[Phaeton]

The canvasback carving is almost finished, the remaining detail can be done with sand paper and x-acto knife.

I need a push or something! I just can't bring myself to start the color, I'm afraid I'll mess it up. The other blank is sanded smooth and used to test color, I'm using Jo Sonja's Acrylic and lots of water to make a stain. Most of the colors on the blank are way too dark; I wanted just a hint of the right color in the right place. I tried sanding a stained area and that really looked bad, also tried Polycrylic on a stained area to see how much it would accent the color but I think it would take 4 or 5 coats to really tell.

I even started another small carving just so I wouldn't have to finish this one. Has this ever happened to you?

Phaeton
..^v^..

[woodcarver55555]

Have you sealed the carving yet? The paint you are using ( same as I use) is a water base type and you need to seal the wood to prevent the grain from raising. I use two coats of laquror based sanding sealer that is a 50/50 mix with laquror thinner. The other type of sanding sealer can raise the grain.
I mix my paints( thinned with water) and make test blocks on cheaper type kids watercolor paper. I make notes next to test spot on colors and % used. I keep in a file on that bird type for the next time. I put on thin washes and build up to the color. If you want a stained look the grain shows through, just don't put as many coates of wash on. Its easy to make it darker, harder to get lighter. Just take your time and make those test spots on paper first and than on the test bird in the pic. Good luck, Duncan

[AlArchie]

That all makes good sense. I may have read your post wrong, but I got the impression you were using the thinned down acrylic as a stain, (wash is a better term) and you wanted to use this for subtle colorations, rather than hard hues. If this is the case, you may want to try using a pre-stain treatment before applying the wash. These treatments (there are several manufactures who make them) do the same job that Duncan does with his sanding sealer mix. Both the pre stain and the thinned sealer will help prevent the splotching that is common when staining bass, maple and pine and make the application a lot more controlable.

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Another thing that will seal and quickly is spray with "Deft" spray....Deft is a lacquer, and dries fast........and don't worry about messing up the paint......nice thing about paint, you can always paint over it!! Just keep the paint thinned enough you don't "glob" it on...if you do, you can still fix it, but you have to yuk, should I say it? SAND LOL

[Phaeton]

Thank you for the help woodcarver5555
I didn't seal any of my test spots. Will the sealer make the wood grain sharp and dominant or should I use something else?

Hi AlArchie,
This is my second carving, my first carving is a canvasback decoy (still not finished) but it's really bad, his neck is to short, his tail is too small and he has more body filler than an old used car but he is a good training duck.

I was going to use water-based Minwax but Lowe's will not mix colors in a 1/2 PT size so most of the stain would be wasted.

I did buy a 1/2PT Minwax water-based Pre-Stain wood conditioner; will that work with Jo Sonja's Acrylic's?

The Drake below is stained but it's too dark for what I had in mind, the Hen is the look I would like to have but stained in the Drake color's.

Bill
^v^

[Phaeton]

Hi_Ho_Sliver

Will the wash build up on top of the Deft spray or will it stain the wood?

Thanks for the help guys

Bill
^v^

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

well not being an expert in that area....my observations are that a light spray just keeps the fuzzies down...and I believe that the light spray allows some of the thin wash into the wood, altho the acrylic seems to go over the lacquer just fine......if you have doubts, take a piece of scrap wood and play around with different variations....see what works for you!

[LCorbett]

Phaeton...another sealer that is really good is called "Curt's Tee-Kay's Rapid-Dri Tupelo Sealer". I carve almost exclusively in tupelo, but have used this sealer on basswood as well. I'm not sure it's the sealer you're looking for in this case, but I'll tell you about it anyway. It's lacquer based, VERY thin, so it soaks deeply into the wood pores...tupelo is thirsty and it requires a deep seal. It dries in about 20-30 minutes, so you can apply several coats in one session. Tupelo usually wants 3-4 coats. This forms an impervious barrier to water, or very thin paints. Less coats - less resistance.

OK...next piece of advice...if you are thinning your paints that drastically for a stain effect, then do it with Flow Medium and Glzing Medium. Flow Medium breaks the surface tension of water, allowing the pigment to disperse more evenly. In your test swatches, did you notice the pigment tends to "pool" in places, and in other places there wasn't so much...making a splotchy look? That's what Flow Medium will correct. Absolutely essential for diluted paint.

Speaking of diluted paint...thinning acrylics with a lot of water destroys the adhesion...you're diluting the binder ("glue") with water. If you handle a carving a lot while painting, you're gonna find that the thinned layers of paint will wear off easily. Adding a Glazing Medium will put back the adhesion. Again...essential to diluted paint.
There are several Glazing Mediums on the market to choose from...matte, satin and gloss. These are NOT varnishes. You mix them into your paint and they dilute the color, but not the binder. Glazing mediums are essentially acrylic paint without the pigment. You can get them in tubes (which are thicker and also called "Gel Medium") or in bottles that pour (thinner). I like the bottles. I make a mix of 60% Glazing Medium & 40% Flow Medium and use this to thin my paints (sometimes it is necessary to use some water to dilute a bit more, but I always put a little Glazing Medium and/or Flow Medium into the paint, too...it helps).

I like the Jo Sonja's Flow Medium and use either Golden's or Lascaux Glazing Medium. I paint exclusively in acrylics, and have recently changed brands from Jo Sonja's to Lascaux & Golden.
I still use the JS Flow Medium, though. It's the only one I found that comes ready to use. Most of the others I've tried require you to mix it with water before use...usually 1 part Flow Medium to 20 parts water. I think it's a pain...grin.

[woodcarver55555]

Any advice from Lori is sound. She has been at this a lot longer than me, and carves and paints at a level above me. I am still working toward that level. I am reading Lori's book along with carving, work,etc. Outstanding book.I think my teenage grandson called her carvings shown in it " THE BOMB" and told my to try and paint more like her. I have bought flow med, just have not used it yet. No birds in the paint shop yet.

[LCorbett]

Duncan...I spit my tea when I read "THE BOMB"...lol. Tell your grandson thanks from me. I'll add that to my list of other teen-age compliments received, including..."You ROCK"...hehehehe

All the sealer advice is great...each of us has our favorite way and reasons for it. So, don't feel like you aren't "qualified" to offer advice - experience with what works for you and your application IS qulaified.

You're gonna love the Flow Medium, by the way.