Dear All !
Well known is the technique of painting Wood with an acrylic base coat (Tamiya sand, German dark yellow etc) and generating
the grain effect via oils.
Oils are a very good painting medium, mixable with enamels ( don't Forget about that - this is very helpful - and with different
- shorter - drying time) .
The only shortcoming for the modeler ist the long drying time.
Winsor & Newton also produces water mixable oil colours; I painted the da Vinci Canon wagon this way and drying time-
Fingerprint sure- was about 7 days.
Here another way of painting Wood / woodgrain via acrylics (Andrea, Vallejo, Lifecolour):
- priming with Tamiya White primer / Grey primer (gives different Looks later!)
- basecoat : a) thinly applied (glazingly) b) covered applied
- Highlights: if desired , some parts may be painted (glazingly) with a lighter colour (see Lifecolour Weathered Wood Set)
- Woodgrain: paint the woodgrain (AK Colour wash for ship decks for ex.)- water solulable glazing colours available (Vallejo)
- now paint the desired wood colour on top: better paint several thin layers - makes it easier to direct the effect
- if desired, use a gloss varnish.
Modern acrylics like by Andrea Miniatures or Vallejo are designed to be painted by brush; use of thinner Retards drying time,
but they don't dry as fast as Tamiya XF paints for example.
The aircolor versions are mostly semi-matt, the ones for brush painting are matt
For those who do not want to use oils, acrylics will also give a very good look; enamels are better for base coat or grain painting
(on top of an acrylic base coat) , but not for glazing painting on top, because they will dissolve any enamel paint - unless it is not dry for several weeks....
Kind regards, Gunther
