Finishing Techniques for Wood Crafters. Lora S. Irish

Finishing Techniques for Wood Crafters

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to extend my deepest thanks to Chris Reggio, Colleen Dorsey, and David Fisk for their excellent work in creation, development, and refinement of this manuscript. As an author it is a wonderful experience to be working with such a well-skilled team.

Finishing Techniques for Wood Crafters is an original work, first published in 2018 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the author. Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.

Print ISBN 978-1-56523-929-6

eISBN 9781607655015

The Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

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INTRODUCTION

In this book, I will take you through the very basic steps for painting and staining any woodcarving, pyrography project, or gourd. We will look at solid coloring with acrylics, stain painting with oils, combinations of the two, and many special effect techniques. Techniques can be mixed, matched, and used on whatever project you want to work on. There are no surprise instructions here or secret techniques—just the basics that will help you create a strong, clean finished work each and every time.

The sample projects I have used throughout this book to demonstrate techniques are varied, from ice fishing decoys to a Celtic knot dragon to a wood spirit cane topper. These are quick, easy, and innovative little carvings that can be adapted to all of the painting styles that we will explore, and are meant to impress upon you the great variety of projects that you can paint and finish.

This book does not teach you how to carve, wood burn, or create any kind of wood craft—it is made for readers who already have some experience creating with wood and who are looking for instructions on how to paint the projects on their work tables. So, while I am not providing the step-by-step carving or pyrography instructions for these painting projects, I have included the patterns for each project in case you find them useful and want to create them yourself.

In many of the photos in this book, you will see a ball-head straight pin in the base of a fish’s tail. This well-set pin can be slid into a cut in a cardboard box flap that allows the fish to hang freely while drying. Place several books inside the box to keep it from tipping.

For many of the painting techniques in this book, I have used one of a small grouping of basswood “Whittle Fish” (as I call them) that I carved. Each Whittle Fish was created from a 1 ¼" x 1 ¼" x 3" (3 x 3 x 7.5cm) practice block using a bench knife, a V-gouge, a large round gouge, and 220-grit sandpaper. You can find detailed carving instructions on page if you want to practice some of the techniques we’ll cover in this book on the same fish that I use to demonstrate the techniques.

CHAPTER 1: BEFORE YOU PAINT

CHAPTER 2: ALL ABOUT BRUSHES, PAINTS, AND OTHER MEDIA

CHAPTER 3: LEARNING TO MIX COLORS

CHAPTER 4: PAINTING TECHNIQUES

Solid Acrylic Colors over a Primer: Trick Fish

Simple Blending with Acrylics: Dotty Fish

Acrylic Wash Painting on an Oiled Surface: Floral Fish

Dry Brushing Acrylics over Acrylics: Turtle

Marbleizing: Stone Fish

Vintage Finish: Chip Carved Fish

Acrylics over Oil: Bird

Splattering: Sectional Fish