[Canopener]

Okay; I have to ask, and I realize it may be nasty but what does
ROTFLMHO mean??????????????
Jim

[Bartster]

kenny,

the key to a good paint job is that the wood be good and clean before painting,scrub it with a brush and liquid soap or simple green and a brush works good to,then paint it wet and let it dry overnight before sealing with blo. hope this helps.

bart

[Kenny_S]

Jim, "Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Head Off" ROTFLMHO


Bart, I have started cleaning my carvings and have noticed a difference in the way paint goes on, So, with the suggestions, I will be trying them
Thanks

[santagibbs]

I hate to even get on this board because all of you are such experinced carvers and I am just getting started. I always painted Curtis' carvings but most of the time I use acrylics, however.. I always had this problem ...The carving is nice and smooth and finished and when I put the first coat of acrylics on, it raises the grain and I have to sand lightly again, the whole Santa.. That's a lot of extra work .. of course if I use Alkyd oils , I don't have that problem.. Do you have a sugestion that would elimanate the grain raising the first time.. I don't think I would want to dip the Santa in something and I hate to wait when I am ready to paint.. Is there any thing like a spray that would seal it? Thanks Charlotte

[Ashbys]

Santagibbs ,

Happens a lot to the wood , it is a natural effect.
You can use sanding sealer, which will help reduce the effect , sold in lowes .. home depot , and most hardware stores.

Ash

[Hugh]

Well I might as well jump in here. I might be able to help. The first thing to consider is preparing the wood. Acrylic paint does not adhere to bare wood, well. I use T K Sealer, you can get it clear or white. several coats, it will not raise the grain. at least three coats. This sealer will accept acrylic paint.So you don't have to use Gesso when you use the TK. Some carvers use a sanding sealer,(sanding sealer generally raises the grain and requires sanding again) and this is covered by thinned Gesso.The acrylic paint will then adhere to the gesso. The next thing to consider is what your painting with. Jo sonja is not paint but a Gouasche. there are different paints available, my preference is Golden Paint and golden products. the pigment is higher in the golden than in most paints. Disolving or mixing your paint is very important. If the paint is not disolved properly in the water, it will be blotchy. Most problems occur then in the washes as the painter tends to scrub over and over, trying to cover. Put on a thin coat, dry it or let it dry. Acrylics dry to the touch in minutes, but in actual fact Acrylics take days to completely dry. I tell my painting students over and over again. do not scrub, make a couple passes with your paint water mixture and dry it, and carefully put on another coat. The base coat of TK, or Gesso is a very important place to start. Consider the paint brushes, possibly they are too stiff and scrubbing the paint. RAZERTIP SELLS THE TK SEALER. Hope this helps.

[Kenny_S]

Mrs. Gibbs, I don't sand my carvings any more after painting, I use wadded up brown paper sacks and rub the carving like I am sanding it, then brush off any excess. Then spray with Deft matte, satin, of semi gloss protectant.
Hoppe this helps.
Lot of good suggestions here.

[santagibbs]

Hugh, where do you get TK Sealer? Sanding Sealer would cause you to have to sand again as I have use it on wood projects and it too raises the grain.. I have used Jo Sonja's paints for years and love them. I find that Gesso covers very small details on small projects, like my nine or ten inch Santas.. or maybe I am using it too thick but was afraid to thin it too much..

Kenny S.... I will try the brown paper bag tip... I would not have thought about that. Where do you by the Deft spray.. I live in a small town and can't drive a long distance ..like Jacksonville or Savannah like we use to. You could find most art supplys in a big city but the big city of Wal Mart is all we have.. I resort to ordering over the internet now.. Thanks Charlotte

[Kenny_S]

Wal Marts has it in their paint department, I like the Deft matte(no shine) and the Deft satin and the semi- gloss. Anyway, Around here they do. Have notice that all Wal Marts don't carry the same items in a lot of their stores.

On the brown paper sacks, I use the thin ones or sandwich size. the bigger ones work also.

[Irish]

I'll throw in my two cents as well into this excellent discussion and perhaps Kenny will have enough 2 cents to take his good lady out for an ice cream cone

I think that sometimes you just get scared of a technique because it didn't quite come out how you thought it should have the first couple of times. Then two things happen...

1. You become your own worst enemy and see every little itty bitty 'mistake' that no one else in the entire world would see.

2. Then you begin to hesitate the next time you try that technique. In painting that hesitancy can be disasterous because it gives a brush full of paint 2 extra seconds to grab onto the wood. So instead of a quick, easy flowing stroke you get a drag and pull stroke.

With any acrylic wash that you try, Kenny, simply remember you can ALWAYS go back and cover it all up with opaque color and no one will ever know the difference!

So you can relax, have fun with it instead of trying to 'conquer' this stuff and if it doesn't work go solid.

Susan