[Ron T]

Hello!

I just joined yesterday and have been going through the various topics and found this section on painting.

I don't know if anyone can help me save my "Maiden" stick, but I'm afraid I turned her into a painted lady. The hibiscus flowers were painted with an acrylic wash of red and the plumerias a wash of pale red and yellow. The bright colors of the hibiscus made her face very pale and washed out looking, so I decided to apply some lipstick. If you look closely, you can see that the red has been absorbed right through the short grain of her lips and is showing on her upper lip. I tried to sand the color off but it looks like the wood, diamond willow, is too soft and the grain has allowed the paint to saturate it completely. You can't really see it too clearly, but the red is also on the top of her chin.

Thank you.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

could seal it with min wax prestain sealer and go ahead and paint the whole thing.

[Ron T]

Thanks Hi Ho,

That's an idea I hadn't considereed. I not very good with the paints, as you can see, but worth a try. I tried sanding, that's how I discovered the paint absorption through the grain.

[sharon cottrell]

I don't have any advice for you, but when I saw her on the carvers gallery I really liked her because of the way she looks. She looks like she is from bygone days, 20's or 30's. The paint looks aged. I thought you did her that way on purpose. Maybe some kind of antique finish over what you have to make her look like she was done from that era. By "done "I mean carved and painted then.LOL. Vintage is the word I'm going after. Anyway the "lady" is cool!

[Ron T]

Thank you Sharon for your kind words. I almost cried when I painted her lips and the paint ran.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

One of the first things you learn when painting is that "Red" is like the unwanted guest, once they show up they're almost impossible to get rid of. Normally you could carve away the paint but in this case it looks like that red really soaked in to the point that that option is not available. So, there is really only one thing you can do to get rid of the red and that is to paint the whole face Gray. I know it sounds drastic but Gray is the only color that will cover red without it bleeding back through. Once the Gray is dry then you can go back and repaint the face. The way the hair frames the face and neck should allow you to do this with no problem.

Dave is right when he said that giving the piece a coat of some kind of sealer before painting will stop the bleeding problem.

[Ron T]

Thanks Lynn,

I was so proud and fond of her. And now, I can be again. Any suggestions on the kind/color of paint/stain I should use?

[Lynn O. Doughty]

As you're going to paint the face solid gray you can use a flesh tone and then shade the outer cheeks with a little Red Iron Oxide for a nice rouge effect. I'd be real careful when adding "Makeup" to the face. To much and you're back to the painted lady look. One thing I notice on your photos is the eyelashes. On a piece that small those would only appear as a thin solid line not individual hairs. Just a suggestion. Also, like Dave said don't paint the lips until you have a coat of varnish or some other sealer already applied and dry. That way you can wipe off any mistake.

[Donna_T]

Hello Ron,
What a good carving--realistic ladies are so hard, especially in smaller sizes. I'd agree with you in that I find painting the hardest part of carving. A lot of it is practice and trial and error. When trying a difficult paint job, I often use a scrap of the same wood to experiment with for different effects.

Here's a couple of things I've found:

When trying to keep two different but adjoining paint colors from running or bleeding, I've sometimes used the very tip of my finest carving knife and run a line along the demarking edge. That gives a "gully" that can stop paint from bleeding into adjoining color. I've also found that when painting with acryllics, wetting the wood with water first also takes less paint.

Finally, when using bottled acryllics, I like the Ceramcoat by Delta's cayeene for lips. It's a tanish rose color that's more natural than red. Diluted really well, it can be used for rosy cheeks. However, for a really natural look for lips and blush, I like to use a combination of pastel sticks (I have 3 sticks in a little plastic box: tan, light pink, and browning rose) to dry brush onto the areas that I want to add color...blush. It's much like a woman putting real make-up blush onto their cheeks....come on guys, use your imagination on this one--or watch or ask a woman to demonstrate this process! (chuckle)
This process is topical, some of it can be blown off the carving, but it's a great natural look without the bleeding and over-coloring of your carving. I use it on noses and cheeks of santas and even other male carvings.

Once you use a fixative to your finished carving to protect it, the powered blush is set.

Like most other carving and painting processes, there's several ways to get the result you want. And you learn from trying all of them--some things you learn what not to do--other you learn to do it more. Good luck and we're glad you found this site.

Donna T

[Ron T]

Hello Donna and Lynn,

Thank you so very much for your suggestions and advice. I only wish I had found you all before the I created this problem for myself. Most of my carvings are left nautural with just a coating of Watco oil or a matte finish urethane. I just wanted the flowers to pop out and that led me down this path.

Your advice, Lynn, on the eye lashed is well taken. Also, Donna, I will remember to try the paint on a piece of scrap, use a knife to "separate" the painted sections and either seal the wood first or wet it before painting. But, I'l practice, practice, practice before I mess up anymore of my carvings since it takes me so long to get them done.