What paints to paint with?

[DMH1112]

What paints are good to paint carvings with? I need some paints and don't know what is good. I was told to get golden acrylics but they are really expensive. What paints does Gene Messer use? They must be pretty good because the paints he uses on his carvings end up looking really good.

[pallin]

If you want the wood and your carving skill to show thru, use wash colors - thin colors that tint the wood. If you want to cover up your mistakes, use opaque acrylics. Do what YOU like.

[wildhare]

I have to echo Phil. Many people here use acrylics. Ceramacoat, apple barrel are some that come to mind. Acrylics clean up with water and thin to a "wash" with water. They dry fast or you can slow that with the addition of medium. There are also acrylic based polyurethanes.

Oils come in tubes and can be thinned with turpentine, boiled Linseed oil (BLO) and can add texture and be thinned to a wash too.

I prefer acrylics because they don't have the smell that oils do and I love the way they blend.

But that is just my personal preference. I have used the more expensive tube paints and the cheaper ones and pictures I painted with either one are still just as vibrant so I am using the cheaper ones now and saving my money for tools!
Wanda

[chuckbolton]

most, not all, carvers are using acrylic paints-- thinned down with water-- i use the small paint pallet with the small cups-- i fill the cup with water and then i put in 4 drops of paint in it-- thats so i can duplicate the strenght of the paint when i run out-- you may find that you like your "wash" weaker or stronger-- this strenght allows the grain to show thru or to add more color in those areas needed. i buy $5 brushes-- the real cheap ones simply dont work for me-- to stringy, lose hairs in your paint, dont hold the paint. this is the method i use for in the round carvings--

for relief i use water colors- they tend to blend better and can rewet and change the depth of color--

try to use the true colors-- red- blue- yellow etc. it allows you to mix your own colors, if you use christmas red for example and need to change the color somewhat, thats difficult because that color is a mix of other colors ( not only red) and you dont know what you will end up with if u add for example, red oxide, to darken it a bit.

there are a few good carvers who also are good painter, lynn doughty and john engler come to mind. these are carvers in the midwest and ones that i know- many others are good also, and im sure im leaving some out. find a carver whose style you like and take a class- learn his painting method-- then take another one or more-- and you will develope your own style-- and you will probably change your painting method as time goes on.

a good paint job can take a mediocre carving and make it shine-- a poor paint job can destroy a good carving--

a lot of your success depends on the finish

good luck-- have fun and its not as difficult as it may seem at first

[Lynn O. Doughty]

I too use acrylic craft paints. Watered down they look like watercolors, straight they look like oils without the mess. It really doesn't mattter which brand you use as it all comes out of the same Chinese paint pot.

[Whittled Thumb]

I use art pastels, like those chalk kinds, then i scrape a bit off, depending on what i'm painting and mix it with a little bit of muphys oil soap. That works for me and I have a multitude of colors and can make a zillion more by mixing what I have and I only paid 6 bux for the box

[Dileon]

Lynn is right about the acrylics, tons of artist I know use nothing but Wally Mart.why cheap and zero to little mixing. They have all colors. They are the acrylics in the plastic bottles. Some will go to the hardware store and buy wall paint. The more expensive tube acrylics are the ones have more color pigment which is not needed unless your doing a professional painting, that you need thick pigment...and thick pigment is the last thing you want on a carving....thin those acrylics down major, let them dry,.. if it is to light do another coat. Oils the good ones are super expensive....I saw the purple I wanted darn tube cost 67 dollars......cheaper to carve these days.... these oils are used only by artist who have clients that are willing to pay for the paint... and have big money. Take it from me, the average person can not tell what you used....oil, acrylic, watercolor or what ever...because once you learn how to use the medium and get good, it does not matter. Try them all and see what you like, experiment a lot and try new things.......I been painting professionally since I was very young. Di