[Lynn O. Doughty]

A number pf people have ask me how I paint my pieces so here is a short course. I realize there is a separate topic area for painting but, as I deal strictly with caricatures, thought I would just keep my comments in this area.

I use Folk Paints from Hobby Lobby, WalMArt or wherever I can find them. They're acryllic and I've never really noticed any difference between brands. Probably come out of the same paint tub in China no matter what the label says. I use fairly high quality brushes that keep a good tip. Sable are the best. Cost more but are cheaper over the long run. I use a burning pen to define the areas of color prior to painting. That burnt line acts as a break that the color won't cross even when the wood is damp. Once everything is ready I wash my hands and then give the carving a good soak while I'm at the tap. Painting wet pulls the paint down into the wood vs. laying on the surface when applied to a dry carving. This gives a soft appearance when the piece is varnished as there is no paint laying directly on the surface. The same technique is used by watercolorists who wet their paper before they start.

I squeeze out a dollop of paint on a piece of glass and then, mixing it with water and other colors to achieve the color or shade I'm after. If I see the piece starting to dry out I spray it again with water to keep it moist. I don't want it dripping, only damp on the surface. I'm always careful to keep my hands clean as that can make or break a good paint job. It only takes a minute to get up and go wash them but once dirt or unwanted paint gets on a piece it's hard to remove.

Once the paint is applied I set the piece aside for a couple of days to dry out. Then a LIGHT coat of satin finish polyurethane is applied. Polyurethane also gives the piece an amber tint when it dries which I like. Once dry I kill the shiney spots with a light spray of Testors DULCOAT which is available in Hobby shops. It's a flattening agent for models and works well to even things out.

I make my flesh color out of Red Iron Oxide and Yellow Ochre mixed a little toward the red side. It doesn't take much..only a very THIN wash. I use Midnight Blue for the shading on the beard and the eyelids and bags. Again, VERY lightly. The blue is also used on the jeans with white mixed in for the inside of the cuffs. The chaps can be just about any color you want. However, I always try and show wear by lightening the areas on the legs where the heavier wear would take place. Also, darker areas on the very bottoms of the chaps where they would drag through dirt, etc. Same goes for the shirt, light areas on the elbows, the front of the shirt where it tucks into the pants and around the collar.

I keep scraps of wood handy to test colors on before I put them on the piece.

I hope this helps you out.

[mwilleson]

Thanks Lynn. I'm going to save some of that info in my carving folder.

[wood-whittler]

lynn

thanks that helped alot it sounds as if you paint alot like other caricature carvers but have just fine tuned it to your liking again thanks for the explanation.

btw is the satin poly a spray or a wipe on?

bart

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Polyurethane varnish.....I brush it on using a fine natural bristle brush. Again, I'm just sealing the surface not trying to give it a heavy coating. I'd never use spray as there is no way to control it on a small object like a carving.

[Mark N. Akers]

Lynn:
Thank you very much,I appreciate you sharing your painting techniques with the board.

[GeorgiaCarver]

This is a great post, thank you Lynn for a rookie like me it is nice to have advice. I have tried some things that do not work, now I can try something that might!

Greg

[Myron Compton]

Lynn, Thanks so much for the info...Myron

[GILLY]

Great info, thanks for sharing.

[Coffeeman]

Thank you Lynn.

[Claude]

Thanks for the detailed info, Lynn - definitely a keeper!

Claude