Author Topic: Wood Grain with Oil Paints  (Read 701 times)

Offline WD

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Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« on: August 24, 2024, 09:41:18 AM »
Forumites,
                 Please let me tap the hive mind for some advice. I'm trying to create some wood grain, in 1/72nd scale, using oil paints on top of a Tamiya deck tan base. On my first attempt I put tiny dots of 2-3 shades down, and spread them with a brush, but that turned into a horrid, goopy mess. On my next try, I let some small dollops (that's a highly technical term BTW) soak out the linseed oil on a piece of cardboard, then transferred some of that to a pallette with a little Turpenoid/mineral spirits. I either ended up with a big smear of paint, or it ended up as a cloudy brown mess. I'm using an old, soft, natural hair brush.

Where am I going wrong?

Warren

Offline ScottJ

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Re: Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2024, 02:17:13 PM »
I may be totally off base here but it's my understanding that you need to have an acrylic (water based) base coat if you are going to apply oils over them.  I did the same thing by using Tamiya Deck Tan on an Albatros S.253 and then streaking with oils.  When I applied the PFG the whole thing turned to mush.  I don't have a lot of experience with these techniques but I think you have to have mixed media to get the wood grain effect.
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Offline Listel

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Re: Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2024, 03:13:08 PM »
Hi Warren,

I get very good results proceeding the following way:
1. Base coat of tan or sand colour (enamel usually). Let dry.
2. Put a bit (peanut size) of Windsor & Newton burnt sienna oil colour on a post-it. Use it as it comes out of the tube, without thinner.
3. Using a flat brush (size according the surface to paint), not too soft (otherwise it will not reproduce the grain effect), dip the brush tip in the oil paint and rub the excess on the post-it.
4. Apply with long moves in the direction of the wood grain (usually in the length of the object). The less paint on your brush = the lighter the wood. If you want it a bit darker, just use more paint on the brush. Avoid passing too many times on the surface as you may loose the grain effect. The oil paint can easily be "pulled" on the surface if you have an excess somewhere. Density of the colour has to be uniform. Once you are satisfied, don't touch it anymore and let it dry several days! Watch-out for the finger prints as long as it has not dried completely, drying time is much longer than any other paint. If you want to be extra careful, you might consider treating the surfaces in several steps (first top and bottom of fuselage, then, once cured, doing the sides) but it's up to you. With a bit of care and practice you can complete it in one time and it's probably better.
Test the above on an old piece of kit and get used to it.
Surfaces can be varnished once completely cured.

Cheers,
François
« Last Edit: August 24, 2024, 09:53:06 PM by Listel »
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Online NigelR

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Re: Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2024, 05:52:11 PM »
Here's an approach I use. Put some oil paint on a piece of cardboard to let the oil leech out. Then using a fairly stiff brush, work the oil paint into the base colour so that you have a good covering all over the base-coated surface. Don't apply it thickly - you want a thin layer that has been worked into the base coat. Then get a flat headed brush moistened in thinner and drag it over the surface. This will lift off the oil paint leaving a streaky effect which you can adjust as you see fit. You can always lightly streak on some more oils if you  need to, but you shouldn't in 1/72 as you need the effect to be subtle.

I find this easier than trying to apply streaks with the paint. You need a matt surface under the oils.

 

Online DaddyO

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Re: Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2024, 06:40:59 PM »
Hi Warren

Great advice above. I'll just add that a stiff brush that works well is a cheap hogs hair 'bristle' brush (intended for oil paints) Depending on the finished colour you're after I'd avoid too much contrast between the base and top colours. Raw Sienna and Yellow Ochre work well as does Burnt Sienna (which gives a nice reddish tone) Favourite of mine is Raw Sienna Pale for 'natural' plywood colour.

I made up a little test board of a scrap of plastic card with stripes of various acrylic colours going one way and then laid stripes of oil paints at 90 degrees to them to see the effects of different base coats and top coats (Of course now I want to take a photo I can't find it!)

Paul
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Offline WD

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Re: Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2024, 10:24:39 PM »
I may be totally off base here but it's my understanding that you need to have an acrylic (water based) base coat if you are going to apply oils over them. 

Thanks Scott! My base is Tamiya, which is a type of acrylic paint impervious to mineral spirits/white spirit/Turpenoid*, so that's not part of my problem. The "mess" I'm getting is on top of that.

Warren

*(Many people think that Turpenoid, because of the name, is turpentine. It is NOT. It's very refined mineral spirits and was created as a turpentine substitute for artists using oil paints. As I understand it, some of the sulfurs have been refined out, making it less smelly.)

Offline WD

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Re: Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2024, 10:25:33 PM »
I think you all for your replies and advice, it is very much appreciated. I'll go forward with this new knowledge now, and hopefully be more successful.

Warren

Offline Brad Cancian

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Re: Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2024, 10:51:50 AM »
Hi Warren,

I feel that in 1/72 you want to have the impression of wood without over done grain, but enough there to make it look like wood. You also want to go for a little bit of variation between panels as well. It's a fine thing and really up to the individual about what they like to see.

I use a method similar to François' method, using oil paints (various mixes of burnt sienna, raw umber, yellow ochre, black and white). Agree that you should let some of the natural oils leech from the paint first. Apply with a medium sized and slightly stiffer brush; too soft and you'll lose the effect. Don't be afraid to have the brush slightly moist with thinner as this will help create the grain effect. "Jiggle" the brush about to get a bit of a 'wobble' in the grain, if that's an effect that you like. In my personal opinion, too many straight lines looks unnatural (even if it might be more technically accurate). You can dab on tiny dots of darker paint and 'draw' these across the panels to help represent knots or variations in the ply, to your taste.

For example, here's what I went for on my 1/72 Airfix Albatros D.V. After the oils are on, it looked like this:




I did this all in one sitting, working each panel from the forward fuselage back to the rear. You can see the effect is quite exaggerated, both in terms of the grain, and panel variation, but this is quite deliberate.

Next, once the oils have COMPLETELY dried, comes a clear yellow coat. This helps to 'tie' the panels together visually a little more. It reduces the effect of the grain as well as reduces the differences across each panel, whilst still providing the variation you're looking for.




I also used to use thinned clear smoke around the edges of each of the panels; this creates an interesting effect but is easily over done. I have steered away from this in recent builds (including the Airfix build herein) but it can also produce some interesting effects.

Once this dries, apply the rest of your markings, and decals. I then use a raw umber wash to highlight the panels. The wash is the final step in drawing the whole effect together. Here's what it looks like:





Some may think that this is over done, some may think it's under done, too yellow, not yellow enough, etc... it really is a personal choice. Ultimately you are the one that needs to be happy with it :) Practicing on cheaper kits will help you to figure out how to get the effect you are after.

Hope this helps?

Cheers!

BC
« Last Edit: August 25, 2024, 10:56:17 AM by Brad Cancian »
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Offline IanB

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Re: Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« Reply #8 on: August 27, 2024, 02:43:52 AM »
I use acrylics, not oils, and have achieved a very acceptable (for me at least) finish. See my build of Donnet-Leveque Type A for details and pics of the technique.
https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=8890.msg162623#msg162623

Ian

Offline WD

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Re: Wood Grain with Oil Paints
« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2024, 10:05:27 AM »
Brad, thank you very much!  That was very helpful, and your step-by-step photos really help. I'll definitely utilize this going forward. When you applied the oils to your model, did you dip your brush into the paint, or did you put a small "dot", etc. on the model first?

Ian, thanks for the suggestion! Many, many years ago I tried doing wood grain with acrylics, and I think I did "OK", but right now I no longer have those paints, but do have the oils, and that's why I wanted to try them this time. I'm sure I'm going to experiment with acrylics again down the road. Most of all, thank for the link to your build!  I've save it in my reference folder for future use!

Warren