I have been experimenting with colour on my carvings ,,, Colour is a dramatic addition to any carving ,,, it is also very risky in that there is so much that can go well or wrong.
Things that can go wrong are a multitude ,,, wrong process, wrong colour, wrong application, wrong area to paint,,,
The decision to paint for me is the beginning of a stressful thought process when I think of painting a carving. I have researched what is tradition to adding colour to a carving, I have researched the processes that other carvers have developed to add colour to their carvings. I discovered many ways of doing this though I didn't find many explanations as to why,,, most just explained they did this or that process,,, the why was to be figured out,,, yes in some cases it was obvious other cases it was a lot more obscure ,,,
My final decision to add colour was a gamble ,,, I know that I have previous good and bad experiences with choices in materials or processes of adding colour, so caution and consideration of why do I think colour would add to this piece ,,, does it need something and is this colour or something else,,, after sorting through these questions and decided that colour may work well then it is the question of application ,,, staining is my least favorite option as this is the most dangerous choice based on the fact that stain is exactly that ,,, stain. Stain goes deep into the fibre of wood and is very difficult to remove if it doesn't work or looks wrong or , or , I just don't like the effect most of the time,,, so Paint is my fav choice,,,
Paint is solid pigment and can and usually hides the grain of the wood a lot or completely and paint on raw wood also is difficult to remove ,,, so one of the ways I avoid this is to first coat the carving with Gesso
Gesso is great for many reasons ,,, one is that it is a surface application. it doesn't go deep into the fibres of the wood,,, makes it easy to remove by sanding,,, also it can be sanded in between coats to add additional smoothness as it does act as a bit of a filler also it is a barrier to the paint being absorbed into the wood fibers. It also is a great primer for paints either oil or acrylic ,,,
Now it is a matter of colour selection ,,, after this it is the choice of oil or acrylic paint ,,, each has its advantages and disadvantages ,,, I prefer acrylic paint because it is quick drying properties ,,, This is the biggest advantage for me,,,
One other point abought Gesso I have found is that Gesso will lift the grain slightly on red cedar without making it fussy,,, In some carvings it is nice to have a slight raised grain so you can see that the object is wood without having the colour of the grain to indicate this,,, the effect of a very slight raised grain can be very appealing enhanced element to some works,,, It will not however hide anything or solve bad carving skill ,,, in fact it does enhance and point out any short comings in these areas,,, that is a good thing as I can correct these thing at this point very easily ,,,
The last point I will say is after all is said and the painting is done ,,, was I right in my decision to add colour ,,, I the case of the carving here,,,
Things that can go wrong are a multitude ,,, wrong process, wrong colour, wrong application, wrong area to paint,,,
The decision to paint for me is the beginning of a stressful thought process when I think of painting a carving. I have researched what is tradition to adding colour to a carving, I have researched the processes that other carvers have developed to add colour to their carvings. I discovered many ways of doing this though I didn't find many explanations as to why,,, most just explained they did this or that process,,, the why was to be figured out,,, yes in some cases it was obvious other cases it was a lot more obscure ,,,
My final decision to add colour was a gamble ,,, I know that I have previous good and bad experiences with choices in materials or processes of adding colour, so caution and consideration of why do I think colour would add to this piece ,,, does it need something and is this colour or something else,,, after sorting through these questions and decided that colour may work well then it is the question of application ,,, staining is my least favorite option as this is the most dangerous choice based on the fact that stain is exactly that ,,, stain. Stain goes deep into the fibre of wood and is very difficult to remove if it doesn't work or looks wrong or , or , I just don't like the effect most of the time,,, so Paint is my fav choice,,,
Paint is solid pigment and can and usually hides the grain of the wood a lot or completely and paint on raw wood also is difficult to remove ,,, so one of the ways I avoid this is to first coat the carving with Gesso
Gesso is great for many reasons ,,, one is that it is a surface application. it doesn't go deep into the fibres of the wood,,, makes it easy to remove by sanding,,, also it can be sanded in between coats to add additional smoothness as it does act as a bit of a filler also it is a barrier to the paint being absorbed into the wood fibers. It also is a great primer for paints either oil or acrylic ,,,
Now it is a matter of colour selection ,,, after this it is the choice of oil or acrylic paint ,,, each has its advantages and disadvantages ,,, I prefer acrylic paint because it is quick drying properties ,,, This is the biggest advantage for me,,,
One other point abought Gesso I have found is that Gesso will lift the grain slightly on red cedar without making it fussy,,, In some carvings it is nice to have a slight raised grain so you can see that the object is wood without having the colour of the grain to indicate this,,, the effect of a very slight raised grain can be very appealing enhanced element to some works,,, It will not however hide anything or solve bad carving skill ,,, in fact it does enhance and point out any short comings in these areas,,, that is a good thing as I can correct these thing at this point very easily ,,,
The last point I will say is after all is said and the painting is done ,,, was I right in my decision to add colour ,,, I the case of the carving here,,,
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I think this works,,, Colour does add to the piece in many good ways,,, Let me know what you think,,,
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