I've tried many different ways to paint and stain my carvings.  By experimenting and combining different techinques I've learned from various carvers, I have developed my own. You don’t want to rush painting and staining.  I spend almost as much time doing this as I do carving.

The boiled linseed oil and Watco wax will need to be purchased at a hardware store, but the acrylic paints can be picked up at any hobby/craft store.  Important tip: don’t buy cheap brushes.  Cheap brushes won’t last long after a few cleanings and will leave hairs behind driving you crazy.

First step is to wash the carving using liquid hand soap and a toothbrush.  Washing will remove any stray pencil marks and oil left from your hands. Ensure the carving is completely dry before going any further.  I like to wait overnight, but you can always use a hair dryer if you wish.

The Second Step after washing is to seal the carving with boiled linseed oil.  I add small dab of raw seana oil paint to the linseed oil to achieve the correct color I’m looking for.  Linseed oil is an oil-base product so an oil paint has to be used instead of water-based acrylics.

Please feel free to send me an email if you have questions or comments:

john@camperjohn.com

Once dipped, I hand dry with paper towles or rags and let dry for about 15 minutes before painting.

WARNING Depose of oily rags correctly.  Linseed oil has a history of spontaneous combustion.  Do not leave them laying around and forget about them.

I water down my paints to create a very thin wash.  I like the toned-down effect it has and by using a wash, the woodgrain will show through.  I will also start painting while the carving is still a little damp from the oil bath it just received.

Be warned, with the combination of a still wet carving and a very thin wash, the paint will have a tendency to “bleed”.  If you have made very good stop cuts, this will help eliminate some of the bleeding to unwanted areas.  When painting close to another area that is going to receive a different color, don’t allow your brush to get real close to the other part.  Instead, keep it away by just a little and let the bleed work for you; by bleeding right up to the point on the other area. Let dry over night before staining.

I make a mixture of 50% Waxco Natural and 50% Waxco Dark Satin in a jar.  Using basically the same technique when sealing, I dip the entire carving into the mix making sure to cover every last inch.  I will let this stand about 5 minutes before using a rag to remove the access.

Using a rag (or paper towels) pat dry the carving....don’t wipe, just pat.  Patting allows much of the dark stain to remain in the recesses.