to lean towards the artists colors, Liquitex, Jo Sonja etc. - they are most always marked as to how fugitive (prone to fading) they are. For example - Van Dyke Brown is known fader in most lines... but at least the better manufacturers will tell you that up front. Nothing against the hobby paints - they are great for a lot of things....but why take a chance on something improtant?

As a sign guy, I can tell you that acrylics as a whole last much longer than oils in harsh environments - exterior and interior... but get the best you can afford. It's not that big a difference in cost - and you and your customers will appreciate it in the long run. Artist tube colors also give you more flexibility as far as techniques go... dry brushing, impasto etc... you can always thin them down but you will appreciate the full strength colors when you need them.

rales

[Hugh]

I like the Golden paints, the lightfastness of the Golden first attracted me. Used Jo sonja paints for years, but found out they are a gouache, and not paint. The Golden seems to have more body, and as Susan pointed out, the quality paint has more pigment and covers better. The Golden paint has really helped me in my struggle with painting. Golden puts out two paints, one is matte or a flat finish, the other has a gloss. Just my two cents worth. I agree with the posts that have been made.