Lichen on Rocks

[Paul_Guraedy]

My Frien’s I have been asked to give a little more explanation of my lichen making process. The ingredients are simple: Liquitex Artist Modeling Paste, tool (shown below), paints and a brush.

Artist Modeling Paste is water based. I bought my jar several years ago and can’t remember if it was nice and thin or if I added water. But, when I went to use it this year it was thicker than I wanted. I stirred it up a bit, then put some water in there, no stirring, came back a couple of hours later and stirred it just a little. I like to have it about the consistency of pancake batter. Thick enough to stay in place and make a bump, thin enough to “puddle” a bit. The look I am after was best described by Bob Squarebriggs, “….looks like a scab”.

I used to put it on with one of the flat toothpicks; but, they kept bending, breaking, loading too little, etc. I happened to notice a plastic palette knife, tried it…. too broad. Then came the “eureka moment”. Dug out a plastic fork broke off all the tines but one…..perfect. Tool making is not something I practice but this worked.

One caveat as I enter the explanation of how I do the lichen…..I use watercolors for painting. Don’t know how acrylics or oils would work with this process; just know that I have had very little luck using them.

Now, the actual process:

1. Prepare the rocks complete with paint.
2. Go around and dab on some of the Modeling Paste. Don’t crowd it and keep it random. Kinda make it look like a rock with chicken pox.
3. After thoroughly dried (aids in handling the carving) go back over the rocks and fill in some of the gaps.
4. While this is drying, I do a little painting. I use watercolor and that makes it easier for me with something like lichen. I lay down little dabs of sap green, yellow ochre, raw sienna, white gouache, burnt umber and ivory black in a circle on a plastic pie plate. Get a brush loaded with clean water and pull some of the sap green to the middle, load the brush pull out a little yellow ochre. Using a very thin wash I put a dab of color randomly on the dry lichen. Don’t mix much at a time and keep just pulling out random amounts of each, the object is to create different shades and to use these randomly around the carving.
5. Repeat step 3.
6. Repeat step 4 but pull in some of the other colors, but keep it thin…lots of water. Paint the new lichen and go over some of the older to create more depth of color. This is easy with watercolor, you don’t have to worry about it drying….just wet it again. But you do have to move fast when applying as a second coat on the lichen. Scrub with the brush and it will lift the color underneath.
7. Keep repeating 3 and 6 until you are beginning to get the look you want. Some of the “scabs” will have sharp points and such on them. When you are satisfied that you have the rocks covered to the extent you want….go over the lichen with sandpaper. I really liked that stuff they use for drywall. Just knock the tops off (points and such) and don’t try to get it all even.
8. Now repeat step 6. There will be some white areas left from sanding the modeling paste. Color these a little with different mixtures from your “palette”. Leave some with very thin wash to show a little off-white to give the appearance of older lichen.