[Tucson Bill]

Reading about what others do to prepare a carving for painting is very confusing. I read about a lot of stuff from doing nothing to spraying with Deft. A lot of it I don't even know what it does! For instance, what is gesso all about.

In some cases I hear that sanding sealer will make it so my paint won't penetrate and therefore won't stay where I put it. Others say use sanding sealer????

Assuming I will be using acrylics, are there any guidelines, or do I use up a couple of gallons of paint and various other potions to find my own answer?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

gesso is a white chalky substance that was and is used to prime canvas for oil painting..I used it once on a fish carving, haven't used it since. sanding sealer...humm I have switched to prestain sealer, seems to work better, smooth carving rather than the rough texture I got when I used the sanding sealer...suggest you get a piece of scrap wood and try the different methods, you are right, you will need to experiment to find what you like...asking the question will get you a dozen different answers...as for acrylic...being an old oil painter, I like it for carvings because its quick, dries fast, can thin to a wash if I desire and best of all, its cheap at wallyworld lol Dave

[AlArchie]

It probably depends on what you want your preparation to do.

Sanding sealer does exactly what it sounds like; it seals the wood to prep for sanding. SEALS the wood is the key concept. Once it is on, stain, oil or water based paints will no longer penetrate the wood, and will not change the look of the grain, but will let the grain show through. So depending on the thickness of the paint you use (full stength or wash), you can go from rough looking to "plastic". Sanding sealer does tend to raise the grain some, so you can sand off the fuzzies after use.

You can use any of the spray on finishes as a (sanding ?) sealer, but technically, a sanding sealer has a light filler included to help fill grain voids. Just spray the Deft, varnish or lacquer onto the bare wood, let it soak in and re-coat.This seals the surface so stain and paint will not penetrate the wood.

Dave was right about gesso, it's a white or sometimes colored concoction that was used originally to prep canvass for painting. It is now not a true gesso finish but a thick acrylic based white primer....serves the same purpose. Kinda like the "analine" dyes.....not the highly toxic mix they used to be, but still producing the same results. You can probably find original formula gesso in some real art supply stores.

In lieu of gesso you can use flat spray auto primer in either white or color. Some of these come with a "filler" to cover small defects in the finish. All kinds of choices.

If you want to maintain the grain showing through and still manage to color it (the grain) you can use stains, dyes, or either oil based or water based paints without a sealer or primer. Acrylics, oil paints, water colors' or even enamels, can be thinned to a "wash" to impart some color to the wood without obscuring the grain. Light washes can be applied after painting and/or sealing to add some "age" to a carving, or to highlight recessed areas.

If you use a quality paint, a prime coat of sanding sealer will not affect the adherence of the paint! Same with gesso or the spray primers.

I guess it boils down to try a few techniques and products and see what you like! It may be that you chose different techniques for different effects. Entirely up to you!

Al

[Kenny_S]

It depends on what one likes to use or do. Mostly, I wash the piece then paint the carved piece. Now there is the wash or straight paint , Antiqued or not antiqued, matted, semi gloss or glossy look. There are as many variables as carvers.

Suggestion, try out different methods on scrap pieces to see what you like.