[Anthony Filetti]

I found an introductory set of watercolors at JoAnn's the other day and would like to try that for a finish. Any tips on the tube watercolors themselves? Ratio of water to paint?

Also, I've hear where people use a wax over the watercolors and buff w/ a shoe soft brush. What type of was would you recommend?

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Tony.....Why watercolors? Whats wrong with Acryllics?

[Thor]

I use watercolors and then both oil and wax over them. I love the way they handle on the wood, and how I can continue to mix, remix and enrich the color even after it is dry by adding more layers. You do have to be more careful with bleeding from one color to the next since it is never permanent until it's sealed, but you get used to that. Also, your pallet never dries out to an unusable state. Just reapply water, and you're good to go. The transparent nature of the colors may make you need goauche as well which is a tempera opaque color paint.
Good luck with it.
Acrylic has it's good points too, but I enjoy watercolors on wood.
I use Johnson furniture wax over it as the last finish. There are lots of furniture waxes on the market that you may find you like better, that's just what I use.
Thor

[Anthony Filetti]

Lynn,
I now own one of Marv's stylized carvings(done in watercolor) and I must say it is an interesting finish. Nothing wrong with Acrylics at all, like using them a lot and will continue to use them.
I would like to start competing more so I am pushing myself creatively and we'll see where it goes. It is my belief that we should be exposed to as many different styles and methods as we can so we can effectively develop our own style. It's like learning the definition of 'SHARP', until you actually use a sharp knife you truly can't say you understand 'SHARP'.
Have you had any experience with watercolors?

Thor, I appreciate your detailed explanation. In your intermediate step you mention oil, what kind do you use?
Also you mentioned that the medium isn't set until it is sealed, at what point do you consider it sealed? As far as bleed over is concerned I use deep stop cuts to help with this.

[Thor]

Thor, I appreciate your detailed explanation. In your intermediate step you mention oil, what kind do you use?
Also you mentioned that the medium isn't set until it is sealed, at what point do you consider it sealed? As far as bleed over is concerned I use deep stop cuts to help with this.[/quote]

It isn't sealed until you have put a sealant over it, meaning that if you get that spot wet again, the paint will be paint again, not dry pigment. This is an advantage when put into play as you can still blend, and thin the paint that you have already applied.
The oil I use is BLO or tung oil. Either one will help to seal it once it is well dried. Then, waxing over it will give it a nice feel.

The stop cuts are great and work well as long as that is the only place you change color....if you want to put little red ornaments on a painted green tree....you may get brown ornaments, because the green mixes with the red once it's wet again. That's the difference between acrylics which once they are dry they are permanent, and watercolors that are a pigment in a non-permanent state.

I have nothing against acrylics either. I just happen to have an interest in, and have competed in art contests that only accept pieces done accurately to medieval times.. Acrylics weren't invented yet. Watercolors and oils were.

One more thing. A beginners set of watercolors may be a good quality pigment if it is winsor newton or another good brand. The child sets are usually low pigment and won't be as brilliant or as color fast and may fade pretty quickly. I would experiment with them before you put them on a prized piece.
Thor

[Irish]

Hey tony, Hey Thor,

You can control some of the bleeding that occassionally occurs by allowing the wood to dry throughly before adding the color or a new coat. The watercolors tend to move through the wood fibers. So if two adjacent areas of different colors are both wet at the same time the fibers will pull the color into the second area.

Do a small practice painting on a scrap board. Trace your design. Then watch how the color moves. Especially on the first, base coat I will lay down a thin coat of water to an area stopping just a little short of the boundry line. That light coat of water will spread your first base coat smoothly.

For a red ball in the center of a Christmas tree .... try a small bit of masking tape cut to the shape of the ball. The tape stops the watercolors from grabbing so you can paint the tree green, let that dry, lift the tape and have a clean area for the red ball.

Lynn, I use watercolors when I want an extremely transparent coloring. They are excellent over wood burnings because they allow all the burn lines to show while coloring the unburned areas.

Susan

[Irish]

The Old Time Fireman is a wood burning with watercolors. All of the dark brown and black tones are from the burning, not from color. Because watercolors are transparent all of the burn lines show through cleanly.

The Carousel Horse is also a woodburning but for this one I used colored pencils. Pencils are extremely easy to use especially for fine detail coloring. But you can see that they are semi-transparent. Some of the burn lines have become clouded because of the coloring and the wax of the pencils.

The Mule Deer is a carving and painted with base coats of acrylic and then dry brushed using oil paints. The coloring is opaque, none of the wood shows through the colors.

Each paint media creates a different effect and it's fun to be able to use all three medias.

Susan

Working with Watercolors
http:www.carvingpatterns.com/projects/watercolor.htm

Carousel Horse Wood Burning
http:www.carvingpatterns.com/projects/burn-five.htm

WCI Mule Deer Article
http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.co.../mule_deer.php

[squbrigg]

Weeelllll doggies!!!! As old Jed use to say. You learn something every day!!! Thanks Susan, I haven't tried all of those yet! I do enjoy my burnings, and I like to experiment with colours with them too, so I'd better get busy. Thanks for the tips and links.

Bob

[Paul_Guraedy]

Susan and Thor, you two seem to be the resident experts on watercolor and I have a question.

I had always used acrylics because that is what everyone I knew used. Then, I experimented with oils and really liked the long drying period which offered a lot of possiblities with blending.

Then, several years ago a friend and instructor, John Engler, introduced me to watercolor. At first I was extremely skeptical. Learning watercolor resembled my first experience on roller skates. I knew it could be controlled because others were doing it; but, no one seemed to be able to tell me HOW!. I fully believe that the basics of watercolor can be taught...the rest is the result of experimentation, exasperation and finally experience.

In no way do I claim to be a watercolorist. I do use watercolor, love the transparency and the results that come from washes and blending; but, am frustrated by not having a reliable and permanent white.

I was advised to use; but do not like the look of, gesso and have, on a friend's recommendation, started using gouache.

Recently, another friend, recommended absorbent ground (mentioned in another thread). Have either of you had any experience with this medium? I have a canister of white and will be doing some experimentation; but, would love to talk to someone who has already "ironed out the wrinkles". I wonder if the asorbent ground can be left as the white color on wood?

[AlArchie]

I use watercolors on some walking sticks and canes because of it's transparency. At the same time brilliancy can be achieved by using a heavier application, or going back over later with the same color.

Here's a cane I did for my wife's cousin (well, part of a cane) with watercolors. Nice bright yet transparent effect.



Here's a re-run of a carving I posted last month....it's a scene in low relief done with water thinned acrylic washes. There are varying degrees of transparency from just a light stain on the sky area to an almost opaque coverage of the tree trunk, the white on the cabin and the quilt squares. These were all done by varying the ratio of water to acrylic in the wash. The more opaque appearance couldn't have been done with straight watercolor. Depends on what effect you want, which medium to use. I like both and in bot instances use Lynn's technique of lightly burning in the individual area outlines to stop the "bleed-over" of color from one area to another.


Two very different effects with the two different mediums. I like both!

Al