Bleeding Paint

BrandantR · #1 06-05-2007, 04:36 PM

Greetings and salutations everybody. Being a beginner, I have so may questions on how I can improve my carving pieces. I have looked at many styles of painting and I seem to be drawn to the whole wet on wet process with acrylics. I love the way that it brings life to carvings. Upon trying this technique, I have run into one major problem. BLEEDING!!! I would love to know how the great painters on the board can get such fine detail on their carvings and keep the lines crisp and true. My painting jobs looks less like the masters and more like my preschooler's coloring book. Am I thinning my paint too much? Do I need to create color boundaries with a wood burner? I have tried to used a wood burner, but the paint just seems to flood into the small channels that the burn creates and runs all over the place. I would appreciate any help that you can offer me on this subject.

Brandant

Hi_Ho_Sliver · #2 06-05-2007, 05:25 PM

woodburning makes it like a paint by number, paint doesn't flow easily past a wood burned line

Mark N. Akers · #3 06-05-2007, 05:41 PM

Brandant:
I agree with Dave on woodburning,I also have seen people that make a V cut between 2 colors.Hope this helps you.

susieq · #4 06-05-2007, 07:53 PM

Brandant,
What exactly, is the wet on wet style of painting you are talking about? Anytime you apply wet paint to wet paint.....it's gonna bleed...........

Are you thinning the paints a lot? Or using out of a tube or one of those little bottles of paint? Describing a painting technique or style with words and no visual is tuff also. If you want to have a blended look, between colors, you might have to dry brush and stipple or learn to use an angled shader. Or maybe you have too much paint in your brush when you work.
The possibilities are endless. Maybe this wet on wet style is better with oils?

I have been painting with acrylics for 15 years. I apply paint, let it dry and apply some more. Please tell us more about what you are doing and what you hope to achieve with this wet on wet style. If we understand better, maybe someone can help. Please give us more information.
susieq

AlArchie · #5 06-06-2007, 10:13 AM

Sounds like you might be "flooding" your paints. Putting way too much thinned down paint over a wet carving??? Burning boundary lines between your color areas will stop the "through the grain" bleeding, but not those tidal swamps of color running over the boundaries if the boundary burns are filled with liquid (either paint or water).

The usual color bleeding is when thinned paint or pigment gets into those tiny tubular capillary structures in the wood grain. These are like tiny pipes that will transport your colors to surrounding areas. The burned boundaries seal these little pipes, stopping the bleeding. They won't stop heavy applications of liquid from flowing OVER them.

You can however apply wet paint right up to these burned boundaries without bleed-over, if you don't overload the system by applying enough paint to run into the burns. Care and precision are still required.....the burns don't mean you can get sloppy, they just stop that infernal internal capillary action that tends to spread colors through the wood fibers.

Another real "bleeder" is that two part epoxy glue....it's fairly slow setting and if you apply it to thin sections of your carvings, it may work it's way through to other surfaces. I've noticed this when applying fins to fish...the glue will work it's way through the body sections from the fin insertion points and pop out in very unexpected spots. This is not a problem if the subject is going to be painted but would definitely screw up a project designed for staining. Better to use another type of glue in that case. ( Elmers or Titebond)

Al

susieq · #6 06-06-2007, 10:43 AM

Yes, Al,
You are right about all of those things and I didn't even think of any of them because I automatically seal all of my pieces with clearcoat before painting, which would eliminate those problems.....sorry I dropped the ball on that possibility.

Brandant, do you use a wood sealer before painting? I just use a matt clear spray to lightly seal work before painting. Certain woods are uneven in their grain, etc....and so various parts of the piece will absorb paint at a different rate, causing a splotchy look. It also takes a lot more paint to paint an unsealed piece.

Nancy-ID · #7 06-06-2007, 11:43 AM

What type of carving are you painting? I think that is important to know before anyone can answer your question. I do animals. I want colors to run together to a certain point, then once I have achieved the desired colors, hues, tone, etc, then I will start defining areas with cleaner lines but still using a thin wash, just not as thin. I start out "sloppy wet", I mean not much more than dyed water and apply maybe up to 10 or 12 coats changing the color by adding either a lighter color or a darker color, depending on if it is a highlight or shadow. The only place I will use straight paint is eyelids, mouth, hooves maybe, whereever I want a deeper color with a bit of shine once it is sprayed with my finish. I do not seal before painting, that allows the wood to suck it up. I don't want paint just sitting on top, to peel or flake off over time. Doing carvings such as Santas or caricatures I would think the process would be very different, that cleaner, sharper lines and more "solid?" colors would be wanted. ??? I will post some photos of my latest carving this afternoon where there are bright colors in it but I still used my method explained above. I just finished this guy and have one more thing to do on the eyes, then I'll get photos. He's kind'a cute

Mitchell · #8 06-06-2007, 12:42 PM

I use Mark's suggested method.....

Make sure that there is a GOOD stop cut between the two areas with a v-tool and/or deep cut with a knife. I also try to add paint in layers in tough spots - meaning I will use multiple coats with just a little on the brush each time. That way there's less to run.

susieq · #9 06-06-2007, 01:29 PM

Yep, there are soooo many different possibilities here....we need more information from you Brandant..... I have no doubt that once we know what you are specifically trying to accomplish with your paints, one of us will have the answer for you.
(kind of overwhelming, isn't it....)

BrandantR · #10 06-06-2007, 05:58 PM

Thank you so much everyone for your responses. I am truly in the right place for information. Let me be as specific as I can about my dilemma. The projects that I have painted so far are caricatures. The wet-on-wet process that I am trying to reproduce involves scrubbing the carving with water and a toothbrush to get it clean, and before the carving dries, applying thin washes of acrylic paint. Where I have really noticed that my paint bleeds is where two dissimilar colors come together. I have tried burning a separation line, which seems to help quite a bit, but a burned line can't always be done. After reviewing all of the replies to this thread, I have come to the conclusion that I may be overloading my brush with the thinned out paint. Not to mention that I just need a lot of practice, but I guess that's where the fun lies; seeing where one can improve and finding ways to overcome problems. I'll try some the your suggestions and see what helps.

Thanks again, Brandant